Comments on: Bye bye, cell phones http://www.yourdonreport.com/index.php/2007/12/04/bye-bye-cell-phones/ Blogging the impact of computer-related technology trends, and whatever else catches my interest. Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:22:24 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Price Taylor http://www.yourdonreport.com/index.php/2007/12/04/bye-bye-cell-phones/comment-page-1/#comment-26279 Price Taylor Wed, 05 Dec 2007 17:18:09 +0000 http://www.yourdonreport.com/index.php/2007/12/04/bye-bye-cell-phones/#comment-26279 One of those "remember when" for traveling warriors was to land into an airport and dash for an opening into the "pay phone farm." If you were lucky, you grabbed your calling card (come to think of it, I had that memorized...), checked your office voice mail (this was before e-mail), made return calls, checked in with your boss, wife, etc. Gotta say I don't miss that at all but we've traded one tower of babel for another. Now the cacaphony starts on the plane when the announcement is made "you may now use portable electronic devices including cell phones...". It is interesting that last month I saw a pay phone in downtown Snohomish, WA (an street with shops, mainly antiques) and I had to take a picture of it as well. My musing was to wonder when the last time that thing was used? There was a period of time when you needed to look up someone's number on the trusty phone book and then you made the phone call on your cell phone (well, if it had a phone book and the page that you wanted to use wasn't torn out). Now you just call 411 Google (800-466-4411) at no charge (unlike Verizon Wireless...) and it routes your call. Can't say that pay phones were the "good old days" compared to what we have now. My 9 y/o son is fascinated by old things such as rotary dial phones, record players, etc. We have an antique phone on the wall in our kitchen, it has the bells on the top, ringer on the side, etc. Maybe he'll be an antique collector. Price One of those “remember when” for traveling warriors was to land into an airport and dash for an opening into the “pay phone farm.” If you were lucky, you grabbed your calling card (come to think of it, I had that memorized…), checked your office voice mail (this was before e-mail), made return calls, checked in with your boss, wife, etc.

Gotta say I don’t miss that at all but we’ve traded one tower of babel for another. Now the cacaphony starts on the plane when the announcement is made “you may now use portable electronic devices including cell phones…”.

It is interesting that last month I saw a pay phone in downtown Snohomish, WA (an street with shops, mainly antiques) and I had to take a picture of it as well. My musing was to wonder when the last time that thing was used? There was a period of time when you needed to look up someone’s number on the trusty phone book and then you made the phone call on your cell phone (well, if it had a phone book and the page that you wanted to use wasn’t torn out). Now you just call 411 Google (800-466-4411) at no charge (unlike Verizon Wireless…) and it routes your call.

Can’t say that pay phones were the “good old days” compared to what we have now.

My 9 y/o son is fascinated by old things such as rotary dial phones, record players, etc. We have an antique phone on the wall in our kitchen, it has the bells on the top, ringer on the side, etc. Maybe he’ll be an antique collector.

Price

]]> By: ed http://www.yourdonreport.com/index.php/2007/12/04/bye-bye-cell-phones/comment-page-1/#comment-26277 ed Wed, 05 Dec 2007 15:58:15 +0000 http://www.yourdonreport.com/index.php/2007/12/04/bye-bye-cell-phones/#comment-26277 Adriano, Yes, it's primarily a forecast -- and an acknowledgment that many of us DID stop using payphones already, without even thinking about it... Ed Yourdon Adriano,

Yes, it’s primarily a forecast — and an acknowledgment that many of us DID stop using payphones already, without even thinking about it…

Ed Yourdon

]]> By: Adriano Comai http://www.yourdonreport.com/index.php/2007/12/04/bye-bye-cell-phones/comment-page-1/#comment-26270 Adriano Comai Wed, 05 Dec 2007 10:39:07 +0000 http://www.yourdonreport.com/index.php/2007/12/04/bye-bye-cell-phones/#comment-26270 Maybe the title is not correct? Or is it a forecast? Maybe the title is not correct? Or is it a forecast?

]]>