yes

can you hear me NOW?

I have a cell phone.. the only time it gets used is in the car on the way home from work to tell her that I'm on my way. Then it gets turned off most of the time. She always gets mad saying "we pay $40 a month for you to have a cell phone, leave it on !" I still don;t see the need for one.. although i do carry it when I go on long rides to give her a call if I a)breakdown somewhere remote, and don;t wanna walk all the way back in cycling shoes, or b) I get out too far, and know I'm gonna bonk beffore geting back home.... so far I've been lucky and have never had to use it, but I know the one time I forget to throw it in the wedge under the seat I will need it... but I always keep it turned off, and never give my cell number out to anyone unless I know they need to get ahold of me for something.

Ack... need more espresso this Monday morning


Jeff

No - I've resisted, or rather seen no need for one. i can see they've got their uses in an emergency, or if you travel a lot but personally I don't feel the need to be in contact with people every minute of the day. From observation 99% of their use seems to be pretty facile, but may be that's working in a college.

Richard

Just so there's no confusion... I am so :confused: my wifes cell is for her office to contact her in regards to emergency's relating to her "adolesent" patients... Kids and their parents are really wacko these days... oh boy

Exactly! Unless you need to be reachable all the time, turn the phone off, and use the caller ID to screen your calls! A cell phone has its uses, and certainly anyone who has had a medical emergency or an accident (either in a car or on a bike) is eternally grateful for those people who have a cell phone and make that 911 call. I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that lives have even been saved by quick responses due to folks having cell phones.

I carry my cell phone when I ride, but it's switched off. It's not for people to contact me, but rather for me to use if I need to. I only give my cell phone number out to a select few people and if I'm expecting them to call me, I might switch the phone on. Otherwise, they know to leave a voice mail message.

My son sometimes stays at home alone. The ground phone line can be easily cut.

But he has his mobile phone. He can call me and I will come to help in 10 minutes.

My father-in-law is elderly person. If he is down somewhere in the city he can call me or his daughter and we will be there in no time.

But if I keep my mobile phone switched off, they will just lose time calling me. It will not work.

So sorry, guys. Keeping the thing off is not suitable for me. I will keep my phone on. I have promises to keep.

Alexey, those are all valid reasons to leave your phone on all the time. As I said, there are lots of reasons to do that, and I'm thankful that we have the technology that allows us to be in touch so easily.

I'm a single parent and during the time when my son was younger (he's 20 now), I was glad to have a cell phone so he could reach me at any given moment. That was one call I'd always accept.

I've had a mobile phone now for so many years, thant many of my friends don't even realise that I have a land line as well. The down side is I maintain the local Scout Groups internal directory, out of 112 kids there are 3 over the age of 11 that do not have a mobile number, and over 40 that do not have a e-mail address.

txt msgs rule!

Ok, I think it's crazy for kids to have cell phones. It's hilarious seeing them at the mall chatting on their cell phones. I didn't have an email address until I got to college and didn't have a cell phone until a year or so into it. My parents wouldn't pay for my beeper in high school and I couldn't afford a cell back then. 1994-1998.

Beau

Yes, there are negative things about kids having mobile phones.

But there are positive aspects too, if one works with a kid explaining how the technology works.

A computer inside a modern phone is more powerful than that which was on the Apollo spacecraft.

If a kid uses this complicated phone just to chatter, than it is close to useless. But if he/she maintains with the help of an adult the database of contacts, schedules, birthdays reminders, understands data protection, etc. than it is the part of his/her education.

It is also educating to help the kid to connect a mobile phone to PC via infrared port and do the updating via convenient PC keyboard.

Kids are interested when something is fun. The mobile phone is fun for a kid.

I'm just glad I'm not paying their phone bills.

Cell phones definetly have their place in society. I think it is ridiculous when they have to post messages at a movie theater to tell people to turn them. I mean what next are we going to have chargers at restaurant tables so that people charge one last time before they head to the clubs or what not.

I may be dating myself, but we never had a telephone until I was 14 years old in 1957. Now I wear one on my belt. If I don't want any incoming calls, I turn it off!!! Most phones have that feature. I pay for it. It's for my convenience, not others... Only time I have it on is if I'm expecting a call from my wife, otherwise known as the Buff Babe..... Jim

I certainly wouldn't ride without my phone since I'm usually riding by myself, though it's usually turned off. It can be really aggravating when the thing rings and I have to stop and answer it! When I want to ride, I ride. When I want to talk on the phone, I'll sit on the couch and talk on the phone!

When I first got my phone (lo, so many years ago), my mum thought I was crazy until I pointed out to her that my hubby worked nights, so in the winter the only time I'd be driving it would be dark, and did she really want me to have to flag a stranger down if I happened to have car trouble (now this was in the "before time" when I drove more than I rode). She thought about it a minute, then called my sister (who lives alone) and told her she should get a cell phone!

Now even my little 89 yr. old mum has one - she takes it whenever she drives, and loves her free long distance!