tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post5836328002929304200..comments2024-03-28T15:57:43.970-05:00Comments on Althouse: "I remember when I was growing up, the rule was, 'Don’t call anyone after 10 p.m.' ... Now the rule is, 'Don’t call anyone. Ever.'"Ann Althousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-56150479695939401642011-03-20T07:29:02.727-05:002011-03-20T07:29:02.727-05:00"OK, then why are all those people driving ha..."OK, then why are all those people driving half the limit on the expressway with their finger in their ear?"<br /> - - - - <br /><br />YOU try driving the expressway in to work with one of your fingers stuck in your ear. Why do you THINK someone might drive slower in that situation Sheesh.bobbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05541153566289316156noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-11421470544965453192011-03-20T04:02:18.410-05:002011-03-20T04:02:18.410-05:00In the '60's the mantra was "BE HERE ...In the '60's the mantra was "BE HERE NOW." <br /><br />Now, it's "BE ANYWHERE BUT HERE."Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15467691545889046825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-516458852466499052011-03-20T03:59:39.191-05:002011-03-20T03:59:39.191-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15467691545889046825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-81536688647910299122011-03-20T01:09:34.310-05:002011-03-20T01:09:34.310-05:00Good grief!--what a bunch of a) control freaks and...Good grief!--what a bunch of a) control freaks and b) evaders of fleshly folks you all are.<br /><br />This means something. Doesn't it?reader_iamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17352836883752091339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-7242152563068793922011-03-19T22:51:08.618-05:002011-03-19T22:51:08.618-05:00My voice mail box has been filled for about a deca...My voice mail box has been filled for about a decade. I have always hated that stuff. <br /><br />And even back in the FIDO Net day I preferred my BBS mailbox.M. Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09508934110558197375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-59463617642863422952011-03-19T20:55:03.640-05:002011-03-19T20:55:03.640-05:00Even (perhaps especially) in its dubiously sourced...Even (perhaps especially) in its dubiously sourced "lifestyle"/trend pieces, the NYT cannot summon a "voice" that sounds natural to 85% of the US population.<br /><br />To wit:<br /><br />"I literally never use the phone,” Jonathan Adler, the interior designer, told me. (Alas, by phone, but it had to be.) “Sometimes I call my mother on the way to work because she’ll be happy to chitty chat"<br /><br />Yep - chitty chatty interior designers named Jonathan definitely manifest that median American.<br /><br />I honestly wonder if the NYT has become a daily exercise in self-parody.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-39208006878757211502011-03-19T20:42:22.817-05:002011-03-19T20:42:22.817-05:00I don't give out my phone number anymore (emai...I don't give out my phone number anymore (emails/text only). Phone calls are rude. They assume you have nothing more important to do than answer them. They break your concentration. They're annoying. They interrupt. I think they're a prime source of modern stress.<br /><br />edutcher said... <i>"Most of the people I see can't live more than 10 seconds without calling somebody."</i><br /><br />That's why I thought it was just me, but I guess it's not.Jeff Fariahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12311004609431680032noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-83906148260077616842011-03-19T20:13:06.824-05:002011-03-19T20:13:06.824-05:00My folks were of the era when a long distance phon...My folks were of the era when a long distance phone call meant a death or an engagement. <br /><br />I myself grew up with touch-tone phones in constant use. Now, there are few people other than my mother whom I talk to by telephone. <br /><br />My daughter is a freshman in college, and won't even use email. Everything is text messaging or a comment on Facebook. Except that once a month or so she will deign to let us both talk to her and see her face with iChat.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-25930787525662959082011-03-19T17:57:21.858-05:002011-03-19T17:57:21.858-05:00When I go see friends at their homes I turn off my...When I go see friends at their homes I turn off my cell phone, same with doctor appointments, hair salon appointments, and eating at a resturants. I just think it is rude to take calls, or text on my cell when I am visiting others. I don't think it is cool when my friends do that to me, so I turn off my cell when I see them. <br /><br />I also hate it when others cell phones go off when I am trying to eat. Also my time with my doctor is important, My hair appointments are a time to relax. <br /><br />I just think allot of rude behavior comes out of having the cell on.<br /><br />And in our household growing up no calls allowed after 9 on weeknights and 10 on Saturday nights. Unless it is a family member.Pamelahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02185611718849062452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1310480587916940482011-03-19T17:55:18.797-05:002011-03-19T17:55:18.797-05:00@Jamboree: you don't need a real estate licens...@Jamboree: you don't need a real estate license to sell your own house.Jeff the Brokerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07495531638829960866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-37444863437220943922011-03-19T17:44:57.042-05:002011-03-19T17:44:57.042-05:00I'm a technical guy in a position that doesn&#...I'm a technical guy in a position that doesn't involve customer interface. Yesterday I made my first (work) phone call in almost a month.<br /><br />You see, somehow my password had been locked and I couldn't log in to check my email. So I had to call the company support desk.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10330712047609650184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-3390923874358034672011-03-19T17:29:23.890-05:002011-03-19T17:29:23.890-05:00What I laugh at is that if all we've had were ...What I laugh at is that if all we've had were texting and email, and someone invented the phone, everyone would be running around saying<br />"I've got this new gadget and I can TALK TO THEM AND HEAR WHAT THEY ARE SAYING!!" "You gotta try it!."<br /><br />If you want some fun, put a rotary phone on the end of the line and watch one of these kids try to dial a call.<br /><br />Dadofhomeschoolersdadofhomeschoolershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10164690638335065954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-28652180675183557082011-03-19T11:50:32.986-05:002011-03-19T11:50:32.986-05:00People don't call cuz they know you've got...People don't call cuz they know you've got nothing to say. <br /><br />Now....when will the editors at the NYT figure it out.madAsHellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01149940549262340795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-48229886129127529112011-03-19T11:37:07.207-05:002011-03-19T11:37:07.207-05:00I think it depends on where you live and who you a...I think it depends on where you live and who you associate with.<br /><br />Like SWWBO I live in a very rural area. We are extremely lucky, however, to have access to high speed DSL. So we use Email for many of our communications between family and SKYPE with friends and family. Communicate via email for business and use web meetings services quite a lot. <br /><br />Cell phone reception sucks. There are many "dead spots" which means you have to drive to a special location and hold you mouth just right to make a cell phone call.<br /><br />Because my husband's business is with people who generally don't have computers (no connection and some are older people who don't use computers or cell phones at all) we have THREE land lines into our home and businesses.<br /><br />Thank goodness for caller ID. We have it programed to show up on our television so we don't even have to look at the phone to see if we want to pick up the call. I have no problem ignoring the phone when it rings.Dust Bunny Queenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13341429444562280127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-92120428676124280142011-03-19T11:19:09.445-05:002011-03-19T11:19:09.445-05:00perhaps home phone calling is dead (ie on the land...perhaps home phone calling is dead (ie on the land line). But people call on cell phones all the time. <br />THough I have noticed this too. Usually when I get in touch with friends it's through emails or IM.<br />Doctors appointments or business are handled through phone conversations.jr565https://www.blogger.com/profile/07630491937904835553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1471409196471241272011-03-19T09:40:57.803-05:002011-03-19T09:40:57.803-05:00My daughter calls to chat all the time. Usually t...My daughter calls to chat all the time. Usually talks to her mom, but I've learned to be patient and listen to the chatter. (I would enjoy it live, but find it annoying on the phone. Why is that?) I greatly prefer email to the phone.Bob_Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14013147654544140102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-28702984272587159022011-03-19T09:01:56.751-05:002011-03-19T09:01:56.751-05:00"...so did have to sign the requisite song fo...<i>"...so did have to sign the requisite song for him."</i><br /><br />FYI - signing doesn't work over the phone. ;)<br /><br />As to the article, it obviously has a point, but the ridiculous over-generalization is laughable - "nobody talks on the phone any more." Sure. Right. <br /><br />It's just more over-the-top media hype because they had to have something to write about. Instead of doing an article that observed the current situation vis a vis technology, they decided to go "high concept" and cram real life into an artifiicial box. Aren't the NY Times types supposed to be the ones who understand nuance?<br /><br />Our general calling limit was 9 pm in my world.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-16487355044557680582011-03-19T08:28:54.704-05:002011-03-19T08:28:54.704-05:00As a college instructor, I have to say that the st...As a college instructor, I have to say that the students are more addicted to phones than EVER! Of course, they do not actually use them to <i>talk</i> to people, but they text-message NONSTOP. My colleagues and I have even had problems with students messaging during class, and not even trying to be sneaky about it. They just whip the phone out, plop it on the desk in front of them (out in the open) and start typing away!<br /><br />My own younger siblings are also text-message addicts. They cannot get through a meal, a tv show, movie in the theater, or any other event without constantly messaging their friends. I consider this to be extremely rude. They see it as natural.<br /><br />My, how things change in such short time!galdosianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12647965353409821942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-16016923734158248332011-03-19T08:13:04.719-05:002011-03-19T08:13:04.719-05:00Thanks Michael,
That was our sales pitch in conci...Thanks Michael,<br /><br />That was our sales pitch in concise form.<br /><br />I am just an old fashioned guy who likes the friendly voice on the other end of the line. We still use live answer, as do many service based companies.<br /><br />Customers having a problem want to talk to a person in their time of need.Beta Rubehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14246756651556769169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-49200438437882105192011-03-19T07:52:31.235-05:002011-03-19T07:52:31.235-05:00Beta Rube: On the other hand, the people being ca...Beta Rube: On the other hand, the people being called have been liberated from the idiosyncrasies of those cheerful phone answering ladies. Even today when one gets one on the line and they are so very helpful. Mr. X, they atone, doesn't have voice mail, I am his voicemail. Heeheee. OK, lady. Then I give her the message as quickly as I would give it to voicemail, often on a complex topic with big words. I have to repeat the message two or three times or give up and ask for the call back at which time I have to repeat it again. Nice lady doesn't work at 2 am.<br /><br />You are doing a huge service to mankind by producing and selling equipment that eliminates those "jobs."Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08258681007386089907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-38188576562445044582011-03-19T07:05:58.212-05:002011-03-19T07:05:58.212-05:00I am a partner in a small business that sells and...I am a partner in a small business that sells and services business telephone systems and related technology.<br /><br />When I started in the 80's as a new salesman after losing a "rust belt" factory job, everyone had a receptionist to answer phones and greet visitors.<br /><br />That position is largely gone now, and even though I make my living off the technology that has replaced them, I miss the charm that those ladies brought to the business day.<br /><br />There are still countless calls made and taken everyday, and direct human conversation cannot be replaced by the written word. Email will never deliver the emotion and emphasis inherent in the human voice.Beta Rubehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14246756651556769169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-4283218969756984302011-03-19T05:58:04.179-05:002011-03-19T05:58:04.179-05:00Things do change though. Around 15 years ago, I wo...Things do change though. Around 15 years ago, I worked as an inside patent attorney in a large company. When I arrived there, the rule was that the phone was answered by a real person. And, mostly, that meant going through a receptionist. After hours, the phone calls went to a recorder. <br /><br />Then, the CEO mandated voice mail. After all, we were a technology company, and refusal by the IP department to use voice mail was ludicrous. So, the pink phone memos started disappearing. They still haven't - I get one about once every couple months, instead of a half a dozen a day. <br /><br />Voice mail made perfect sense then. We had offices around the world (and, literally, the sun never set on the company). So, our engineers on the other side of the world could leave messages during their work days, and we could respond during ours. <br /><br />Now, voice mail is on the way out. At work, instead of having to figure out how to check for my mail, remember all the codes, etc., I just have it sent to me in email. I can then click on the email and listen to the voice mail either on one of my computers or on my phone. But that also means that I have some voice mails that are months old at the bottom of my inbox.Bruce Haydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10815293023158025662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-70543387698182226242011-03-19T05:44:56.962-05:002011-03-19T05:44:56.962-05:00I haven't used a land line for years now (prob...I haven't used a land line for years now (probably about 8 years), except for immediate family and girl friends. One of the later can't see well enough to text (and refused to learn before that), and so I have to talk to her over the phone. And, it was my father's birthday, so did have to sign the requisite song for him. <br /><br />My work phone forwards to my cell phone, and my cell phone has my Outlook contacts, often with photos, so when I update the my contacts on the computer, they shortly get updated on my phone. Thus, I will often have the photo or logo for the caller popping up on my cell phone for calls to my work number. Saves having to remember all those phone numbers. <br /><br />But I find that even as an attorney, I don't spend that much time any more on a call, and most of my calls now seem to be scheduled, and often are conference calls of one sort or another. I can conference in 2 others on my desk phone, and we have our own conference center/lines where I can conduct larger ones. <br /><br />Even though I am not a MSFT fan, I do find more and more that even outside my firm we are using Outlook to schedule calls. Someone sends around an appointment, and you either accept it, reject it, or suggest another time. And, if you accept it, it is automatically included in your calender - which is why I cannot fathom still using a Day Timer. <br /><br />Oh - and timing. At least our foreign associates understand the concept of time zones. There seem to be a lot of people on the East Coast who don't. I am 3 hours behind them, and 8 a.m. their time is 5 a.m. my time. I have custom rings for anyone in my family or anyone whom I would accept a call from at that time of day. But it still aggravates. I don't call them at 5 p.m. my time, so why are they calling me at 5 a.m. my time? Just another reason to operate primarily by text and email.Bruce Haydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10815293023158025662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-65758597524090229872011-03-19T05:42:23.886-05:002011-03-19T05:42:23.886-05:00I have tamed my land line with my question machine...I have tamed my land line with my question machine. There are two: who are you, and what do you want? <br /><br />I won't answer the phone until I hear the answers.hoydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13269690586125378243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-51200286951666209452011-03-19T02:35:40.975-05:002011-03-19T02:35:40.975-05:00it's difficult to devote my entire attention t...<i>it's difficult to devote my entire attention to only one thing, and a phone call all but demands that you do that.</i><br /><br />So telling. <br /><br />About all those texts, im's, e-mails, tweets, dm's and many more of all of that's: Do you find all of that distracting and hard to focus upon, too? Have you considered that perhaps your approach is *degrading* your ability to pay attention--in general, and even specifically, including to the things you hold most dear?reader_iamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17352836883752091339noreply@blogger.com