I read a lot of blogs and come across many that have comments disabled. Here at Home Cell Phone Business, there is comment moderation in force, which is a lot different. The comment spam is so bad that the comment moderation feature of WordPress lets me keep the blog uncluttered and makes it easy for me to let only the real comments through.
In my opinion, a blog without comments is not really a blog - it’s an online newsletter. Not a bad thing necessarily, an online newsletter, but unless you’re allowing commentary and open discussions, it’s so .. um .. Web 1.0.
Comments are what make blogs what they are - kind of like an open discussion led by the blog author. I still read some blogs that don’t have comments because they can still have great content, but it does feel like something is missing.
Yesterday I posted about the demise of wired phone service. No where is this more apparent than in my own neighborhood in Seattle, Washington. I live right in the city in a neighborhood called Greenwood. When I moved here years ago, the local phone company (Qwest) had not yet upgraded their cabling infrastructure to allow for DSL. Now here in 2009 six years later, they still have not! I just checked a minute ago. This was the message:
Our network is continually being expanded, and we don’t want you to miss the opportunity to get a broadband Internet connection that can save you time, help you enjoy online activities, open up the option to work at home, and more! Please fill out the form below, and we will let you know when Qwest Broadband becomes available.
Yeah sure, and I won’t hold my breath. It looks a lot like what they told me years ago. In today’s economy, it’s not a good bet that companies like Qwest will be doing any kind of expansion. I recently read about a heap of layoffs at Qwest and upgrading their infrastructure is probably way on the back burner now.
And this is not some out of the way suburb; this is right in the city and should have been upgraded years ago. Fortunately for me, Comcast (the cable company in my area) is more than happy to provide broadband service. If you are planning a move and want DSL broadband, make sure your new neighborhood supports it. Meanwhile, the wireless industry flourishes!
One of the best ways to pass germs around or get germs (aka swine flu) from others is use shared phones. Viruses can live on surfaces like a phone mouthpiece and can easily be transmitted that way. Today I was doing some corporate consulting and was at a branch office. I received a page to call someone and I called them back on my Lightyear Wireless versus their corporate phone system.
When asked why I used my cell phone rather than use their (expensive) business VOIP based system, I just said I needed to walk around. That was only 1/2 true; the other half of the truth was germs. The phones at the place I was working were publicly used phones. By ‘publicly used’ I mean used by many employees. And I didn’t have my bottle of isopropyl alcohol with me!
I have no idea whether anyone at the place cleans the phones or not and I figured I may as well not take a chance. I know where my phone has been and I know whose mouth has been on it!
I was reminded of the importance of a cell phone again the other day. I was just walking along the street at the bottom of a hill in my neighborhood. I witnessed a young woman on a bicycle crash. She was going down the hill, hit something, flew over the top of her handlebars and crashed to the pavement. She began screaming presumably in pain. Two motorists stopped but neither of them had phones. Fortunately I was already on it. I dialed 911, initiated the call, and got paramedics on the line.
This is one of the reason I always try to leave home with my phone. When I forget my phone, I feel like I’ve forgotten something important like a wallet or keys. I have been known to go back and get my phone when I forget it. So no one can tell me that cell phones are not an primary component of life today.
Oh, the young woman seemed to be better when she was talking to paramedics, so I left the scene then. But don’t forget your cell phone - even if you go out for a walk! You may need for your own sake or for the sake of someone else.
Well not everyone gets it when it comes to cell phones. Today’s chatter talks about two people I know.
Friend 1 - I’ll call him “John”. John is around my age (mid 50’s) lives alone and has a land line phone. I have a hard time getting hold of him. He is an acquaintance rather than a good friend, but I like to keep in contact with him. So I had this discussion with him about getting a cell phone. I said, “you know John you can get a cell phone for the same cost or even less that what you’re paying for that land line. You’re never home and all I ever get is your voice mail.” He responded by declaring he didn’t think he could benefit from a cell phone because he’s hardly ever home! Clearly he misses the point. Recently he had back surgery and I have not been able to get hold of him to see if he’s OK. He doesn’t get it.
Friend 2 - I’ll call her “Jane”. Jane was supposed to meet me for lunch a few weeks ago. We set a time and place. When I got to the restaurant she wasn’t there but called me on my Lightyear Wireless cell phone. She said she had written the address down wrong and was sorry she was late, but had to find a pay phone to call me. When she finally arrived, I said “Um Jane where’s your cell phone?”. She casually responded “Oh I left it home; I knew I was coming straight here”. Clearly she doesn’t get it either. Post mortem on Jane, a few days after that lunch she came down with a bad cold and I’d be willing to bet she got it from that Pay phone!
Two examples of people who just don’t understand the role of a cell phone in our lives.
Lately I have been getting a lot of what I call Super Spam in my Akismet collection. What a garbage collection! Or as my friends in the UK would say: What a load of rubbish! Does anyone really expect to get these kinds of comments published? I am pasting an excerpt here although the entire spam was 963 words (and of course I have removed the spammy links from it). This is what I call automation run amok. Thank goodness I have Akismet so these don’t show up in my comments!
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Here is a poll that asks the question: how much of your browsing is done on your phone?
It’s a fair question and I took the poll and answered the “Once at Day” choice. The importance of this question focuses on how people actual use their smart phone. So far the winning category is “Multiple times a day” Go and vote - there is a choice that is likely to work for you. One option for the question they might have included is “No internet access” because there are lots of people who do not want to pay for internet access on their phone.
My once a day is sometimes twice a day. It usually occurs when I am standing in line somewhere like at the bank or the grocery store and want something to read. I open up my smart phone and read the news! It’s not too bad. I really don’t see myself ever replacing the computer with the phone - for example I can’t imagine trying to post this blog from a phone. Clearly smart phones and cell phone are pervasive whichever you look at it.
I ran across this article about a cell phone gun that was recovered from an organized crime gang. Looks like a cell phone (well maybe not) but shoots 4 rounds! I don’t know about you, but that’s not like any cell phone I’ve seen for years. If I saw that, I would be immediately suspicious. It does look like the types of cell phones that were around in the late 1990’s and perhaps that’s when this gun was manufactured. Probably the manufacturers of this ‘gun’ thought that style of cell phone would be around for a while and they could get long life out of that gun. So if you see someone walking down the street with an old style looking cell phone; better look out! Especially if they slide it open in the middle.
Cell phone gun
And be sure to take some time to turn off that cell phone so that you can enjoy some time with your loved ones. Yes you need that cell phone, but you don’t need it 100% of the time. Take some time to enjoy your family and loved ones. I decided!
You’ve heard the term ‘fruits of his/her labor’ before haven’t you? What that is referring to is a long term commitment that after some time gives its payout. In terms of fruit, think of what would happen if you planted a pear tree in your yard. At first it would be a small sapling and in fact for two years it would be just a small tree not bearing any fruit. And during that time, you would have to pay close attention to it to see that it grows. You would have to attend to propping it up during storms and making sure it has enough water during the dry season. But once the pear tree becomes mature, it will begin to bear fruit. Not only once, but season after season. Once it becomes a full grown tree, it will require less attention and will increasingly be a provider for you, providing you with more and more fruit.
I’m sure you see the metaphor here when you consider what happens with a home based business. They generally don’t just take off right away. They require nurturing and lots of attention. Then one day, they will be profitable and give you the fruit of your labor.
General | Ross | 
November 11, 2009 9:59 pm | 
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