Phone Calls

If you have looked on in envy at the clever phones of others while your own boring old phone does nothing but take calls and send texts, check out Krafty's post, "Smartphones on the Cheap."

She finds that Virgin Mobile (my own cell service provider since I've had a cell phone) offers smartphone plans for as low as $25 a month.

I currently pay around $10 a month, spending 25 cents per minute on very few minutes of calls, plus a $5 text messaging package, so this would still be a significant cost increase for me, but compared to many smartphone plans it's really not much.

Virgin Mobile works fine for me as long as I'm in or around a sizable urban area. I get no signal at all when I visit my mom in Taos, New Mexico, and it can be a bit patchy out in the farther suburbs or in smaller towns in Massachusetts, but I spend 99% of my time in the immediate surroundings of Boston, so it's been OK.

I just consider my visits to my mother "phone vacation time," and honestly, it's not necessarily a bad thing to take a break once in a while.

It's also true that I have sometimes looked on in envy at everyone else's clever phones. Maybe when my current phone needs replacing, I'll upgrade to a smarter model.

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Trials of the Age

I have recently discovered that my phone will send, but has apparently decided to no longer receive, text messages.

This is not an ideal situation, since I sometimes like to get responses to the messages I send, or perhaps be alerted to important news via incoming messages from friends and family. For example, people getting new jobs, or moving, or visiting interesting museums.

In other ways, the phone seems functional enough, but I send a lot more text messages than I make phone calls, so it's kind of dead to me if this problem cannot be solved. The internet informs me that others have had this problem with my phone company, so I suppose at least it's not a unique issue that has never before been seen.

The internet is unclear on whether it can be fixed, although it suggests resetting the phone, which will erase all previous saved information.

Including contacts. Siiiiigh. Copying and re-entering my contacts list. Just the rewarding project I was looking for.

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What We Need Are Some Standards

I see from Stephen's Lighthouse that the UN has formally approved a standard form for cell phone chargers.

I can immediately think of occasions where this would have been useful to me. I forgot my charger, and even though everyone around me had a cell phone, no one had the same model I did, and hence I could not simply borrow someone else's cord when my battery ran low.

I'm so accustomed to this situation that it didn't even really occur to me to complain about it (a startling event in itself, given my fondness for complaining), but on reflection it's pretty silly. Imagine if the outlets in houses were all different, so you could only plug in your phone in certain models of electrical systems. If you moved, you'd have to get a new phone. That would suck, huh?

Happily, we have standardized electrical outlets (within countries, at least; there may still be issues if you try to take your regional-standard plugs abroad), so you can at least count on one end of your charger fitting wherever you might be. We like this.

I for one applaud the march of uniformity in this matter. One day, maybe I can go on a trip and forget my cell charger, yet still be confident of being able to borrow one from someone else.

Perhaps laptop chargers will one day follow?


P.S. I spent more time debating the title of this post than actually writing it. Is it grammatically correct? Is "what we need" (singular, would take "is") or "standards" (plural, would take "are") the important thing here? The internet does not immediately offer an uncontested answer. Shocking!

I'm following this pronouncement on nominal relative clauses, which isn't even specifically about my question, but references it in passing and sounds really authoritative, but I could see the other side as well.

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Tragedy Narrowly Averted

I couldn't find my phone today.

I looked all over my office, the reference desk, the back room (even though I pretty much never take it out of my office while I'm at work), but there was no sign of it. I knew I had it yesterday, but not last night, so I'd last seen it in my office, but couldn't recall exactly when.

Calling it produced no sound, but then, it's set on 'vibrate,' so that's not a reliable indicator of whether or not it's in the area.

I was all set to retrace my steps back through the doctor's office buildings I wandered all over yesterday looking for the location of my eye exam, but I had a last, ground-level look around my office first.

And joy! I must have dropped it on the floor and then kicked it under my desk. So I may have some unresolved anger issues regarding this phone, but at least it was found.

It was an emotional reunion.

Cries of "you terrible gadget! How could you frighten me like this?!" mingled with murmurs of "come here, all is forgiven!" and showers of kisses.

I have an inactive backup phone that I could have transferred my account to, so it wouldn't have been the worst thing ever if it had actually been permanently lost, but I was still pretty happy to see it.

The slightly relevant point of all this (aside from my just liking to tell dramatic stories about myself) is that this reminded me that I really ought to back up my data.

Yet again, in yet another format, I have non-redundant data that is pitifully vulnerable to loss! When will I learn?

Yes, it's not a lot of data--I don't have a smartphone--but there are phone numbers in this device that I have not recorded on paper. It would be a real pain to get them all again. Let this be a lesson to me to save my contacts list in another place as well.

I'll get right on it. As soon as I'm done eating cherries and reading blogs.

Phone Calls and Kisses

Been gettin' an awful lot of sales-related phone calls the past couple of weeks.

Not sure if my number expired from the National Do Not Call Registry (it says numbers don't expire, "due to the Do-Not-Call Improvement Act of 2007, which became law in February 2008," but I can't remember when I registered, so maybe it grandfathered into expiration?), or if times are so tough that organizations that are exempt from the list have taken to desperately phoning everyone they can think of.

Anyway, it makes me understand why people like Caller ID. Seriously, I don't even want to pick up the phone anymore.

My current strategy, rather than pay for Caller ID, is to quickly say "hello? Hello?" and then promptly hang up if I don't get an answer. Those auto-dialers usually don't put someone through right away, so a quick disconnect can save an annoying conversation about my long distance service.

I think the odds of my missing out on hearing that I've won the lottery or been blessed with the birth of my first grandchild are pretty low.

Also, I re-registered on the Do Not Call list, just in case.

If you need something to distract you from worrying about my crushing phone problems, and you're also looking to advance the frontiers of science, please enjoy the Kissing Experiment on the Intersection.

The author is taking "an interdisciplinary look at why and how we kiss, drawing on neuroscience, classical history, evolutionary biology, anthropology, and popular culture."

You can further the research by taking a look at 15 photos of kissing couples and deciding whether the kisses strike you as erotic, friendly, or suggestive of a relationship between the two people. I'm already interested in the eventual book.

I Am Easily Impressed

Sometimes I see something and think "that's an awesome idea! How fabulous that this exists!"

Then I realize it's actually old hat. Still cool, though!

Take for example the T Alerts program offered by Boston's public transportation system. I think it's pretty new, though I missed the official rollout (and I ride the T every day!--nobody tells me anything). It lets you sign up to receive text notices to your email address or cell phone if there are delays on the lines of your choice around the travel-hours you specify.

Isn't that cool? You can get an alert if your bus is running late! I was greatly impressed, until I recalled that you've been able to do that with flights and airports for years. 

Nevertheless, I tip my hat to the T for implementing a potentially useful service. 

Paying for What You Use

This Staring at Empty Pages post has me thinking about my cell phone plan. It talks about how we may hesitate to spend money--even a little money--on something if the alternative is an inclusive "all you can use" package.

The post is specifically about text messages on cell phones: it might feel wasteful to send them at 5 or 10 or 20 cents each. They're often so casual and rather frivolous: "Hey, what's up?" "Here's a picture of my goofy new socks!" "My neighbors are singing loudly upstairs."

So instead we might get a text-message package for 5 or 10 or 20 dollars a month and then we can send as many as we want at no additional charge, yay!

Good deal, maybe. As the post points out, it doesn't really matter to the phone company, since anything they charge is way more than whatever it costs them to deliver the message. And it may sometimes be that the number of messages we send would never actually add up to the cost of the monthly plan, which is no bargain at all to us. 

I'm interested in the whole concept of the "big deal" (to bring libraries into it),  and the "all you can eat" (I can never eat enough to get my money's worth from buffets) and similar packages. They're always things you have to really think about to know whether or not it's actually a good idea. 

And thinking about these things is tiresome, and involves research and reading of small print, and honestly, maybe in some cases it's not worth your time to worry about it: just buy the monthly plan and forget it!

I kind of did that with our landline (which we still have, for no very pressing reason now that we both have cell phones) and internet plan: did some initial research, picked a plan that includes unlimited something-or-other, and haven't touched it since, even though it's now more expensive that it was, and I'm no longer sure it's the best deal for the way we use it. I just don't feel like doing all that reading and comparison all over again!

I did do extensive research and went with the pay-as-you-go cell plan, though, and I think it saves me money in the long run. Sure, 25 cents a minute isn't a great rate...but I rarely use 10 minutes in a month (just not a big phone-conversation person), so I spend far less than I would with a flat-rate plan that gives me a lot of talk time I wouldn't use. I spend a fair amount on 5-cent text messages, I suppose, but it still doesn't add up to $20 a month.

So, in the end, bargain!

I do want to try to talk more regularly with family in future, so maybe my phone needs will change. (I'm not making a resolution, because I don't make New Year's Resolutions, but it's a sort of general personal goal not tied to a specific arbitrary demarcation of time. Call people more often. You know, just in general and because.)

I hope I can get around to re-evaluating the available pricing options and making sensible adjustments if things do change significantly. If another plan turns out to be better in another situation, I will happily make the switch, as long as I know about it. (Brand loyalty? What's that?)

I just have to do the work to figure it out, since it's not particularly in the phone company's best interests to tell me "this is the way you can spend the very smallest amount of money on wireless services and still meet all your communication needs."

I guess what it comes down to is that it's often not really about finding One Forever-True Answer, it's about finding the Best Answer Right Now. Which is unfortunate, because you have to keep doing that work over again, but then, I like to think it keeps the brain lively.

Happy New Year, and here's hoping 2009 treats all my adoring followers and their lively brains well. 

Evaluate those package deals, people! I'm not saying they're all horrible swindles. Many of them are convenient and practical and will serve you well. But you should know that for sure, in these trying economic times. 

After all, if you save some money on your phone bill, you'll have more left over to buy me chocolate. 

In Case of Emergency, Call iPhone

Lest you think your iPhone is just an adorable, awesome toy (although I know you don't think that), GruntDoc points out that it can also be an emergency instruction manual.

A number of downloadable apps can offer advice in case of an emergency. GruntDoc promises to review the three recommended on the Unofficial Apple Weblog, so we'll know if they're worthwhile. 

I do like the idea of having access to this kind of information in a hurry. It really exemplifies the coolness of having the internet in your pocket. 

Which I think we can agree is the next best thing to having it plugged directly into your brain. 

Leaving the Land Line

Health Populi has an interesting post about a study showing that increasing numbers of people are using only cell phones for all their telephonic communication needs. 

I know several members of my family don't have land lines, and I've been tempted to give it up myself, but have been deterred mostly by thoughts of "what if the power goes out and I want to call 911?" 

Which, given the overall odds of needing to call 911 exactly when the power goes out, is not really that solid an argument, especially with the costs of a phone plan, which the piece suggests average $40 a month. That adds up, especially in these iffy financial times. 

Anyhow, Health Populi mentions the health implications of this trend, which seem to hinge on the fact that people tend to have their cell phones with them almost all the time, and to have a cell for their own use, meaning that someone could potentially be reached with personal health tips and reminders.

"Take your multivitamin!" "Don't forget to refill that prescription!" "You know, you're overdue for an eye exam." 

People could also use the GPS features of cell phones to locate nearby hospitals, pharmacies or other health services, or get directions to that doctor's office. This is the kind of help I personally need, since I can pretty much be sure of taking any wrong turn there is to take if I'm trying to find my way somewhere. 

Once they're available, I'm sure you'll also be able to respond to some of those personal prompts right on the phone: "Don't forget to refill your prescription: text 'OK' to order now." "Overdue for eye exam: press 4 to call your last-used optometrist, or 5 for a list of providers near you." 

I'm not sure how it will take your multivitamin for you, but maybe eventually the phone will be able to beam nutrients directly into your body through your ear canal. I don't put anything past this technology.

Cool Old Tech

I and my gracious spouse went out to look for Thai food yesterday, as one does.

We checked the internet--as one always does--and then went boldly off to a place we found in Reading, which turned out to be closed. One should have used the phone to confirm their hours of operation, but that was way too old-fashioned.

So it was off to the next town, where we vaguely recalled from the internet that there was a Thai restaurant, but didn't know exactly where.

Fortunately, as clever people are no doubt aware, one can send text messages to Google (46-6453) from a cell phone and get convenient answers. This is not a new development (I myself have known of it for over a year), but it's always a fun one. I find it works best with simple queries. Definitions of words, factual questions like dates, locations or sports scores. Advanced functions and complex terms tend to produce unsatisfactory results.

But you can certainly text "thai restaurant wakefield ma" and get a response with the address and phone number of said restaurant!

Sadly, the story does not have a happy ending despite the awesome convenience of texting Google, because the Wakefield one was closed too.

We thought of going to Lexington, where we knew there was an open restaurant because I got its number from Google text and then called, but there was a lot of traffic on the highway. Eventually we gave up.

Perhaps later this week we'll go into Boston, where we know there are fine and delicious Thai restaurants and where we should have just gone in the first place yesterday, only we were trying to avoid the hassle of going into town.

Oh, the irony. At least I got to send some text messages.