OT...say goodbye to our communication while in the bump?

[woods]

Ya know, it's kinda funny...I was just thinking, it was really not very long ago that I did not even have a cell...hardly anyone did. If you had an emergency, you had to go out and find a slime covered pay phone.
The world went around back then.
Now we are complaining that we have to stop moving to make a call from our cab. I know a lot of you guys are old enough to remember not having a cell. I sometimes long for the days that someone could not get a hold of me. I mean, I can just hit ignore now...but they know I hit ignore. Back then it was "huh? he must be out".
Also, remember the days of no caller ID? It was a crap-shoot when you picked up the phone. Anyway, I was just kinda laughing at how important we think our cells phones are to us (me included) but really...they aren't for the most part, we all held down jobs without them and lived our lives without them and not very long ago either. I'm just rambling really, funny what we get used to.

[BobbyFord]

Ya know, it's kinda funny...I was just thinking, it was really not very long ago that I did not even have a cell...hardly anyone did. If you had an emergency, you had to go out and find a slime covered pay phone.
The world went around back then.
Now we are complaining that we have to stop moving to make a call from our cab. I know a lot of you guys are old enough to remember not having a cell. I sometimes long for the days that someone could not get a hold of me. I mean, I can just hit ignore now...but they know I hit ignore. Back then it was "huh? he must be out".
Also, remember the days of no caller ID? It was a crap-shoot when you picked up the phone. Anyway, I was just kinda laughing at how important we think our cells phones are to us (me included) but really...they aren't for the most part, we all held down jobs without them and lived our lives without them and not very long ago either. I'm just rambling really, funny what we get used to.

True story.

[michael69]

So true woods. I remember the first cell phone. The big a$$ bag phones and then the car phone that was mounted in your car with an antenna on the window. Had one of them in a 93 Z71 just about 11 yrs ago.

[AlleyCat]

First car phone I ever saw was in a Caddy while I was in grade school (bump era). The electricals took up a great deal of the trunk. Things have come a long way since then

[woods]

The first thing I saw that was "kinda" like a cell phone was in an old bump belive it or not. I grew up in a logging community and some of the guys had a type of CB that could call a place with a phone, then have the CB patched into a phone call. I think it was expensive to use, so only got used when they need medical help (three or four times a week ).

[robroy]

Here's my old cellular phone story.

In the late 1980's my father Hugh bought a cellular phone at the HAM radio flea market, at Foothill College in Los Altos, California. I think he paid about $70 for it. Of course since he was buying from a random Dude a "service plan" was up to him, which he never actually got around to. But owning the physical phone was enough of a thrill to have been worth it to him.

It was about the size of a really thick ant farm. It had a heavy base unit with lots of bulky metal in its frame, a hand unit that lifted off with a satisfying "clack," and cool mushy glow-in-the-dark buttons. But it had a problem--it was stuck in a keyboard lockout state!

It sat on a long shelf originally designed to hold Christmas decorations that ran along the back wall of our living room under a long, aluminum-framed window looking out to the back yard, amongst other rubble. Finally years later Hugh decided he wanted to check it out and see if he could get it going. So he started playing around with it again, but hit the keyboard lockout thing like before.

It was hopeless because it required a code, and the manual said that the code was a number between 100 and 999,999. I said, "Well we could just try them all," joking, and entered in "100." The lock remained. Then I entered in "101," and CODE ACCEPTED--we were stunned!!! After a moment of bewilderment Hugh remembered that the Dude told him the code was "101," because of the nearby "Highway 101."

Never did get that thing hooked up with a provider, but we did find a provider's office somewhere in San Jose. I remember walking in there and seeing boxes stacked up on metal racks, and there were some asian guys behind the counter. This was before these things had become consumer items, so the place felt about like an amateur radio supply store. They explained how they could get the phone going, but I think the bill would have been $500 per month or something.

Robroy

[Whateverman]

we haven't be allowed to use a handheld cell in a vehicle up here for 2 or 3 yrs, the ban is a P.I.T.A. caused by morons texting while driving.....
....texting- i hate it ......i have to yell at half myshop help at least twice a day because they're texting away like nothing else in the world matters.....

[tmcalavy]

who wooda ever figured the world would go nuts for electronic tits?...oh for the days of fully weaned human beans.

[BobbyFord]

Hell, I remember when I fought getting a pager

[woods]

who wooda ever figured the world would go nuts for electronic tits?...oh for the days of fully weaned human beans.

I have been it those parts of the world. It can be kinda nice at times.

[basketcase0302]

The big a$$ bag phones

I remember my hunting buddy having one of these. We took it on my swamp buggy out in the Everglades with us for an emergency. Remember it being like Robroy just described as a major PIA to operate.

Most days I really do wish I could go "unplugged", (especially at 2 or 3 AM when the phone rings and I have to leave the comfort and security of my home). My line of work always has me on call which requires the phone to be on me 24/7. Then factor in not being able to take personal calls on the business phone-and now I have a 2nd phone on my hip. The whole time wanting that tin foil hat to replace them instead!

[tmcalavy]

I'm in count-down mode to energy grid freedom...in a coupla years, when I get the last kiddo out of school we're gonna relocate to a piece of wooded land I own, where I will rent an earth mover and scrape out a space big enough to put my combo shop/home...earth-bermed on 3 sides, open to the southern exposure, wood stove equipped, cistern and pump/well for water, some solar for pump and batt. backup power, and a small biodiesel generator. I sometimes shut the electronic leash off for as long as 2-3 days, even though the wife chews on me for doin that. What gets me about the yak-asses who can't hang up is they will someday kill themselves or others and not even know it...the last little yak-ass that almost ate the front of my F250 rolled through a red light, turning left at 45 mph at least, and missed death on my bumper by less than a second. She didn't even know I was there and if I hadn't been adjusting the radio when my light turned green, she woulda impaled her little rice burner on the right corner of my old bump...guess who wins when it's plastic vs steel? The last thing I want to say to St. Peter is..."well, uh, some dumbass kid on a phone didn't stop...can I at least go back for the dog?"

[OldRedFord]

Which brings me to my view on the punishment for texting while driving. I think if a person is involved in an accident or pulled over for any reason, the cop should be required to look at the drivers phone and see if they had phone activity at the time of the issue. If they do then treat it just like a D.U.I. Same difference right?

You make a valid point. I think it should be handled this way.

[tmcalavy]

But then we'll be dodging yak-asses on ridin lawn mowers...like on that Cops episode. I think violators on suspension should have to do a week or so of community service with EMTs or down at the morgue.

[AlleyCat]

But then we'll be dodging yak-asses on ridin lawn mowers...like on that Cops episode. I think violators on suspension should have to do a week or so of community service with EMTs or down at the morgue.

We have a couple of those around here. I wonder how they can hear over the tractor.