A couple of years ago I even upgraded to a smartphone, the most coveted (2.1 million thieves in America can’t be wrong!) communication device in almost anyone’s life today. It's an instant connection to almost anywhere in the world. And if you don't have one of these…well, almost everyone has a plain old cell phone. There are 7 billion people on earth. 6.8 billion of them have cell phones. Probably a whole lot more since I wrote this.
My friend and colleague, femmeflashpoint, visiting here from Indiana last year, brought a tiny smartphone with her, and I'm still in awe of the things she made that Barbie Doll phone do! She’d sit comfortably in the sunroom, fingers on the go, coffee at her elbow, shuffling her attention quickly between her small laptop and this ridiculously cute little phone. It was something to see how an office desk can operate efficiently from anywhere, as long as the coffee keeps coming!
Don't do this...please!
I love writing about cellphones and smartphones. Who could ever suffer from writer’s block when there’s this endless source of inspiration, usually hanging on your belt, or slipped into your Louis Vuitton handbag. Apparently a fair number of women actually carry them slipped in their bra. This totally freaks me out, just thinking of all that EMF(electromagnetic frequency) entering the heart. And the fact is, there are strange cases of heart and brain cancer now that never existed prior to the use of cell phones.
Thinking about the 0.2 billion folks who are too poor to own a cell phone, let alone a smartphone, or who maybe just don't have access to one, like on some of the remote islands that just don't figure too much in the big scheme of things...usually those islanders are so busy just looking after themselves, doing their jobs, looking after each other that looking at smart phones wouldn’t really have much place in their lives. Amazingly, they seem content, and never bored. Come to think of it, everyone, including me, managed pretty well without them in my earlier life too.
Of course, cell and smart phones are the now, and the future. After about six to 18 months, sometimes less, their owners will trash them, and buy a newer one, with yet more features. It's easy to fall out of love with an out-of-date but perfectly good smart phone.
Use them wisely
At this time of writing hurricane Matthew is heading for Florida. The winds and storm surges are predicted to be life- threatening. Governor Rick Scott has advised folks it's possible they'd be left only with their cell phones. “Make sure they're charged,” he advised. “It might be all you have!”
When you use your cell phone in emergency situations like this, remember texting is the only way to go, no pics, no vids, no emojis. That's how you'll conserve your battery power. Best thoughts to our friends in Florida.