From: heller@deepsoft.com   
      
   At Tue, 1 Jul 2014 04:59:11 -0700 (PDT) rcp27g@gmail.com wrote:   
      
   >   
   > On Tuesday, 1 July 2014 06:58:04 UTC+2, spsffan  wrote:   
   > > On 6/30/2014 2:18 PM, hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:   
   >   
   > > > But I will note there are plenty of people out there who don't have a   
   > > > cell hone at all, and plenty more who do have one but use it very   
   > > > sparingly on a cheap pay-as-you-go plan.   
   > >=20   
   > > That would be me. I despise texting on phones. It is lazy and easy to=20   
   > > fraud or spoof with someone's stolen or borrowed phone. If I hear a=20   
   > > voice I know, I know who is there. Text could be anyone from a bot to=20   
   > > Charles Manson. Mostly, it's just rude.   
   >   
   > I find it astounding to accuse the text message of being rude compared with=   
   >  a voice call.  The telephone and the behaviour that society expects of it,=   
   >  is exceedingly rude.  If I was in the middle of having a conversation with=   
   >  someone and another person walked passed, interupted my conversation and d=   
   > emanded I speak with them regardless of who the first person was or how imp=   
   > ortant that other conversation was, that would be regarded as ubelievably r=   
   > ude.  And yet that is precisely what people expect to happen when the phone=   
   >  rings.  If I am in the middle of cooking dinner or reading a book, someone=   
   >  coming over to me and insisting that I stop what I am doing and speak with=   
   >  them would be the height of impoliteness.  Yet society expects we do that =   
   > with the telephone.   
   >   
   > > If you want my attention, talk to me.   
   >   
   > When I send text messages it is because I don't want the other person's *at=   
   > tention*.  What I want to do is make some information available to them, or=   
   >  to ask a non-urgent question of them in a way that gives them the freedom =   
   > to answer at a moment that is convenient for them, rather than for me.  Dem=   
   > anding a person's attention is disruptive to them, moreso if you have no id=   
   > ea what they are doing when you make that demand.  The text message allows =   
   > information to travel in a much less disruptive manner.  A text message can=   
   >  be composed, sent, received, read and replied to all silently.   
   >   
   > > Oh, sure, having access to email and the internet on a device in my=20   
   > > pocket would come in handy now and then. But for the $90 a month or so=20   
   > > that it seems to cost for anything like that, I'll pass unless I have a=   
   > =20   
   > > regular need.   
   > >=20   
   > > Also, from back when I did have a regular cell plan, is that $90 they=20   
   > > quote what I pay or what they charge before the 20-30% of assorted fees=   
   > =20   
   > > and taxes? I hate buying anything without knowing the price in advance.=   
   > =20   
   > > Medical care and utilities are bad enough. Heck, even my land line=20   
   > > phone, if I make no calls whatsoever, has about 20% added fees and taxes=   
   > =20   
   > > to the quoted rate.   
   > >=20   
   > > My prepaid phone will NEVER send me a bill I can't afford or don't want=   
   > =20   
   > > to pay.   
   >   
   > You are living in the past if you think that is the situation (or else you =   
   > live in a country with a shockingly backwards and exploitative phone system=   
   > ).  Where I live, phone companies offer unlimited data for less than the eq=   
   > uivalent of $50/month, and the data rates on PAYG are quite cheap.   
      
   Yes, it is called the United States Of America, which is in fact "a country   
   with a shockingly backwards and exploitative phone system". Its whole Telecom   
   system is in fact "shockingly backwards and exploitative". I live in Western   
   Mass. There is NO broadband Internet. The 'shockingly backwards' phone system   
   (analog copper based, kept barely functional though *minimal* maintenance   
   efforts by Verizon), barely supports 33.6K modem (I have a 56K V90 modem, but   
   I have to throttle it back to about 33K because it cannot maintain a reliable   
   connection at higher speeds).  And yes, Verizon and AT&T do charge upwards of   
   $90/month for cell phones where they work -- cell coverage in Western Mass is   
   often spotty, mostly due to the rural, hilly, and forested terrain.   
      
   >   
   > Robin   
   >   
      
   --   
   Robert Heller             -- 978-544-6933 / heller@deepsoft.com   
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