Sam Houston is the publisher of the Hood County News. He is also an actor, author, playwright, performer and entertainment producer/promoter.
It seems like everyone has a mobile phone these days. Mobile devices have become so popular that it is becoming rare for people to have a land line in their house. Mobile phones are convenient, effective, and because of their processing capabilities, can keep all of us connected to the internet no matter where we are. It allows us to keep in touch with family or friends and certainly makes it easier to transact business. Of course, to some degree, it does eliminate the ability to “disappear” and not accept calls. Even on vacation, Sunday afternoon, or late at night, people can find you.
Mobile phones are quite a change from back in the day when landlines were few and far between. Years ago, the dialer would have had to go through the operator to be connected to the party they were calling. Lots of younger folks may not realize, but at one time phone numbers also had letters, which indicated the “exchange” — a fancy was of saying the station where the operator was located. My phone number at my childhood home was WY3-2493. Later, when we moved to another part of town, the number was EV5-6282.
Eventually the system improved, and direct dialing became available. How many of you have ever experienced a “party line”? A “party line” meant that two to four families shared the same line. It was common in rural areas because of the expense of running cable. My grandparents were on a party line and their “ring” was two long and one short. Can you imagine the world of today operating with multiple people sharing the same phone line! What a mess that would be! Not sure teenagers would ever get over it.
This week, two new employees started at the newspaper. As I checked them in and asked for their emergency contact information, they both pulled out their phone to acquire the phone number of the contact person they wanted to use. Neither knew from memory the phone number they needed because like all of us, they rely on the phone numbers being stored in their contacts portion of their mobile device.
It got me to thinking, whose phone number do I know by memory? I call my Miss Jayne at least once every day, and I have no idea what her phone number is. Same for my wife. I never dialed the number; I use speed dial and the next thing I know I am connected. If I got hit by a truck and was lying on the side of the road and was asked for a phone number by emergency personnel, I would draw nothing but blanks.
Wait, I do know the newspaper phone number by heart because I find myself giving it out to those who need to reach the paper. Other than the newspaper, there is not a single active number I can recall, other than my own. I do recall my long since passed grandmother’s phone number because my mother drilled it into my head in case I was ever lost. GL7-3820. I wonder what mothers teach their children nowadays.
I am sure there will be further technological developments that will change how we communicate. Technological evolution will make our lives easier, more efficient, and will also lead to change. Change is always part of life, whether it be in our phones, our transportation, fashion, or music. With each change, a little bit of history and a lot of old habits go by the wayside. Maybe that is a good thing, that is unless you are hurt on the side of the road and you cannot tell the EMT who to call!
Thought for the day: People are prisoners of their phone, which I guess is why they are called “cell phones.”
Until next time, I will be riding the storm out.
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