BS: Cell phones, opinions

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: JudyB
Date: 06 Jun 07 - 07:16 PM

I have a Tracfone - you pay about $100 for a phone and 400 minutes that you can use over the next year. You can buy more minutes as needed (at $100 for 400 minutes or a higher rate per minute for less minutes - but there's no monthly charge). I don't use it much (which is why 400 minutes/year is plenty) but it's worked most places I've tried it. I think that's more a function of the type of phone than the network, as Tracfones work on most US networks - I have a Nokia brand phone. I occasionally work long hours and drive home late at night - I feel much safer with my tiny phone in my purse.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: EBarnacle
Date: 06 Jun 07 - 06:49 PM

The emergency issue and lack of service in public emergencies so far has ignored the real answer presently available--Become an amateur radio operator. It always works as long as there is power, you do not pay by the minute and it is portable. It cannot be used for business and is encouraged for all civil service activities. All you have to do is pass a relatively simple test to become a "technician."
How much you wish to upgrade your equipment is entirely up to you. There is a large unrecognized social group scattered all over the world just waiting to talk with you.

Lady Hillary has just about talked me into joining in.

On a recent trip to Mooseland, including Kendall and Jacqui's area, my cingular phone was a piece of crap but Lady Hillary's Verizon worked perfectly. Ditto in South Jersey and many other areas. I have since switched to a Verizon Family plan with Lady Hillary and only had one drop in 3 months. My Cingular contract had expired and they were threatening me with all sorts of dire consequences if I did not upgrade.

So I upgraded away from them.

re: The court issue. The judge is expected to concentrate on the issues before him, without distraction.
In medical offices, cell phones may interact with electronic equipment, causing false readings. Live without the phone for a few minutes unless you see the doctor using one in the office. Then, al bets are off.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Becca72
Date: 06 Jun 07 - 05:34 PM

Observer, I answered the original request 2 days ago. Don't blame the thread drift on me.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: kendall
Date: 06 Jun 07 - 05:08 PM

I don't take it as a personal affront, and I have all the info I need to make my choice, so this thread is no longer needed (by Me).

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: GUEST,observer
Date: 06 Jun 07 - 04:42 PM

I believe the information for you came at the beginning of the thread. Conversations involving lots of people evolve and drift. It is not a personal affront, Kendall. There are dozens of people in this conversation. Including your daughter

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Kim C
Date: 06 Jun 07 - 04:29 PM

I think just about everyone has an opinion about what companies they like & don't like. Maybe visit the different providers' websites and compare similar plans --- someone's always running a deal.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: MMario
Date: 06 Jun 07 - 04:14 PM

Kendall - every area is different;

For example, we live about 300 yards from a cell phone tower - but do NOT get cell phone service at our house from ANY company we have tried.

What works best it so find locals with the phone service you are interested and see what kind of signal they get at your place. Cingular obviously won't cut it for you unless you don't want to get phone calls at home.


(The tower also hosts wireless internet - and the company couldn't get a signal when they surveyed our site. wierd...)

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: kendall
Date: 06 Jun 07 - 04:10 PM

And once again the mal contents have hijacked another thread.
I started this to gather information on the different cell phone companies so I can make an informed choice of which one to go with. You have a right to your opinion on the use of phones, but I'm not really interested in it. I want information, not rants.

Joe, I guess the string has run out on this one, you can close it for all I care.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Kim C
Date: 06 Jun 07 - 03:12 PM

It's HIPAA. Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: GUEST,hippa user
Date: 06 Jun 07 - 02:47 PM

Listening to another's conversation in a doctort's office is not a violation of anyone's HIPPA rights. It is merely an exhibitionistic demonstration. Briefly, HIPPA rights are held by the patient and refer to the use of their private medical information without their consent. HIPPA does not cover the quality of privacy in a waiting room with regard to someone else talking on a cell phone.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Kim C
Date: 06 Jun 07 - 01:54 PM

"From her comments she was making arrangement with the caller for a date with him the next day!"

Maybe she was talking to her father? ;-)

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: PoppaGator
Date: 06 Jun 07 - 01:45 PM

I've got to agree with Greg about the waiting room.

I am absolutely willing to turn the phone off once my name is called and I go into the examinatin room, just as I am happy and willing to so at the table or in the movie theater, the church, the courtroom, etc. But to be required to "turn off" while cooling my heels in an outer lobby is entirely unreasonable ~ especially when the nominal appointment time has come and gone! (And, regardless of who's at fault or why the schedule has been disrupted.)

For that matter, it's aggrevating enough to be called from the waiting room and ushered to the next stop, only to sit and wait (sometimes cold and half-naked) for 10-15-20 minutes before actually "being seen."

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Greg B
Date: 06 Jun 07 - 01:08 PM

Becca, you display the sort of "our time is valuable" attitude
which causes physicians to wonder why, when they do so much good,
they're patients don't love them so much.

Trotting out HIPPA is sort of like playing the 'National Security'
card; the use of a camera phone is out. However, if I can hear a
privileged conversation well enough that it would be carried over
my mobile phone, then you've already violated HIPPA. So that doesn't
wash.

Bottom line: my time, I'm the customer (you guys DO so tend to
forget who pays those exorbitant fees and keeps the docs in Mercedes
and Porsches) and what I do with my waiting time, within reason,
is up to me.

Am I of 'such importance?'

Perhaps.

Perhaps I'm a parent, waiting for a call about my child.

Perhaps I'm an executive, coming to the office during work hours
(you know, the work that pays the insurance premium that pay those
receivables?) because the Doc keeps banker's hours. Perhaps it's
just really none of your business and and I don't have to subject
my need to remain in touch during the waiting room 'down time' to
your evaluation and/or derision.

That's it!

There's the answer.

It's really none of your business. I'm the customer, and I do get
to make some of the rules.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Becca72
Date: 06 Jun 07 - 12:47 PM

Greg, you've obviously never worked in a doctor's office. You'd be amazed at the "behind the scenes" goings on. The doctor I work for is very rarely behind schedule and when he is it is generally because a patient was late which log-jams the rest of the day or a patient has a lot of questions and runs over his/her alloted time. Bottom line is it's our lobby, our rules. No cell phones allowed. If you are of such importance that you MUST receive a call while waiting here you can take it outside. You are also violating your fellow "waiters" HIPPA rights, at least here in the States. Also, if you must remain absolutely in touch at all times then one would assume you'd think ahead to give people the land line phone number of the place you'll be (at the very least because certain areas have no cell reception).

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Greg B
Date: 06 Jun 07 - 10:57 AM

There is a time and a place for everything.

But that doesn't mean that everyone gets their pet peeves accommodated in any fashion they choose.

Cell phone calls in restaurants merit either sending it to voice mail, or stepping into the lobby. Not the least of which choice is whether you feel you should give your dining experience and companion(s) your full attention.

One thing I resent about phones in general, and cell-phones in particular, is that the phone takes precedence over the conversation being engaged in or the service being rendered. Somehow, the caller is allowed to 'cut in line' or automatically becomes the winner for attention.

On the other hand, Becca, a doctor's waiting room is just that--- a place where customers wait for services to be rendered. Quite often, it seems, that the service business of which it is a part is sufficiently badly-organized and self-centered such that 'patient' is a term which applies in more ways than one.

Many doctors and their office staff feel free to waste 30, 45 minutes and more of a customer's valuable time because they're not sufficiently organized to keep to a schedule.

That time is not the doctor's time, and it's not your time, it's my time. So sign notwithstanding, I feel perfectly free to conduct a conversation on my mobile phone at a volume which is no louder than one I'd have with a person in the chair next to me. The fact that you can eavesdrop only one side of the conversation, and it annoys you is your problem. "Tough," as you say, "shit." This is particular the case when the time of the appointment (for which I'm polite enough to arrive on time) comes and goes.

Library reading-rooms are no place for cell-phone conversations, however use of a scrambler/jammer is over the top, and probably illegal. The FCC does not look kindly on what is termed 'malicious interference' with a duly-licensed mobile radio service; your little jammer requires a license, which you can't legally obtain.

In addition, suppose I'm in your fine institution with my mobile phone in my lapel pocket and set to 'vibrate' when a call or text message comes in.

Suppose I'm a physician on emergency call.
Suppose YOUR jammer prevents me from receiving a page.

Or maybe I'm a volunteer firefighter or paramedic, also on call.

You'd be legally and morally liable, particularly if your device was deemed to be in violation of FCC regulations.

Or, suppose some nut-job comes into the library and threatens harm to the patrons down at the far end. They have cell phones, but can't use them to summon help, because YOU installed a jamming device.

Seems to me that this 'cell phone users are self-absorbed' thing
cuts two ways...

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: kendall
Date: 06 Jun 07 - 08:21 AM

Greg likes to argue. Period.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Big Mick
Date: 05 Jun 07 - 09:23 PM

Greg, you are either missing or ignoring a very important distinction. The Judge warned the folks that these are the rules in his courtroom. He did this before the day began. This is well within the bounds of judicial conduct, in fact it is excellent conduct. If he didn't warn and then went crazy on someone and hit them with contempt, that would be misconduct. To go further on this argument will earn you the nickname of Quixote.

Love,

Sancho P.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Rapparee
Date: 05 Jun 07 - 08:13 PM

Damned few calls are so important that you have to make or take them when you're dining or talking with someone else (talk about rude!). And if you do so in church, or in court, or in any of a number of similar situations you deserve what you get.

I understand that there is now a cell-phone-service scrambling paint as well as a physical signal scrambler. I will install one or the other in the Library when I know more about them -- not in the foyer, where you're allowed to make and take cell phone calls, but definitely elsewhere in the building.

I heard a woman, obviously at dinner with a date, talking to another guy on her cell phone. From her comments she was making arrangement with the caller for a date with him the next day!

We used to call such behavior "rude."

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: PoppaGator
Date: 05 Jun 07 - 06:24 PM

I was interested to read Bee's post, saying that land-line phones were the only technology working in the aftermath of Hurricane Juan.

My experience with Katrina was quite the opposite. All the land-line service in New Orelans was knocked out for months. Cell service, for regular "voice" calls, was also unavailable for a good while ~ maybe a week or so ~ but cellular text messaging service was uninterrupted, or only briefly interrupted.

Interesting: Cell phone service for all 504-area-code numbers was impacted regardless of the actual location of the phone. Our son who was living in Brooklyn NY had a 504 (i.e., south Louisiana area) phone as part of our T-Mobile family plan, and he was reduced to text-only capability just like people who were in New Orleans, or who had been in New Orleans until evacuating in every direction just before the storm.

Until Katrina, I never used a cell phone and had the kind of quasi-Luddite options about cell phones that a few folks in this thread have expressed. My wife and kids had 'em, but not me. I got my first cell phone a couple of weeks after the storm and have been using it ever since.

After more than a year during which we did not have the option of using a land-line phone at home, we are now consicously choosing not to reinstall one. Whereas the cell phone, in past years, seemed to be a needless extra expense, in the new post-Katrina world, it's the old-fashioned landlocked telephone that represents an extra monthly bill that we don't need to sign up for.

A major catastophe sort of jump-started us into a new era, but I think the same thing will happen more gradually for the rest of the world. As cell service becomes more and more reliable and cost-effective, people will gradually abandon the older technology.

My take on the calling-while-driving controversy: It really shouldn't be any more distracting than speaking with another person in the car with you, which no reasonable person would object to. However, we've all observed drivers who are visibly very distracted by their cell phone conversations.

My personal feelings about my own experiences conversing while driving: I wouldn't think of dialing while moving on the road, and recognize that answering can be distracting and requires extra care and attention, but I really don't feel at all impaired by carrying on brief conversations. I do make it a point not to go on at length if I take a call while behind the wheel, and I'm always conscious that my attention is primarily focused on the road and only secondarily on the phone ~ exactly like when I'm conversing with a live person in the car with me.

I don't have a hands-free device, and probably should get one; a reasonably careful person equipped with such a device should certainly be able to talk and drive about as easily and competantly as to walk and chew gum at the same time.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Becca72
Date: 05 Jun 07 - 06:06 PM

Sounds to me like Greg B is one of those (ahem) people who feel it is their god-given right to talk on the phone no matter what is going on around them.

The doctor's office I'm working in has posted signs in the lobby "Please turn off your cell phone". This is not for any medical reason, it's due to the fact that we've had many assholes sit in the lobby and carry on loud conversations about things that no one else needs hear about. It is a distraction for the rest of the population and therefore not allowed. If you don't like it, tough shit. Wait outside.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Greg B
Date: 05 Jun 07 - 05:44 PM

Fair warning, if you eat egg-salad sandwich and chew with your
mouth open, I'm going to hit you in the head with my cocobolo wood
melodeon until you pass out.

So...that makes it okay?

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: kendall
Date: 05 Jun 07 - 05:27 PM

Thast Judge simply gave fair warning. No more, no less, and in that he was not out of line.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Greg B
Date: 05 Jun 07 - 05:10 PM

That's why I used the 'corruption' word.

In order to ensure an independent judiciary, there has to be a
rather large amount of latitude given (much as is the case for
academic freedom).

That opens the opportunity for abuse of power (as does academic
freedom).

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Midchuck
Date: 05 Jun 07 - 02:57 PM

In my opinion, a judge would not be out of line to forbid cell phones in the courtroom at all. Nor would he/she/it be out of line to find a person in contempt if the person were warned to turn off the ringer and intentionally failed to do so.

To hold a person in contempt because the person made an honest try to turn off the ringer and did it wrong, would, IMO, be an abuse of judicial power. But a certain portion of the population are utter assholes, and the selection process is not perfect, so some of them make it to the bench.

Peter

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: MMario
Date: 05 Jun 07 - 02:44 PM

Considering that many courts do not even ALLOW you to carry a cell phone into the courtroom, I don't think the judge is out of line at all.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Greg B
Date: 05 Jun 07 - 02:21 PM

Sorcha, you can say 'his court his rules' all you like but that
isn't reality. There are standards of judicial conduct and
there are notions of proportionality which pertain to them.

Cartoonish behavior, whether it's getting all teary over
Anna Nichole Smith or having a hard-on for anybody whose
cell-phone might make a momentary peep because its owner
made a good-faith mistake just makes a mockery of the
institution which you purport to revere.

In any case, Kendall, your neighbors who use their mobile phones
in a manner similar to the way you want to use yours are your best
advisers as to carrier and handset.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Kim C
Date: 05 Jun 07 - 12:24 PM

We have had good luck with Verizon here in the Southeast.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: MMario
Date: 05 Jun 07 - 11:07 AM

I rarely answer the land line at home (I get about 3 calls a year - so I'm pretty sure it's not for me), though I do answer it when we are expecting "important" calls.

I have a cell phone for work - which is nice because that means I have it for emergencies. (Why I have a cell phone at work I can't figure out, since a) when we got it we didn't have service in our building and b) I'm at a desk with landlines.)

But even though a bunch of my friends have my number - they also know that it's turned off outside of business hours under normal conditions.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: jacqui.c
Date: 05 Jun 07 - 10:54 AM

Kendall also has a 'secretary' to filter out the callers he doesn't want to talk to.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: kendall
Date: 05 Jun 07 - 10:45 AM

Liz, I have reached the age where I don't feel obligated to answer the phone. Damn few calls are that important anyway, and we have an answering machine to screen out the dipshits who dialed the wrong number.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: manitas_at_work
Date: 05 Jun 07 - 10:42 AM

If I'm in a queue at the bank I'm glad that the tellers are dealing with the 'live' customers in preference to the telephone. Does anyone remember Keith Waterhouse's man with the red beard who always got attended to first?

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Bee
Date: 05 Jun 07 - 07:41 AM

We have a cell phone, purchased for when my husband is working in far away places.

Joe Offer, I don't recommend getting rid of your land line - after Hurricane Juan, our landline, and everyone else's in the stricken area, was the only technology that functioned. It was a week before cell service was fixed, and eleven days before the power was repaired.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 05 Jun 07 - 01:13 AM

It's an indication of how slavish we've become to the Mighty Telephone that no matter what we are doing, if our 'phone rings, we feel compelled to answer it - unless you work in my doctors surgery, but that's a whole other jar of worms. Have you never stood in line at a store or bank and wished the tellers would just answer the damned telephone?!

There are places where 'phones should not be available. A courtroom does not have a telephone in it, so why should mobiles/cells be permitted. The only time a judge needs to hear a telephone is when he's waiting in the execution chamber for the call to tell him 'stay'. If you were meant to receive 'phone calls during a trial, a movie, surgery, religious services etc, then there would be one in the room. If there is no telephone in the room, then it's fair to say it's a room for doing things that don't need 'phones and mobiles/cells come under that category.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Sorcha
Date: 04 Jun 07 - 09:33 PM

Alice, I agree! Cell phone in the proper time and place.

Kendall, I agree. I think I might know that judge.

Greg, I do NOT agree. Judge was well within his provenance. His court, his rules. Cell phones in court do not belong. In the local Federal court you are warned that if you are carrying one, it will be confiscated. Also knitting needles, scissors, pocket knices, lap tops, etc etc etc. Just don't muckle about with the courts. Anywhere. Anytime.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Alice
Date: 04 Jun 07 - 09:06 PM

In our company, you must turn your cell phone off during meetings, conferences, or training classes.
If your cell phone rings during one of the above, you have to stand in front of
the group and sing I'm A Little Teapot.
At our annual company conference this year, the president of the company,
who was sitting in the front of a gathering of over 500, had his cell phone ring.
He got on stage and sang I'm a Little Teapot.

This winter, I was stranded on a highway when the alternator went out in my car.
I was in a signal area and able to call my Insurance company on the cell phone.
They called the nearest city where a tow truck could drive out and tow me in.
The sun went down and I sat for hours in the cold and dark before the truck found me.
No one passing by stopped to see what was wrong of if I needed help.
I'm glad I had that cell phone and it worked.

Alice

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Midchuck
Date: 04 Jun 07 - 08:05 PM

I've been in many courtrooms and I approve of this almost sacred place.

...and never actually had to serve time. Must have had excellent lawyers.

Seriously, I agree. I just wish all the judges did.

Peter

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: kendall
Date: 04 Jun 07 - 07:44 PM

When one enters a courtroom one should be aware that this is not some pub or other joint. It demands the utmost respect. I've been in many courtrooms and I approve of this almost sacred place.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Grab
Date: 04 Jun 07 - 07:31 PM

A court is a pretty specialised environment. If I was in the dock, I really wouldn't want to end up in jail because some dickhead's mobile phone put my lawyer off and made him forget to ask an important question. As far as I'm concerned, failure to turn a mobile off in a place where being able to hear without distractions is 100% contempt for those around you. In a cinema or concert, it's merely ignorant but has no other impact. In court, you're talking about debating someone's future, and failure to make that connection is contempt for the system.

Graham.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Greg B
Date: 04 Jun 07 - 06:14 PM

Kendall, I only have a problem with authority when it is applied
imperiously, as citing someone whose phone rings for contempt is.

"Contempt of court" should be reserved for that which is truly
contemptuous, and not utilized on a whim for a minor irritation.

My idea of corruption is the mis-use of authority for personal
reasons, be it gain or simply shaping the world to one's whims.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: kendall
Date: 04 Jun 07 - 04:09 PM

Greg B. sounds like you have a problem with authority.
He was well within his rights to warn us before the proceedings that such interruptions would not be tolerated. As a result, no cell phones went off during the hearing.If he had not made such an announcement, and a cell phone did ring during court, and he charged the offending dingbat with contempt, that might be considered over the top. As it was, no incident took place. A word to the wise is how I saw it.
You have a funny idea about what constitutes corruption!

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Midchuck
Date: 04 Jun 07 - 12:52 PM

I just came back from lunch, during which I watched out the window of the sammich shop, a guy jaywalking across a city street in the middle of the block, talking on his phone all the way across. Couldn't believe it.

Not that I'm about to be preachy about jaywalking, it's one of my own bad habits. But I damn well focus on the traffic when I do it.

Peter.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: SINSULL
Date: 04 Jun 07 - 12:46 PM

I have Cingular and have had no problems. I hate my cell phone. It is an invasion of my privacy. But it came close to saving my life this past winter when I left work mid-blizzard to find my car battery dead. Called AAA and was up and running within 15 minutes. Without the phone I would have spent a very uncomfortable night though I had my winter emergency kit.

Sorcha has a point. I do not see the need to talk non-stop on the thing. Everywhere you go people are walking, driving, doing whatrever and talking on the cell about what Joan wore to the party and the boss's latest goof-up. Totally unnecessary crap. But they can.

They can as long they don't involve me in an accident or cause me to run them over when they walk stupidly into my path without warning. Mostly I hate the shouted conversations.

Reminds me - mine is dead again. Have to charge it or it doesn't work. Another drawback.

SINS

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Becca72
Date: 04 Jun 07 - 11:59 AM

I have been with Verizon Wireless for over 6 years now and love them. I get a signal in places where others have complained they get none. I get a signal in your living room, Dad. I've never had anything but good experiences with them. Also because your youngest daughter and your son-in-law are customers you could call them free of charge... :-)

I actually dumped my land line a few months ago and use only a cell phone now. I have 450 "anytime" minutes and I don't think I've ever used them all (which shows you how much I talk on the phone).

I got my VW phone when living at the northern tip of Vermont and driving back to southern Maine every 6 weeks or so (alone). I had coverage the entire trip.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Greg B
Date: 04 Jun 07 - 11:42 AM

I suspect that a judge finding someone whose cell-phone went
off during proceedings in contempt could, in turn, find himself
charged with judicial misconduct. There's a word for that kind
of abuse of power: 'corruption.'

What about people with 'chime' watches, or 'alarm' watches?

It borders on the ridiculous, what people become offended by.
And they make the problem worse by their own self-righteousness.

Instead of just taking the phone out and hitting the 'silence'
button, which takes less than a second, people are now to be so
ashamed of their over-sight that they just let the damned thing ring
away in their pocket rather than face the disapproving glare of their
neighbors--- whose own phones rang in the middle of a meeting the
previous week.

It's gotten to be like farting in an elevator.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: kendall
Date: 04 Jun 07 - 07:16 AM

I was an observer in a court case a few years ago, and as soon as the judge was seated he made this announcement:
"I suggest you turn your cell phone off. If it rings during these proceedings, you will be charged with contempt."

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: guitar
Date: 04 Jun 07 - 04:10 AM

I just use my mobile phone when there isn't a public near by, it's very seldom that I use it.

and now they say that walking an using a mobile/cell phone is just as dangerous as driving with one

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 04 Jun 07 - 04:01 AM

Ah Kendall... you have to wonder about your relationship with the lovely Jacqui... she'll go in the sea up to her armpits for Seamus, but for you, she won't even sit in the sink. The dog has it, mate.... you just might as well stay in that basement for ever!

As for phones at funerals - it's become part of the service now to ask for phones to be switched off...

Ashes to Ashes, dust to dust,
Turn off the phone or I'll bury it fust.

Here's my contribution - to the tune of 'A long time ago'...

Well I thought I heard a mobile phone
And you think so, and you know so
Well it rang in the middle of me journey home
A long time it rang

Well I thought I heard the owner say
And you think so, and you know so
I'm on the train love, I'm on my way
A long time it rang

Well I said 'To me that phone you'll pass
And you think so, and you know so
And I stuffed it where the sun don't shine
A long time it rang!

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Jun 07 - 01:10 AM

One of the damned things was going off during a funeral I attended on Saturday. It's amazing how people can sit, oblivious to the annoying ring tone, not knowing it is THEIR phone going off.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Rapparee
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 10:03 PM

Like a computer, a water-wheel mill, a hammer, a gun, and almost everything else, cell phones are tool. I have (and pay for) one; the Library has two. Standing policy is to NEVER drive when talking on the cell phone -- pull over! That goes for me and for staff on Library business.

I don't talk or answer calls in a restaurant, either.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: TRUBRIT
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 09:19 PM

Well - tell Jacqui from me to stop being SO DARN PICKY......!

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: kendall
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 08:40 PM

I just discovered that if I stand by the kitchen sink and hold it up to the window, I get a good signal.
Jacqui refuses to sit in the sink to make a call.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: TRUBRIT
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 08:27 PM

I really do try to be very courteous and careful when using my cell phone but I admit to using it while driving......I honestly don't know how I would do my job with out it...........

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 07:01 PM

There is somewhere online, a map of the UK showing which firm has best coverage over which area. I'm pretty sure there would be something similar for the US, T-mobile
certainly has one. Maybe a check there would help make the decision.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Greg B
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 05:10 PM

Kendall, in remote and barely civilized places like Maine (grin) coverage can be spotty and one carrier often is much better than the others. Part of the price you pay for living in such wonderful environs.

The best tactic is probably to ask friends and neighbors who frequent the same places you do. And let me suggest that coverage at home is important, but not NEAR so important as it is on the road between home and the supermarket, the doctors, or wherever you and your significant other frequently travel. At home, well, there's the land-line and they are pretty durn reliable.

And, in remote areas, even though someone here at Mudcat may HATE or LOVE company XYZ, it's pretty irrelevant, 'cuz XYX may be the best or worst choice for where you are.

Once you've figured out a good carrier, figure out a good phone. Some are better than others.

My experience is that Motorola probably has the best 'RF' deck--- important in remote areas. With few exceptions, they're just excellent. The little RAZRs have been around forever, can be quite cheap, and tend to work very well indeed. Samsung and LG are very uneven in this respect. As are surprisingly, Nokia.

My Cingular phone worked very well on the way up to the Orono area from parts south, at Pushaw Lake, and in Bar Harbor. It's a Motorola--- another good reason to talk to neighbors. If half of them are on Cingular, and have no complaints, it may be that their handset is just better than yours.

By the way, I use a Motorola MPX220--- an old windows 'smart' phone that does very well with Cingular. Before that, I used Motorola 'vx' phones with Verizon, and also had great luck--- but as someone else said, they get you coming and going for things like messaging and file transfers.

One issue with Verizon is that their technology is getting a bit orphaned. They've gone with CDMA, as opposed to the GSM that the rest of the world is using. That means that ONLY their network (and one other, smaller one, I forget which) will work with their service. That can narrow coverage a bit. Or, not.

Again, it all depends on how they're doing in your region.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 04:36 PM

It's illegal in the UK to use a hand-held mobile while driving. Mind you it still happens, but if they get caught they are fined and points are put on their licence.
Giok

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Bert
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 04:32 PM

We had the same problem with Verizon. They started out OK but the service deteriorated as soon as the trial period was over. So we were stuck with two years of almost unusable service.

We have T-Mobile now and it works fine here in Colorado Springs.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Sorcha
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 04:28 PM

Just like any other tool, they have their place. That place just doesn't happen to be in my life. I don't need a John Deere riding mower either, and I don't have one.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: kendall
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 02:48 PM

Some places do ban the use of cell phones while driving.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Ron Davies
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 02:28 PM

Obviously everybody has different perspectives. I'm a pedestrian a good part of the time. It's hard enough to get the attention of a driver who's making a right turn--across your well-marked walkway--without said driver being immersed in the oh-so-important conversation on the phone.

Cell phone use should be banned in cars--at least in towns and cities.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 01:46 PM

I don't like being on call when I'm out of my office, but a cell phone can be a real life-saver in an emergency. If I could arrange to swith my business 800 number over to a cell phone, and use it to process credit cards, I'd drop my land line in a second.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 12:57 PM

I initially got the cel phone when I was in a situation of being away from a regular land line and my kids were small and in separate summer camp programs while I was working and going to school. I also commuted to a school 50 miles north of my home, through a rather remote stretch of road. Many things have changed, but I still don't talk much on the phone. I do, however, use it to keep track of my teenagers. There is no excuse for them not calling if I've asked them to keep in touch for some important reason. Since I don't make many demands like that, on the times I do, they're good about it. This weekend they're in Dallas at a convention and I want to know they're alive. One of them is to call me once a day to let me know.

I want to get one of those free bumper stickers from Click and Clack: Drive Now, Talk Later. I was nearly hit yesterday on my way to a funeral by a middle-aged woman in a minivan who was paying no attention to the Yield sign at the freeway exit that she, on the frontage road, was supposed to pay attention to. I had to slam on the brakes and shift around her, causing the cars on the ramp behind me to have to slam on their brakes. . . she never turned her head, the phone was plastered against her ear the whole time. She was very typical of the distracted drivers I see daily. Someone driving slow in your lane, causing everyone to change lanes to pass? It's not the old fart with the big ears and the brimmed hat these days, it's the driver hunkered one shoulder higher than the other, driving in a daze as they talk.

They're a necessary tool for many people, they're the phones of the future for this generations young people. But they are a hazard, no doubt about it. Mick is certainly the exception to that rule.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Alice
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 12:50 PM

I use a Bluetooth earpiece when driving so my hands are free.
I resisted buying a cell phone, especially since it is an extra expense in addition to my telephone, but,
when I got a sales job that makes me work out of my car and be on the road, I had to get a cell phone.
My customers, my manager and my co-workers, family and friends would not be able to reach me
unless I have a cell phone. It would be impossible to do my job without one, as I have to be able
to call people and receive calls even when I am traveling.

If I get a call in a store, restaurant or other public place, I speak quietly and try to find a corner or
go outside so I don't bother other people around me with my conversations.
If I can tell by the ring I've designated that it is a co-worker, I often let it go to voicemail
and then call back later when I'm not driving or involved with something.

Alice

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: kendall
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 12:35 PM

I once saw a guy reading while driving at 60 mph on the interstate! The kicker was, it was a BIBLE! I could tell by the red page edges.

My ex made a habit of starting out late then driving like Sterling Moss while applying lipstick. She had a couple of very close calls but never did wise up.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: JennyO
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 10:05 AM

Here in Oz, it is illegal to talk or text on a hand held mobile (cell) phone while driving. To me, texting takes away more of your attention than talking on the phone while you are driving, but I see a lot of people doing it.

Last week I was stuck behind a woman who was so totally occupied with her phone that she sat through a complete change of traffic lights, from red to green and back to red again. When she finally crept through the next green light, I could still see her on her phone as I went past.

Hands free is another matter. I see nothing wrong with that. It shouldn't take any more of your attention than listening to the radio or talking to another person in the car. Mick said he uses a headset. He sounds as if he is being very responsible about it. I actually find having a conversation with someone else in the car can be very distracting. That sort of thing can make me miss my turn and things like that.

I don't use my mobile phone a lot, but there are times when it is very handy. Used sensibly, they can make our lives easier in many ways. The problems are caused by thoughtless users, not the phones themselves. Anyway, not much point complaining about them. They are here to stay.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: kendall
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 09:33 AM

I use a cell phone mostly for emergencies. Three times in the past I have been in need of assistance on the road a long way from home in a motor home, and I got the help I needed thanks to a cell phone.

I don't gab on any phone just to talk, and I also resent those twits who look like the phone is some sort of prosthetic device without which the twit would die.

The cell phone didn't invent bad manners, it does, however, enable the display of bad manners.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: kendall
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 09:25 AM

I'd like to know why my posts keep disappearing!

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: guitar
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 09:23 AM

I remember once when I was in a car I saw a lady in front of my dad's car and she was taken her hair rollers out of her hair and then putting on her make-up on the motorway/freeway

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Big Mick
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 08:23 AM

Sorcha you don't know what the hell you are talking about. I drive 65,000 to 75,000 miles a year. I will happily put my driving/accident record against anyones. And if you want to figure it out per mile driven, my record is exemplary.

You need to make the distinction between pros and amateurs. First off, I don't make gratuitous phonecalls. I use it when I need to. Second, when I am on the phone I automatically go into a very observant mode. Comes with the turf of driving the kind of miles I do.

Now, how many times as I have been driving down the road all those miles, have I witnessed women putting on makeup or curling their hair? How many times have I witnessed men reading books while driving or working crossword puzzles? Far too many.

Mick

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: guitar
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 08:23 AM

to me when I got my mobile phone, that's all I need, I mean if I wanted a phone that took a photogragh I would buy a camera, or a video camera or Satnav( whatever that is) I would buy a map.

A phone is a phone

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: guitar
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 08:04 AM

I was talking about you John, when you said that you love gadgets

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 06:43 AM

Liz is not a boy, she has tits!
G.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: guitar
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 06:35 AM

toys for boys

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 05:26 AM

I must admit, I feel lost without my phone, but mainly for the text messaging service. I may make 5-8 calls a month but I send at least 1 text a day. It's cheaper for one thing, and I can save the answer if it's instructions or a date.

If I were to be totally honest, I only text people so they can reply to me and annoy the rest of my office with various folk tunes that are programmed in as the ringtones! Well I have to put up with their choice of ringtones....!

They are here to stay... there will be a decrease in landline use and sooner or later we'll be free of cables up poles. It'll make life a bit easier for the telephone repair men, and those who drive tall vehicles, but the starlngs and swallows will miss them.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 05:19 AM

Well there was a time when I ran a transport business that I couldn't do without them. They are so useful for getting in touch with drivers out on the road, and it means you can give a customer a realistic delivery time, instead of guessing, which was how it used to be. The result of this was an unhappy customer in most cases.
I still have one, but now it's a combination PDA/Phone/SatNav, that way I can justify it a wee bit more, and I DO love gadgets!
Giok

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: guitar
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 05:12 AM

I have a mobile phone and I just hate the bloody thing, I only use it when I have to and yet there are people out there that have two or more mobile phones, and take them away from them and they're lost it is if their right hand has been cut off and they don't know what to do. There was this man that had a mobile phone and he was on holiday, that's another thing why take it on holiday when the place that your going to has phones, anyway this guy dropped his mobile phone and he said that he couldn't get in contact with his work. I mean what a load of rubbish, so he couldn't write a letter, or use a fax machine, or use a public phone, and then there are these people that shout on their mobile phone, I can understand when they are on the moblie phone in a noisy place but not on a train, or a bus, or even worse in a cafe. They talk to their pal/s normally where you can hardly hear them and yet their mobile phone goes off and the whole place hears them, that why they are called mobile phones the reason is you get up and you move outside so no one can hear what you're saying.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: GUEST,Big Norman Voice
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 04:40 AM

Tsk tsk Mick, you'll never convince a Luddite with a bee in her bonnet. I suggest you get on with your valuable work in the most efficient way you can.
MEN CAN MULTI TASK, you know.
BNV

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Sorcha
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 02:57 AM

Wrong Mick my dear. Both hands on the wheel doesn't mean your attention is there. So, add 2 hours to your day, or have a crash due to inattention. Your life or someone elses. Give your TOTAL attention to your DRIVING, not your bloody phone.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Big Mick
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 01:29 AM

Wrong, Sorcha, my dear. There is absolutely a reason to talk on them while driving. If I were to pull over every time I made a call my day would be, at minimum, two hours longer. I also have need to respond quickly to some pretty tough situations. I use a bluetooth headset, which leaves both hands on the wheel.

Mick

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Peace
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 12:36 AM

They can be invaluable.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Joe Offer
Date: 03 Jun 07 - 12:33 AM

I was paying $35 a month for long-distance calls, since Christina and I have relatives out of state. We live 12 miles from the supermarket, so we try to make our trips to town as efficient as possible. We got a Cingular/AT&T plan with 3 cell phones for $80 a month, and an allowance of 450 calling minutes. The minutes roll over to the next month if they're not used, and we now have 1,500 minutes to draw from.
I figure with the gas and long distance bills we save, the phones pay for themselves. I'm thinking of disconnecting my landline phone.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: GUEST,Number 6
Date: 02 Jun 07 - 11:54 PM

Sure ... we can beat them with one of those big old Motorola analog cellular phones, and give them one good whipping with the 2 foot log antennae that was on those phones. :)

biLL

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Sorcha
Date: 02 Jun 07 - 11:49 PM

Can we beat them to a bloody pulp biLL? Sometimes I'd sure like to!

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: GUEST,Number 6
Date: 02 Jun 07 - 11:46 PM

Your so correct on the 'manner's/etiquette' issue Sorcha ... but then again, manner's/etiquette are becoming a thing of the past.

Blame the individual, not the cell phone. It's just an inanimate object, a tool.

biLL

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Sorcha
Date: 02 Jun 07 - 11:41 PM

Truebrit, I do understand those situations. I however, work as a cook in a pizza parlour. Do NOT try to tell me that the other staff, mostly young college age kids, need to be on their phones while at work. Taking orders, waiting on customers, etc. A phone in each ear. There is a large sign in the wait station....NO CELL PHONES. Leave them at home or in the car. Roundly ignored by all.

Does anyone NEED to be on the phone while driving? NO. If you MUST talk on the phone, pull over. Same for phone while shopping. I was crashed into by a full cart driven (if you can call it that) by a woman on her cell. She never even said, oops, sorry. Just went on her merry way, phone and all.

Do I want to be tended to by a nurse or doctor who is on a cell? No, but it has happened to me, and the husband. Does the police department dispatcher need to try and talk to an officer (with the radio) while said officer is on her phone to her kids? No, but it happens all the time here.

Pity that more people don't know, internalize and USE cell phone etiquette. Or, even land line etiquette. First words out of mouth of caller--Is Mark there? No, who's calling please and may I take a message? No, I'll call back. BAM.

Whatever happened to....Hello, this is Sorcha calling for Mark about our golf date. Is he available?

Manners in general...don't get me started.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: GUEST,Number 6
Date: 02 Jun 07 - 11:41 PM

A cell phone is a phone. How they are used is the at the individual's discretion.

Better get used to them .... land lines will eventually be phased out.

biLL

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: TRUBRIT
Date: 02 Jun 07 - 11:28 PM

Sorcha and Deckman - not sure your criticisisms are quite fair.......some of us have jobs where cell phones are essential. The positive side of these jobs, or my job at least, is it is a long time since I have had to be at work before 10 am which suits me fine (even if I am frequently there til 10 pm - it suits my body clock better). Regardless there is no excuse for cell phone rudeness - I have been known on rare occasions to turn my phone off!.

I have three grown children, one of whom (the 18 year old) still lives at home and two (21 and 25 who do not) --one of the joys of cell phones s that we use ours for everyday conversation -- I talk to my girls at least two times a day and I love that. And I don't think it's just a substitute for a good relationship as the whole gang come, with significant others, to dinner every Sunday.

It took me quite a while to work out that to my kids and their generation, cell phones are not a luxury - they are a necessity. They have been raised differently to us and their standards are different .. I really had to work at it to get to a point where I understood that. At least with cell phones I know where they are and if there is ever an emergency they can - as ET said - phone home.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Sorcha
Date: 02 Jun 07 - 10:54 PM

My opinon on cell phones is that they suck. They are handy to have for emergencies, I grant that, but my car has a phone for that. I refuse to own one. I had one for a year til the contract ran out and refused to get another. If you are that attached to your phone, you need to check your priorities. I will NOT walk around in the grocery store, at work, driving, etc with my ear glued to a damn phone.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Deckman
Date: 02 Jun 07 - 09:03 PM

Anyone that would buy, and use, and continue to pay for ... a cell phone deserves what they get! Bob

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Jun 07 - 08:54 PM

I like Sprint okay, have had it for years, but I hear some people have complaints. You do have to check your bill, they sometimes make stupid mistakes.

I always try to have a phone that is digital and analog ready because I sometimes travel through remote areas. So if I'm in an area that Sprint doesn't cover it can use an existing cellular company in the area (roaming charges do apply).

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: pattyClink
Date: 02 Jun 07 - 08:08 PM

T-mobile is horrible, don't deal with them.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 02 Jun 07 - 08:03 PM

Kendall, Tom and I live in a cell phone black hole. I had a cell a few years back -- bought quarterly minutes on a card -- but it didn't work anywhere around where we live or where I worked at the time. Then they wouldn't accept a debit card to buy minutes on line.

Just recently (during the Patriot's Day flooding) I was at my up the hill neighbors' after we finally found a route home, and called Jeri on their cell. A couple days later it occurred to me I should ask what provider he had because IT WORKED.

He said Verizon, which seems to have no problem pulling a signal around here. Cingular doesn't. And nothing else that visitors have used. I've talked to others and Verizon seems to have less problems getting a signal and less dropped calls than any other service around here.

When I get my new job, I'm planning to again get a cell phone -- and it's going to be Verizon.

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Alice
Date: 02 Jun 07 - 07:01 PM

I have Alltel. I'm happy with it. It includes 10 phone numbers I put on a list that I can call free anytime, anywhere, and I can
change those numbers with no hassle.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: katlaughing
Date: 02 Jun 07 - 06:23 PM

Don't go with Verizon! They will get you coming and going and are not happy when they have to solve in your favour. My kids and I have been with T-mobile for several years and been happy with them. My t-mobile works in the Glenwood Springs/Aspen area whereas my Rog's Sprint does not, as noted above.:-)

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: GUEST,Texas Guest
Date: 02 Jun 07 - 05:52 PM

You know, this is always a dilemma. I a had Sprint phone for several years and was rather happy; then, one day my wife and I were sitting by the side of the road half-way between Glenwood Springs and Aspen. I went to make a call to Aspen and found out that my phone would not work because there was no Sprint connection in that area. My wife had a Cingular phone, however - and hers worked. Idea - change from Sprint to Cingular when your contract runs out.

Well, at that time, we were not yet married and not living together; but, some four or five months later I moved into her house and LO! and
BEHOLD! - my Sprint phone would not work at my desk. It functioned quite well in the driveway, and not bad by the fire hydrant two houses down - but, not at my desk - WHERE I WORK!

Well, I called Sprint and they ran some tests and determined that there was nothing they could do about my poor reception at my desk so they allowed me to get out of my contract and I switched to Cingular to enable me to get reception at my desk.

I currently am in a situation where I have both a Cingular phone, and a Sprint phone, and cost will probably be a determining factor here as to what goes down in the near future. My contract with Cingular runs out in July and I am paying roughly $55 a month for 450 minutes plus the normal perks. I am also getting Sprint through a friend on his "friends and family plan" that operates on a month-to-month basis and is quite a deal. I got a Razor for $39 (and I can get a new phone anytime I want at a highly reduced rate) and I'm paying $50 a month for 1250 minutes plus all the other perks everyone else gets through the store. Oh, this Sprint phone works well at my desk!

My brother is a big-wig with Verizon, and of course, he says they are the best; but, after a beer or two he will admit that although Verizon IS the best - the big guys are all about the same. My own experience would support what my brother says - they're all about the same. I have two different phones with two different services and I cannot tell you that one is better or worse than the other.

In the case of yours not working in your house, you may go to the carrier, explain your problem to them and see if they will allow you to upgrade to a phone with newer technology - that may solve your reception problem - or let you out of the contract.

Finally, with Cingular, I pay an additional $3 or $5 per month on my account and if ANYTHING happens to my phone they will replace it at a cost of $50. Yeah, it's a rip-off, but I had my phone stolen some time back and Cingular charged me $200+ to replace it, and I had no choice. Sorry for the length - hope this helps. Cheers.

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Joe Offer
Date: 02 Jun 07 - 05:31 PM

Well, Kendall, I'm happy with Cingular, which was once and is now AT&T - but that's because we have pretty good reception in most of the area we visit. In the next town over, there is no cell phone reception because it's in a "holler." You don't have "hollers" where you're at.

I think the major companies are all pretty good, with good coverage in some areas and not-so-good coverage in others. When you shop, ask to see a coverage map for that particular company, and make sure your phone will work where you plan to be.

-Joe=

Subject: RE: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 02 Jun 07 - 04:35 PM

She actually drowned it in the bay? Most water damaged phones, after discrete questioning, are found to have dropped into the toilet.

I'd say go with Orange but I don't think it goes as far as Portland ME!

But I do get free cinema tickets on Wednesdays.

LTS

Subject: BS: Cell phones, opinions
From: kendall
Date: 02 Jun 07 - 04:25 PM

Jacqui and I are not happy with our present cell phone company, and we want to switch. At present we have Cingular wireless, and they don't work in our own home! In fact, Jacqui's phone doesn't work anywhere after she drowned it in Casco Bay.
Experiences please.