Cell Phone Etiquette 101

I personally think that cell phones are a nuisance in today's society. We pay large bills each month to support our cell phone usage that includes texting, talking, and to some extent video calls to people that we see everyday. What makes it worse is people using cell phones at times when they should be concentrating on something else. Earlier this month, a woman was run over in downtown Toronto because she was crossing while speaking on her cell phone. She failed to hear the truck coming. Not only are cell phones annoying, but they're extreme safety hazards.

Nowadays, the cell phone is a symbol of status. The cooler the phone, the cooler you are. And currently, the king of all phones seems to be the iPhone. At $199 for the 8 GB iPhone on a 3-year contract, with plans costing about $40 a month for data transfer and web surfing, phones get expensive. Do we need something so expensive for things like calling each other and texting? Do we even need to call or text people that we see everyday? It would seem that we love to stay connected, with things like Facebook and MSN, it seems obvious that we would want to take something portable around with us. But when cell phones are causing deaths and wreaking havoc on our daily lives, something needs to be done.

When we purchase a phone, we aren't given a rulebook. Maybe we should. The government and cell phone companies and providers aren't putting much effort into making sure everyone stays safe while using these products. The provincial government of Ontario had mentioned a ban on cell phones and other electronics while driving. This was a few months ago. No other news of this ban has come forward, so it is safe to assume that it's not going to happen. Maybe there are unwritten rules for all cell phone users, that should be respected no matter where you are. If so, then these have to be part of them.

Five Rules of Cell Phone Use:

1. Do not use a cell phone while operating potentially hazardous machinery. This includes vehicles. Yes, that includes all those drivers we see weaving in and out of traffic or nearly hitting someone while making a lane change. It also includes those bus drivers who are texting while driving, putting everyone in the bus at harm.
2. Do not speak loudly on your cell phone in a confined area, forcing others to listen to half of a (probably uninteresting) conversation. Nobody wants to hear half a conversation while taking public transportation about what you did at school after eating your lunch, or what you did Friday night late week.
   
3. Please know your ringtone. Nothing is more annoying than having your phone ring for a long time as you wonder whether or not it's yours. Also, if you know your phone is ringing, pick it up. Don't dance as it plays a Jonas Brothers song. That's pretty annoying too.
4. Do not use your cell phone where you're not supposed to. A little glowing screen a few rows down in a movie theatre can completely ruin the movie. Someone talking in a library is also distracting, especially when you need to finish an essay.
   
5. Do not suddenly answer your phone while talking to someone else. Not only is this rude, but it kills all conversation you were having with that person. It doesn't help if you laugh the conversation with the person on your phone. That just makes your friend feel left out and unimportant.

Cell phones seem to be an increasingly invasive piece of technology in modern society. They interrupt conversations, make having conversations useless, and are being used at the wrong times because they're so darn distracting. With the average canadian having about one and a half phones, one would hope that we know how to use them politely and properly. But it seems that we don't and that everyone should be forced to take a mandatory seminar on how to use their cell phone. Maybe then we wouldn't have unanswered phone calls or annoying ringtones blaring on busses. Maybe as more cell phones are developped, we'll have a better sense of how to use them. But as they continue to evolve, chances are that we still won't be up to date on the latest news. You could always ask someone to text you the new rules. I'm sure they wouldn't mind as they're in class or driving a car.

Hi, my name is Anthony and I'm addicted to technology.

I found the video clip extremely funny. Louis C.K. is an extremely talented comedian who used his humour to get an important message across. Anyways, to the point of the matter...

I'm one of those people. The kind who hate it when the internet goes down, when my cell phone doesn't get connection, or when my satellite isn't working because it's raining outside. I'll admit that I'm guilty. After watching this video clip, I wonder why. Is it because we're so used to having everything working? Or maybe we're just too impatient? Either way, technology has come a long way and it seems with each technological advance, we take a step backwards in our composure and patience.

I remember when my parents would let me watch Disney movies on a VCR using a VHS. And then afterwards, we'd have to rewind it all the way to the beginning so that we could watch it again later. Or when cell phones were those huge rectangles of plastic with the antenna and the black-and-white-one-row-of-display screens (I found one of those in my house a couple of years ago). It seems that as technology advances, we automatically see it as better than what preceded it. After, we always look to see what can out-perform it. We're never just happy with what we have; we always need to continue on with the improvements. We're a society based on always improving on something, whether or not it's perfectly functional. But that's how industries perform. They can't make profit if they don't make new products. Yesterday on the radio, I was listening to a professor talking about how they’ve developed a ‘quantum computer’, which is supposed to operate several times faster than anything we have now. Do we need it? Not really. Why are they making it then? Because it gives them something to do, and eventually, market and sell.

Could we live without technology? I know I couldn't. Think about how often we use a piece of technology. Computers, video games, MP3 players and even the internet are continually evolving pieces of technology that we use daily. I know that I use my laptop at least 20 hours a week, my iPod about 10 hours a week, and play video games most of the 20 hours I'm using my computer. But what do all those numbers mean? Basically, that I'm addicted to technology. Even as I write this, I'm instant messaging, and listening to music. It just illustrates how addicted I am to technology. I could always try to take a step away from using technology, but then I’d need to find something else to do. I’m sure with a lot of encouragement, I could stop this addiction to technology, but it seems everyone else is addicted to it too. All the people on the street listening to music, or constantly on their Blackberrys it seems quite obvious that we as a society are addicted.

I think the problem we have with society is that we’re continually trying to earn a profit by developing newer and better things that are faster or more stable than their predecessors. A good example is the iPod. From the first iPod to the current iPhone and iPod Touch, it seems that technology has progressed so well that we should all be happy. But we’re not. They just keep improving and improving, and everyone chases after the newest thing. Maybe it’s a problem with society. But what can we do? Not much, other than hitch a ride along the technological wave and hope that the new things we just bought stay in style for more than a year. Because that would make us really unhappy.

Gaming Obsession: More Than Just Small Talk

I play video games on an almost-daily basis. I play when I get home, until dinner-ish, and then I either continue playing or start my units. It seems to me that it's true: the majority of the youth population is playing video games on a regular basis. But why? It seems obvious, doesn't it? It's an escape into another world, where you can be whatever you want; make a new personality, a new history and become something you can't be in real life. Best of all? It's entertaining, as I'm quite sure most people will agree.

Obviously there are better things for adolescents to do. Play sports, hang out with friends, and even do better in school. I myself am an avid gamer, but I do other things too. I have a job, and I like to think I do quite well in school. I would hang out with friends more if they did something that didn't involve going halfway across the city to walk around in a mall. Life is constantly a juggling act, in which you need to balance all the different aspects that make you unique. Letting some things slip out of your hands makes life unbalanced, and obviously unhealthy. Brandon Crisp was a 15 year old boy who ran away from home because his parents took away is XBox. That is going too far. At 15, one would assume you have the common sense to ignore a small dispute like that. There was no reason to run away. In my opinion, he either was dependant on the games (like an alcoholic) or was raised incorrectly and had issues with punishment. Either way, what's done is done, and the past can't be changed.

Although games in general are fun, there are games that teach habits and send negative messages to gamers everywhere. An example would be street racing, where a young man was found dead after a car collision with the game Grand Theft Auto in his backseat. Coincidence? It's hard to tell. There are many video games that influence gamers in bad ways, with this case being just one example. It seems to me that kids, let alone parents, don't respect the ratings for games. I was at a store once, when a child about 10 year-old boy was buying a Grand Theft Auto game. At the register, the cashier asked if the father if the ESRB rating was fine. He didn't even look at the game again, he just said it was fine. Obviously, something has gone wrong if the parents are disregarding the ratings for video games. Although games are very fun, it seems that the gaming industries need to treat their followers more like people, and not just sources for money.

Although video games are normally seen as bad influences on society, I see them as a great way to relieve stress. Nothing makes me happy after a school day then to unwind by playing video games. I personally think the video game developpers need to design more games like "Professor Layton and the Curious Village", which is a game full of brainteasers and puzzles to solve. I'm not saying that we should banish video games from society, but there is obviously something that needs to be changed. Whether or not it needs to be done by the government, the video game companies, or parents, a line needs to be drawn between real life and obsessive gaming.

Barack Obama: The Beginning of a New End?

Barack Obama was elected president of the United States last Tuesday, with the Democratic Party gaining many more seats than needed to win the presidential race. Throughout the campaign season, there have been many ads which either speak about rising issues, speak about the party's presidential nominee, or slander the opposing party. The ad campaign found on the Comm Tech blog was both entertaining and insightful, and was effective in it's ability to convey the message; that Obama would make the best choice for president.

The advertisement itself had the same features of the original Budweiser commercial in 2000, featuring some men talking to each other through the phone saying 'Wassup?!' In the new 2008 advertisement, it features the same men, just 8 years older, talking to each other about the issues they are facing at this point in time. There were many issues that were brought up in this commercial, including unemployment, health care, the war in Iraq, plummeting stocks and the economy, and environmental issues including extreme weather. These are all issues that are considered important at this point in time, and Obama has talked about all of these issues at one point or another during his campaign.

Obama's message is that he is the right choice. The commercial ended with the question, "Wassup?", and the man replied, as he saw Obama on the television, with one word: "Change." The commercial then showed the words "Good" and "Change", which illustrate that if Obama is elected as president, he will be bringing a change to Americans and all the countries in the world. This campaign effectively used comedy and extreme scenarios to properly illustrate the many issues that the U.S. is currently facing. The ad itself may have seemed more like a gimmick rather than an election ad, but compared to the Canadian counterparts, it was very convincing. The use of the men who faced the various issues that many Americans are concerned about properly sent out a strong message: that Barack Obama is the best choice.

On a side note: Obama was the first man of African descent to become president of the United States. As it was said in a Saturday Night Live spoof of Hilary Clinton and Sarah Palin, "I didn't want a female president. I wanted to be president, and I just happen to be female" (Paraphrased from the Clinton character). The fact that Obama is president is rewriting history, but why? If race and gender are no longer important for judging people in society, why does it matter that he is the first of African descent? He has great ideas, and is a good person, but he just happens to be of a certain race. If his race affected the votes, then is it unjust that he had the ethnic vote? Shouldn't both parties be on equal footing?