Don't you just HATE cellular phones?

[Pekka]

And them comes more problems.. where ever you are.. doesn't matter what time or what place.. people are talking in it. If you're talking to someone, it's 'wait, I really have to get this one'. Your employer calls you everytime, since you have a cellphone given by him, and you are obligated to answer it at all times. Of course you have already send a kinky text message revealing your most perversed fantasies meant to go to your gf, going to your boss, mother, relative, whatever.
And you recieve these too, when you really didn't want to know!

You go to a supermarket.. it's a long line, but it's nice, since everyone is talking to a phone, so you can learn what they did today, even if you wanted or not. Line is going VERY slow because of this.
Before this, everyone just asked you for a cigarrette and kicked your ass if you didn't give one, now it's that and the 'I need to make a call, gimme your phone' and it's goodbye to that phone and welcome the $3000 bill.

[Zopperoni]

Originally posted by Pekka
My phone is usually 'silent' too. But still you get to see all the numbers that tried to reach you. If you don't call back, you're considered and ******* here.

Yeah, but it helps in a lot of situations. People from my work usually leave a voicemail message asking if I can call back "because they are dealing with a problem/gap". Now they can't, and they always call anonymously, and everyone who calls anonymously can fark off as far as I'm concerned.

[Pekka]

loinburger, Yes. The only reason I still keep mine. In a case of emergency. And because of that possibility I have to take all this crap! Better be some massive accidents soon.
It was like a drug, fun at first, hell at the end, and can't see the end really.

Was all better when we didn't have them? ABSOLUTELY!
We are pretty antisocial people to start with, but now.. uh oh.

[Pekka]

zopperoni, I wish I could be like you. I really get curious, and in a state of paranoia and fear because I don't know what that anonymous person wanted. Obviously he/she wants something from me. It's freaky.
I hate anonymous calls. But if I don't answer it, it will ruin my day as I wonder what was it about.

[loinburger]

I leave mine turned off unless I need it. I also don't usually give out the number to anybody, so nobody ever tries to call during a movie or something. (Not that they could anyway with my phone turned off, of course...)

[Q Classic]

yeah, anonymous calls suck. they give you caller id, but what good is caller id when it's trumped by privacy settings?

yeah, i usually keep mine on silent mode all the time. and then i go back to check the missed messages, and call only the ones i want. i suppose i get away with that by saying i forget my phone sometimes (i do have a bad memory for certain things, so~)... maybe if you cultivate that image enough?

[Zopperoni]

Originally posted by Pekka
zopperoni, I wish I could be like you. I really get curious, and in a state of paranoia and fear because I don't know what that anonymous person wanted. Obviously he/she wants something from me. It's freaky.
I hate anonymous calls. But if I don't answer it, it will ruin my day as I wonder what was it about.

It's very simple for me: if it's important, the caller will either send me a text message, or dial my home phone number, which has a voicemail.

[Sonic]

In Lithuania also almost everyone has cellphones and I am also totally annoyed about them. It especially annoys when person you are talking to writes SMS.

[Pekka]

Yep.. you're like the supercool phone user.. But see.. I'm the paranoid person, I can't live the day NOT knowing what it was about, doesn't matter who called, and often it's from unknown number, which sets my alarms, and from anonymous which really gives me the creeps. I don't know why. This is something that has developed in the years of intense phoning experience. Many of my friends identify themselves with this situation, all the way to paranoia and freaky feelings and the creeps.
Often when someone answers the phone, first looking who's calling, goes 'Oh no, anonymous number' or 'I don't know who this is' like it's really bad.

People in here are used to get the bad messages too, and when you hear enough bad stuff in the phone, actually almost everything bad you ever hear, it becomes a device of hell and torture. You turn your brains into a new mindset like if you don't know the number you think is it bad or good news, because it can't be some bs because this is not your friend, so it's news of some kind. But is it bad? Can be! Answer the phone! Getting the creeps? Absolutely.

[Pekka]

Sonic, I totally know what you mean. It's .. just.. well I wish this invention never came so big. It's phenomenon.

Zopperoni, Yep.. I TRY to think that too.. that he will call me back if it was important.. but still I wonder all day what it was .

[Pekka]

And then there is the wrong-number-syndrome. You call to a wrong number by accident, but no one answers. You didn't realize you called the wrong number. Now.. the one you called calls you back since there's caller id's. This time you didn't get it and this is the way it goes many times. You maybe even forget that you are the one calling the wrong number. Start arguing.

There are also lots of services in here for the phones. You can order anything by calling, SMS, whatever. Some of these won't work without that damn phone.

It's like your privacy has been invaded. You're not safe any more. Push a button and you reach anyone, push another one and you'll get his address and other information, push some more buttons and you can turn your sauna hot from work. What would happen if you take these phones away from everyone? Catastrophe! It's not good to be so depended on these toys of the devil.

[Pekka]

It was just on the news, that it's a big problem at schools. Kids are sending messages, playing games, etc. They are so cool for kids now, like toys, that it's impossible to be bored and follow the class.

This was and is a problem at the army too. It's almost always forbidden to have one with you when in class, in the woods whatever.. but is this order followed? Of course not, and because it's our culture, it's cruel to think anything else. Is it actually bad that privates are using them? Not really.. but it breaks the thing about obeying all orders given.

If you go to the hospital, there are signs about turning that damn thing off.. almost everyone forgots it.. and there a reason why it should be done, like some machines that don't like cell phones, can be dangerous, or then it's just something people assume and not really know yet.

And then you go to the US.. try to call and realize it won't work because the phones are working on different frequency.. well that's just NICE!

[Pekka]

And I'm not even gonna start on those batteries that always run out of juice. If you have to live in a place where it gets freezing in the winter.. the batteries LOVE IT! There capabilities decreases to half what it used to be, and stays that way forever.
If you misplace it, you can be almost sure never to see it again, since people are too lazy to see the effort of returning it.. it stays lots until some teenagers finds it, if not calling for porn, then he smashes it to the wall because it's fun and no one really cares. NICE!!

[Pekka]

And since we are so technologically advanced place and you run out of batteries.. can you find a payphone anymore? NO! Which is more than nice.

Everytime someone even remotely close to you starts drinking, he must call to you and tell about everything about his life and how you suck or rule. You do the same thing, call everyone, shame comes the next morning. Now if you didn't have that phone, you wouldn't of done that.

You are in a happening with lots of people there.. you try to call.. it won't work because the network is overloaded with other callers. It only makes you mad since you have the thing and it don't work! Remember, no payphones around.

[Pekka]

Oh yeah, almost forgot. Then there's the accidental-call-because-the-phone-was-in-my-pocket-and-wasn't-locked-syndrome.
I woke up in the morning because I was a victim of this syndrome. It makes you mad and it's not nice.
Someone has the phone in his pocket and walks and accidentally calls you because the buttons get pushed somehow. Well.. then you can hear your friend driving the car for the next 30 minutes, or walking. I even once had the opportunity to listen my friends having sex. I didn't get it at first, but when I realized what was going on.. NICE!
You maybe even try to yell at the phone 'ANSWERRR!!!!!' in a hope that he/she actually hears you. Never happens. Try just hanging up? You get another call in 1 second.

When someone actually calls you, you get 4 more people lining up and you go to extremely hard combination of pushing buttons to keep things in order, accidentally dropping few friends, but don't worry, they WILL call you in a matter of seconds.

Don't have a watch? Don't worry, just look the time from your phone. Bored in a train? Play with your phone, snake is a good game! Can't calculate something? Don't worry! You have a calculator in your phone. Don't ever use them? That's ok, everyone else does, and makes sure you know it too.