But that's not the true cost.
- One of the saddest things to see is a mother walking a toddler while she jabbers on the phone. She's not there. And a child learns how much his presence is worth.
- The most dangerous thing in most children's lives is the automobile. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, "using a cell phone use while driving, whether it’s hand-held or hands-free, delays a driver's reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent."
- There is weak evidence that cell phones may be associated with cancer--not enough in itself to make most rational folks hang it up (or whatever one does with a cell phone), but the numbers warrant attention.
- Bees may be affected by the cell phone signals--a recent study in India got a lot of coverage but it was a rather limited study. Go ahead, read it. I double dog dare you.
- The Feds can track you--the current administration is pushing for "warrantless tracking"--it's in the courts now. The technology is already there.
OK, Mr. Luddite, what do you do in an emergency?
Well, in the olden days, I carried a quarter for pay phones--remember those? Now I ask *gasp* strangers for help.
I'll take my money and go squander it on something really important--maybe I'll buy myself a new spinning wheel.
When you see me walking down the beach, lost in the world around me, just leave a message at the beep. I'll get to you when I get to you.
