Reach Out and Touch Someone

About a month ago I purchased one of those bluetooth-stick-in-your-ear-phone-gadgets (BSIYEPG – too bad that won’t work as a catchy acronym) herein to be known as the EarBorg. As is my way with new gadgets, I let it sit around unused until last weekend when Patrick came home with one. I wore it around the house that Saturday until it hurt my ear, took it out, and haven’t used it since. Does one develop a callous on the ear so it no longer hurts or is it like wearing flip flops the first time each summer – you just get used to it? I did charge it up yesterday but then forgot about it. The fact is I don’t get that many phone calls in a day to warrant one, but I like the idea of using it while driving or ironing or multitasking in any way. Now I have to move from just liking the idea of it to actually using it. I like the image of me talking into the EarBorg so it looks as though I am talking to myself. My hair covers the Borg so it goes unseen. Maybe if I practice walking with a limp, or off kilter, twitching periodically while talking, people will stay clear.

As a society we are evolving into a species that constantly needs to be “in touch.” Remember those TV ads – “Reach out and touch someone.” But, as much as we seem to be ever in contact, our cell phone/computer technology allows us to reach out without ever having to actually touch anyone. We can hide behind such technology so we never have to deal face to face with one another. I’m not criticizing as I very much would rather stay hidden and not have to have face-to-face encounters with most people. Call someone and reach their voicemail? HURRAH! HALLELUJAH!! YES! Much better than having to conduct a conversation with the person all the time wishing you hadn’t called. Which leads us to the beauty of caller ID. Caller ID has reached even more wondrous heights on cell phones because each caller can have his/her own identifying ring tone so the phone can remain unseen while still knowing the caller’s identification. All this really means is it gives us all greater opportunity to ignore those we want to sort of “reach out to.”

I am looking forward to the day when the phone chip is implanted in my head. Heck, maybe I can get a mini-computer transplanted into the palm of my hand. God knows that is where a calculator should have been all my life.