Ring, ring, ring

          The first successful bi-directional transmission of clear speech by Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Watson was made on March 10, 1876, when Bell spoke into the device, "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you." and Watson complied with the request. Bell tested Gray's liquid transmitter design in this experiment, but only after Bell's patent was granted and only as a proof of concept scientific experiment to prove to his own satisfaction that intelligible "articulate speech" (Bell's words) could be electrically transmitted.

          And that day our lives were changed forever.  The telephone would eventually be a key instrument in our lives as well as a regular distraction.  Over the years we have gone through party lines, answering machines, cell phones, smart phones and texting.  Today you can carry your phone with you and even have it attached to your ear.  You can even talk on it while getting distracted and walking into something or even worse hitting something while driving.

          It is also said that the first phone call that Bell received informed him, after a brief delay, that his car guarantee had expired and that it could be renewed at a reasonable amount.  If it really wasn't thismessage, then that first call might have been to inform him that he had won a three-day trip to Florida,

          Now I do not like to talk on the telephone.  When it rings I usually wait for my wife to answer it.  If she can't do it, then I reluctantly answer.

          We are old fashioned.  We don't text and we don't have caller ID on all of our phones.  So it is often hard to sort out our calls since we can't see the caller's number in advance.

          One of the things that I don't like are the many spam calls that we receive daily, especially those which are recorded.  I am tired of hearing that our auto coverage has expired, that we qualify for a rebate since we were overcharged for electricity, that we are eligible for solar power, that our credit card interest can be reduced, that a large charge has been added to our amazon account, that our credit card has been suspended, or that our congressman has a message for us.

          Then there are the live call scams.  At least you can reply to those if you want to.  One time a caller said he could reduce our electric bill.  I replied that we are Amish and don't use electricity.  He apologized and hung up. Then there are calls telling us that there is a problem with our computer - usually with Windows.  I play along to a point since we do not use Windows. I do get upset about the calls asking for money such as to help the police fund their projects.  I just hope thst they might not be a real police person who I might need to deal with in the future on another matter.

          One type of spam call that I do enjoy handling are the calls from a "grandson" telling us of the trouble he is having and how he needs money.  We enjoy playing along with them until they finally give up and hang up.  The scary one was the call we received a few days ago.  Instead of using "grandma" this time he actually called my wife by her real name.  That was a first.  He claimed that he was in jail and needed bail money.  Finally she said that she would pray for him.  His reply was that he didn't need prayer, he needed money.  And then he gave up and hung up.  I enjoy asking them about their studies in areas like chemistry.   I can't believe that folks really fall for this scam.

          But there are things I don't like about many legitimate calls.  Many people don't immediately tell you who they are and without caller ID it often takes awhile until you know who is actually calling.  Telephone courtesy is just not common today.  Sometimes you just need to ask who they are.

          Once in awhile you have a caller who takes off at full speed and you can't get a word in until they unload a variety of topics.  You often can't seem to get rid of such callers who really don't want a conversation until they have nothing left to say..

          The opposite is the quiet person who takes forever to comment, forcing you to either fill in the "dead space" or just put up with the long silent times.

          Then there are those who ask if you are busy.  When you reply that you are, they just ignore your answer and keep on talking.

         Now part of the problem with calls for me is that I need time to listen and analyze before responding.  So I do enjoy e-mail contacts.  Our computer is open most of the day when we are home and we usually reply rather quickly.  It gives me time to think before I must answer.  And I can quickly delete the many spam e-mails we receive.

          So send me an e-mail.  I'm waiting.