Ninety percent off is what the first cell phone ever sold is now going for! You can buy it now on ebay. After pennying up to pay $3995 on a cell phone, your prize was lugging around 2 pounds whose talk time was only one hour. Believe it or not, when one of the cell phones inventors was told he had to invent a cell phone he replied, 'What the hell's a portable cell phone?' (Source: a MSNBC article.) Cell phones were unheard of then, but are simply inescapable now! I can't go through one day without using the wretchedly commonplace device.
I found this really neat website that chronicles cellular evolvement from 1982's first cell phone to the latest and the greatest iphone that costs $400. Right now, I am happy with my old fashioned blue sayno flip phone. It doesn't bother me that it is from 2003 and when a friend made fun of my phone I secretly mocked their shallowness in my mind. Actually I feel bad for all those trend following extravagant iphoners who paid too much for their over-priced cell phone.
Jenny, of course! The first song that came to mind when I was searching songs to incorporate into my audio piece on Alyssa's phone phobia (hold your horses-- it will be put up soon) was the 867-5309/Jenny song.
I have heard the story that the various people with this phone number across the country got so annoyed because of the call volume they received with people searching for Jenny. So supposedly I heard that the number is out of service all over the nation. An urban legend website verifies it as true that "Jenny (867-5309) drove the phone companies (and their costumers nuts." What a bland and obvious statement to make!
What happened as a result? Besides annoyance nothing. Although it may have driven them nuts, the number exists. This hit song that reached number four still is in service. With the sample of two area codes that I dialed are still in service. I hopefully didn't wake two sleeping families tonight testing out this little experiment. I called my home town that happens to be two hours later (1:18 am) and a phone number in the Bay area, where the song was created, (1:18). I let it ring once and rapidly hung up the phone. Take out your phone to see the best speculation that urban legends came up with. The number was created because of the placement of the number buttons that go in an upwards diagonal (8 & 6; 7, 5, & 3; and finally 0 & 9).
The results I found were not accurate according to an experiment that a man conducted in 2004 where he found that most of the numbers were out of service. Check it out!
For the quite upsetting facts about the song Jenny, check out songfacts.com. There was no Jenny that inspired Tommy Tutone.
Did I over exaggerate her phobia in the first place? It looks like Alyssa got over her phobia in a hurry. She was not totally phobic in the first place. She was phobic of small talk and awkward silences. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being completely over her phobia and 1 being unbearably afraid of the phone, in the beginning she was a 2.5/3 and now she is a 6! She has been picking up her phone for me and other friends! She also took a big step by calling me!
I have tracked some of our recent phone contact on a post-it!
Alyssa’s Calling Track Record:
Successes: Tues., Feb. 26th (28min & 48sec) Wed., Feb. 27th SHE CALLED ME!!!! Mon., Mar. 3rd CALLED me, Mon., Mar. 10th
Failed attempts: Thurs., Feb. 28th Mon., Mar. 3rd Sun., Mar. 9th Mon., Mar. 10th
Alyssa recently did not answer for her cousin who called, I am not going to over blow this as a "problem." Her ignoring the call was just a normal reaction of someone too busy to talk to another person that you haven't been in contact with for a long time. Those catch up calls can be the most annoying things on planet earth. Who likes to answer the question, "So, how have you been the past couple of months?" Really? There is never a right time to answer these calls. You must plan on being able to talk for a large time. When does this time ever exist?
I am not sure if I would call it a cure and credit myself to what seems like the end of her phobia. But, I do think that I served as a trigger by asking her questions that urged reflection and an opportunity to wonder why she has the phobia. Persistently calling her did wonders!!
This youtube video, Big Media Lies, is aggravating on many different levels. It is the first video that comes up when you type in media into youtube. First off, I have a great respect for reporters. I have considered it my future career path. The truth of the matter is that reporters dedicate their lives of informing to pubic. It is a respectable job. They work hard off of low salaries to serve the common good. Can we start off with giving them more credit and not turning them into monsters who twist facts? Without the media that gets so much criticism, we would be ignorant of the world we live in. Would you rather only be in the know of your own community? We should make a national Reporter Day in thanksgiving for their service. The number of reporters that have been killed in Iraq is 127. Are reporters in Iraq there for the purpose of fact manipulation? I think not!
Second off, this video is a joke, but most of the viewers of the video do not know that the creator of the video is a comedian poking fun at the situation. Proof of this is comments that viewers have left such as, "wow! did they really lead the interview that much? that's wild!" For Kevin Nalts to create this video exemplifies how there is seriousness to every joke. He is joking, but comments, "I can't mention the network that interviewed me..."
Doing my audio piece on my friend who has a fear of phones, I can have seen to be like this reporter who asked the person he was interviewing, "Can you do that again, but cut off the first part?"
Alright, I was not twisting the interviewee's words as much. Here is the scenario, I interviewed my friend John Duffy who calls Alyssa, the phone-a-phobic, during breaks from school. Because of her dislike of small talk, she never answers for John. Towards the end of the interview, I asked John, "So, is there hope for Alyssa Savage's phone phobia, right now?" He responded, "At this moment in time, no. Maybe two years from now when she needs to get a job." Instead of asking a follow up question I asked him, "Can you say that in a full sentence?" He responded, "Sure. Right now, there isn't, but there might be later on when she needs to get a job."
The truth of the matter is that I wanted him making the statement, "There is no hope for Alyssa's phone phobia right now" as opposed to just replying to my question. This did feel uncomfortable at the time and now that I look back at it what I asked of JOhn seems unethical. I wanted to be able to use his voice out of the context of my question. I as a reporter have a huge task of forming the story. If I were just to put John's statement into the story, it would make the story more juicy and almost an accusation at Alyssa saying he doesn't think there is hope for her. I ultimately wanted to prove him wrong, so that is why I wanted a direct statement.
John thought I was being a dirty reporter. He made me felt like I was over blowing Alyssa's serious phobia. The last question I asked him was, "Don’t you think I’m almost over exaggerating it?" He even had me slightly convinced. He said, "What in your questions? You totally are. There is no doubt about that, but that's what media does. That’s what journalists do. Journalists exaggerate everything."
I then asked him, "So tell me the real deal. It’s [referring to Alyssa's phobia] not that big of a deal?" He responded, "No it's not that big of a deal. If she doesn't want to talk to people on the phone, that's fine. That is her decision to make. It’s not something for the rest of the world to really care about."
This comment upset me. It is true that she can decide whether or not to pick up the phone. It is her life, but we should care about Alyssa's fear because ultimately we should try to help one another. Shouldn't we strive to help Alyssa not be afraid of talking to others? She is not fearing the device itself, but the judgment of the person on the other line. I would not say that I have a duty as a reporter to tell her story, but I know I have helped her by urging her to think through her fear.
I am in a sorority. We have a member directory which is quite convenient. I have delved into the directory to search for a ride, track down a date's number, or when I was in a pickle to find housing. I would say that you could tell a lot about anyone based upon whether or not they answer for an unknown number. Surprised by the voice on the other end, I have complimented friends who have picked up, by saying, "Thanks for picking up for an unknown number." What a dare devilish task they have completed! So if someone picks up for an unknown number that means they are clearly a risk taker and if they let it go to voicemail, they are clearly someone who prefers driving in the right lane on the freeway.
Although it may not be that clear cut, some people like answering their phones when they don't know who is on the other end. Personally, I find it quite exciting! It's the excitement that comes along with the unexpected. It isn't quite the adrenaline that comes with turning the corner at a haunted house, but maybe it's more along the lines of playing Let's Make a Deal. You can anticipate either chickens swarmed in hay or on the brighter side, a bright red Corvette convertible.
If I could choose at this very minute to get a call from frequented or a mysterious number, I would go with unknown number. It could be the person I dislike the most in my Theater class, who is obnoxiously unbearable, (we have everybody's number) or it could be an acquaintance whose company makes me smile and has worked hard to track down my phone number. Maybe they have an extra ticket to Cirque de Soleil for tomorrow night. My bank account gave me no choice, but to turn down an $81 invitation to see them.
What spurred me to blog about unknown numbers is a terrifying mass email that one of my friends sent out to those she cares about most. It was an email that raised precaution and no the subject manner was not regarding saftey tips for females to walk with car keys in their hands ready to attack or to be wary of getting into the driver's side if a car is parked right next to you. Instead, she cautioned about telemarketing on your cell phone. The statement read: "All U.S. cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies today, and you will start to receive sale calls. You will be charged for these calls. To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone: 888-382-1222. It is the National DO NOT CALL Registry. It will only take a minute of your time. It blocks your number for five years. You must call from the cell phone number you want to have blocked. You cannot call from a different phone number."
My answering for unknown numbers has never resulted in being bothered by a telemarketer, so personally, I am not going to get all jazzed up and dial this number in a hurry. I will wait until my number has gotten a hold of.
I have had the privilege of babysitting for a family of 13 two summers of my life and one of the valuable lessons I learned from the experience was from the father of 13. He showed me how speaking to a telemarketer can be a lot of fun. Being a communication major, I am aching to try it. Here is the approach he take when he has time (this isn't a common occurrence with 13 children): 1.) Pretend to be interested. 2.) Ask a good deal of questions. 3.) When it comes to paying time say, "That sounds great, BUT...." Here is your chance to convey that you still sincerely want the product, but have no means of paying for it. This is where the situation becomes interesting because usually when a telemarketer calls it is you trying to hang up the phone and say no, but you have turned the tables. Now the telemarketer wants to hang up the phone on you. I truly sympathize with telemarketers because I can see how discouraging of a job it would be, but if you feel like some fun one day I urge you to try it! Here is a website that also shows other ways you can make answering for telemarketers entertaining for you!
I have been unaccessible and unreachable for a whole day by means of a cellular phone! Some may call it an inconvenient hassle, while others, like myself, may refer to it as wholesome freedom! It feels great. I silenced my phone for class and cannot find it amongst the large confines of my dorm room. The truth of the matter is that I haven't looked very hard.
I would be willing to put money on the table to bet that once everyday, every cellular owner who receives a good number of calls cringes upon the sound of their own ring. And no, it is not the ring-back tone that has gotten to them. People hate the fact that they feel they always need to be available.
Who hasn't been accused for not picking up? I know I have and it did not help at all when I played oblivious. Like a friend saying in grade school that they called, but the line was busy, I blatantly lied. "You mean, you called me? Did I not answer?"It didn't help that I was caught red handed. I pulled out my cell phone, which of course was in my purse. The missed calls were not flashing, but searching my call history sure proved a point!
I guess the message is you don't need to feel attached to your phone. Everything in life is an active choice. It is just about as bad as saying, "I have to write a paper." The answer to that is you really don't. It's your decision! Pick up or not, but please don't lie about it! Ignore with pleasure!
With an opportunity to interview Dr. Wolfe regarding my friend’s phone phobia, I ventured into Cowell Health Center at Santa Clara University and had an interview with the Director of Health and Psychological Services, Larry Wolfe.
Dr. Wolfe offered insight as to why people have phobias. He said, “The nature of a phobia is that for whatever reason, the thing gets associated with anxiety and in order to avoid anxiety you avoid the thing. And that relieves the anxiety.”
If you fear of telephones, when you ignore calls and choose not to pick up, you strengthen your phobia. By not answering, you reaffirm your phobia and allow it to grow. This is as comparably bad as handing over your cookie jar to the mice family living in your kitchen; the family will strengthen.
Wolfe suggested treatment as a solution for my friend, but while warning its difficulty said a willing and determined mind can self-treat. Wolfe mentioned two ways that psychologists treat phobias. First is the visualization process. This appears to be something that a telephonophobic or anyone suffering from a phobia can do by him or herself. You stay relaxed while simultaneously going through the process of imagining yourself answering the phone. Wolfe explained that this process of imaging works well because our brains work the same whether we are imaging it or it is really happening. This website show you how to visualize.
Another solution that Wolfe proposed for my phoneaphobic friend, Alyssa, was using her cognitive thought process to overcome her fear. Wolfe said people who are afraid allow their phobias to live through self-talk.
Because Alyssa fears saying something stupid on the phone, Wolfe challenged this and asked, “So what if you appear dumb? What does that mean? Does it really mean that you’re dumb?” If Alyssa tells herself it’s going to be awful if someone thinks she’s stupid, the brain will believe it even if the statement is not true. Wolfe pointed out that if someone thinks you’re dumb it may be unfortunate, but it’s far from extremely terrible. However, when our self-talk tells ourselves that it is terrible, it becomes a matter of life or death where the only foreseeable solution becomes avoiding it at all costs. The cognitive thought process works by challenging negative self-talk.
I am pretty sure that I will not be able to convince my friend into taking advantage of the free Counseling and Psychological Services SCU offers to its students. Wolfe cautions doing treatment solo, but I am working with my friend primarily through friendly harassment to encourage her to answer and make calls from her phone.
I am a student journalist with an interest in telecommunications. I enjoy talking on the phone. It takes me away from my reality and moves me into a different world!!! I have a lot of fun talking on the phone. Sometimes the phone makes communication easier. For example, it is simply easier to break bad news over the phone.
I have a good friend who is a phone-aphobic. I am interested in her fear that is more common than you would think!
Many people have different phobias. Having a phone phobia can be a disaster in today's culture. Making calls is a necessity. Everyone is attached to their cell phones, so they are always available. A cell phone in many cases can be a burden. You know the feeling of someone ignoring your call--it doesn't feel good. Everyday I witness someone sighing when their phone goes off because they don't want to answer. In situations such as these having a fear of the phone can actually be a positive because people don't expect you to answer or take it personally when you ignore their call.
Ninety percent off is what the first cell phone ever sold is now going for! You can buy it now on ebay. After pennying up to pay $3995 on a cell phone, your prize was lugging around 2 pounds whose talk time was only one hour. Believe it or not, when one of the cell phones inventors was told he had to invent a cell phone he replied, 'What the hell's a portable cell phone?' (Source: a MSNBC article.) Cell phones were unheard of then, but are simply inescapable now! I can't go through one day without using the wretchedly commonplace device. 
