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.
As I was adding a separate links for every phobia listed in the post below, I quickly became temperamentally irritable. Not only did blogspot fail on me, but I was attempting an arduously frustrating feat... any guesses? I have learned a great lesson-- to go with intuition. My first reaction to the youtube video was correct. It is mostly nonsense and poking fun at phobias.
This photo thanks to Flikr explains how I felt. Sure, the video may have some truth to it. I did have a friend in high school who didn't like to be touched and all people can be afraid of the dark at times. You can be afraid of peanut butter sticking to your mouth and dying in the midst of chocking as tears form in your eyes. And why wouldn't you be afraid of a flowers at your doorstep on Valentine's day when you just broke up with your boyfriend and are hoping it is finally over? So there can be a bit of truth to all these fears.
I am not quite to the bottom of the bare-boned facts yet, but I believe that these phobia "treatment" centers have created a lot of the phobias themselves.
Let's go through an example. When I first typed in ophthalmophobia, which is the fear of being stared at, into google, the first hit simply provided a bare-boned definition from answers.com. This shows how little information about specific phobias is available. Wait a minute and fear not because information is in the making on ophthalmophobia by website that guarantees 100% satisfaction in 24 hours for only $147.
This website is also in the process of naming the phobia itself. They want to know which name seems the right one for you. This is purely for advertising purposes. Because when you do choose between Being Stared at Phobia, Being Stared at Fear, Stare Fear, and ten other options, it goes to almost the same exact next page excpet the name you choose is now inserted!
Changethatsrightnow.com is one of the two "curing" websites I quickly noticed that always had information about the phobias I was seeking information about. The other website is phobia-fear-release.com that guarantees to stop your phobia with treatment without having to pay for phobia medication that supposedly, as advertised by this company, costs more than $ 1000 a year. Now with just 10 minutes a day and $67 dollars your phobia can be vanished!
Can you imagine if I was suffering from a serious phobia and believed as advertised that "Acclaimed [insert my phobia's name here] treatment seen on NBC & ABC news"? I might not be aware of the scam and subject myself to buying the cds with true hope. They may or may not work, but what matters is that the primary goals of these companies is not to help people to overcome their phobias, but to make a profit. And I would be skeptical if they are drawing any costumers in. I am an advocate that with a strong willingness and determined mind one can cure their phobia independently. I believe this website can put you towards the right step in having freedom from your phobia. You can even do it without buying the manual they suggest! Good luck!
More people have phobias than you would think--actually about 19 million Americans. If you do the math, this is 6.3% of Americans. And just wait, if you thought telephonophobia was bizarre, wait until you hear of some of these other phobias. I first thought that this youtube video was a joke, but these are legitimate fears that people face. A few examples are hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia. Having this 14 syllable word entails having a fear of long words. Another phobia that you would think is a complete joke is levophobia or fearing things on the left side of you.
Watch this video to open your eyes to more crazy phobias.
I agree with you. These phobias do seem ridiculous, but there are people who suffer from them and cures are available.
Here are the phobias that were featured in the video. You can get the gist of it with this recap: • Anthrophobia: fear of flowers • Arachibutyrophobia: fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth. • Aphenphosmphobia: fear of being touched • Ophthalmophobia: fear of being stared at. • Hippopatomonstropsesquippedaliophobia: fear of long words. • Achluophobia: fer of darkness • Photophobia: fear of light • Levophobia: fear of things on the left sde of the body. • Peladophobia: fear of bald people. • Ligyrophobia: fear of loud noises • Kinetophobia: fear of movement • Androphobia: fear of men
These fears are just the phobias from this video. If you are interested at more phobias, a man has come up with The Phobia List. He has been working on it for years and hundreds of fears on on the list.
This video shows contestants from The Maury Show who were able to overcome their phobias through hypnosis. The hypnotist, Boris, who was the key that allowed those with phobias overcome them, stressed that he wasn't necessarily the key. He said, "all it is her deciding from this moment on, I am ready to move on." I am hoping that Alyssa can make this decision for herself.
Here's a little background before I reveal to you the victory that happened yesterday! I am doing this story with a particular phoneaphobic in mind. This friend was unaware that interviewing her for my final project meant telling the world about her phobia on the web. She initially thought that it would be an edited audio recording for my class's enjoyment. She did not know the whole picture.
Since I did not tell her from the bat and conveniently could not get a hold of her because surprisingly enough she wasn't answering her phone, I thought I would keep her as "my friend" the whole time. Now she is willing to go public with her fear. Her name is Alyssa. She is my dear friend who has a fear of using her cell phone to call or answer. However, texting and voicemails pose no problems whatsoever. She can control those messages.
You may be thinking she can control what she says on the phone, but it is not that easy. Fear of judgment may be her real phobia.
I found a hot spot where people go with a goal in mind and find other people who are partaking in the same goal. On online support group! Right now 14 people are seeking to get over their fear of phones. I love that phonophobics are relating to one another.
This website can be historically special to one who fears phones. In 2003, some people with fear of the phones related to one another for the first time. I find it comforting that people who share this unfortunate phobia were finally given the opportunity to relate to someone else. Finding another person to share your fear is ideal. Especially when you are seeking to overcome it ! ! !
Phones make my life easier! I can't imagine my life without one. Cell phones should be directly linked with the definition convenience. I set up an interview today using my handy dandy cell phone. I will be interviewing a psychologist and asking them possible solutions or suggestions for my friend's phone phobia. Although my friend wants to get some help with her phobia, getting the free 10 sessions of counseling that our school takes pride in offering per academic year could be problematic. Why so???? Because it would take a lot out of her to call up for the appointment! !
Even though she fears conversation over the telephone, my currently anonymous friend (I haven’t been able to contact her and ask her permission to be a cell-phone-no-so-anonymous on my blog) uses her cell phone as tool to use in case of emergency. God forbid her car ever breaks down in the middle of the road. She thoroughly enjoys and has fun communicating to her friends through text messaging. But for her talking on the phone isn't something to turn to when you are bored and too lazy to do any real work. When I am burnt out, which is a frequent occurrence being a sleep deprived college student, I frequently lay in my bed, pick up the phone, and make calls to friends on campus or across the country to get updates on their lives. Talking on the phone for entertainment purposes is quite indulging.
Being a fan of telecommunications, I understand and can relate to why my friend detests making small talk and finds "dead" time on the other line very painful. When someone has been talking to you and there is nothing else you would rather do than hang up and get along with your present life, do so. Honesty pays off for both parties in this case. Here is a story that perfectly illustrates the payoff. Sure, no one wants to be rude, but no one thrives on boredom either. Do yourself and your phone-mate a favor. If you are in a direct mood just simply say, "I am sick of talking on the phone. Have a good....day, afternoon, night." If you don't want to offend them say, "I really got to run. Nice talking to you." I will let your white lie slip in this situation, but it does feel more empowering to tell the truth. It will also strengthen your relationship. Maybe they will respond "I wasn't feeling it either," “I’m glad we can be so honest with one another,” or "You are such a self-centered bitch. Just because your not having fun, conversations over?"
I have found that time on the phone doesn’t commemorate the present. It handles the past with “Oh my god, you wouldn’t believe what this boy in class so obnoxiously said today.” Conversations also look to the future with, “So does Friday night at 7 work for you? Okay, see you then.” The least frequented conversations are for the now. Few deal with the present. Some do deal with the now, but they tend to be the shorter phone calls. For example, "Dad, I am on my way into the voting booth. How did you say I should vote on the Indian Caisinos?," "I am completely lost, did you say I should take the 85 south or north, “I'm at the box office and forgot my credit card. Can you give me your credit card information now?”
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. 
