Auburn Gal Always

Please correct me if I am wrong.

It's possible that I am wrong about this, but I doubt it.

There are intended purposes of the technologies we use. The technologies with which I am concerned today are not new ones.

I'm not talking about human cloning or embryonic stem cell research.

I'm talking about caller id and voice-mail.

There are still people in this country that do NOT have a voice-mail system of some kind - even an old-fashioned tape-recorder answering machine. I've tried to call a few of them lately. Some of them I understand why they don't have one - my grandmother, for instance. She's 85. She does leave the house every day and go to work (yes, still works at 85!) Those who need to speak to my grandmother know where to find her and know the phone numbers there.

But for the rest of us who live the normal, manic, American life of work, school, ball practice, church, shopping, yard work, etc., etc., etc., I just don't understand how one manages without a voice-mail system of some sort.

Until I dial a wrong number. THEN I realize how they do it.

Here's your lesson for the day. If you need this message, you know who you are!!!

...

The purpose of caller id is to tell you who is calling you. There are several reasons for knowing who is dialing at the moment. Not the least of which is avoiding someone to whom you do NOT wish to talk! The purpose of caller id is NOT to call back a number you do NOT recognize!!!

I have caller id at home - the deluxe thingy which even tells me who is beeping in on call waiting. I have caller id on my cell phone. If I do not recognize a phone number on ANY caller id, I do something that I've decided is just plain crazy to many people out there. I presume it was a wrong number. I do NOT call it back and say the very UN-intelligent statement "uh I saw this number on my phone" or "uhm, someone at this number called me".

COME ON PEOPLE! And IF you have caller id that says the number came from a wireless phone, save the caller's minutes and DO NOT call them back! Obviously they already wasted a minute or two by calling the wrong number in the first place. Do them a favor and don't waste any more minutes.

Oh, yeah! And the caller id says that the number is from a business - and you do NOT recognize the business name and don't know anyone that works there and don't know WHY they'd call you - don't call and show off your lack of intelligence with the previously mentioned duh-statements! If the call came from a business don't expect the person answering the phone to be courteous. There are usually more than one person with access to outside lines, making it near impossible to determine which one dialed the WRONG NUMBER!!!



I really don't think that I'm wrong about this. I really think that there are some very thick-headed people out there who just don't get it!!!