Pay Phones

[Craig T]

Originally Posted by ckelly78z

I know about this....it's truly a sickness amoung Americans, that luckily, I haven't caught. I am rather anti-technology.

The academic science community is actually starting to quantify the negative affects of the smart phone on the younger generations. Areas of the brain responsible of social communication and speech are not developing in the same way, and may actually be shrinking.

Also, kids are less likely to seek independence from their parents until much later in their teens, even into their twenties. The baby boomers couldn't wait to get jobs and out of the house. An article in the paper today equated today's 18 year-old behaviors to the 1960's 15 year olds.

[pwd72s]

The main reason I caved and got a cell phone was no more pay phones. Just use it to make calls when out and about. Most days it just sits on a shelf, turned off. Went with a cheap trac phone. Never use the $100 worth of minutes we buy each year. I call it my no contract $8.33 per month plan.

Question: Where does Clark Kent change into Superman these days?

[Por_sha911]

[legion]

Originally Posted by Tidybuoy

The thing I liked about the "Pay Phone Days", I never ate lunch with a group of people glued to the phone.

Yep. I often find myself at a table with 4 other people on their phones. I quietly make funny faces at them. They never notice.

[id10t]

I always thought that renovating them and removing the pay phone (keep the booth, etc) would be a quiet place to make/take a call on your cell. Offer a high speed charging option as a pay-for thing, etc.

[BeyGon]

Originally Posted by legion

Yep. I often find myself at a table with 4 other people on their phones. I quietly make funny faces at them. They never notice.

pull your phone out, take pictures of them and text them to the people. I do it, it's fun

[BeyGon]

Originally Posted by NotaBRG

Been there:

I think I saw a picture of Island's Porsche by that booth.

[Por_sha911]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

Question: Where does Clark Kent change into Superman these days?

Target fitting rooms?

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

Plus who the heck carries coins around anymore anyway? I know I certainly don't!

Look close, they have a slot to swipe a credit card

I have not used one in many years, but if you pulled up to a gas station in the middle of nowhere and you cell phone died... or had no signal (gasp!) what would you do?

[Sebscst]

We use to make them ring (with out calling them or putting money in them) and watch people answer them as kids and laugh. Simpler and better times in the 80's.

[Evans, Marv]

There is still one in front of the store in our little village. It gets a surprising amount of use.

[RKDinOKC]

When going to lunch with a group I make a big deal of muting my ringer when we first arrive. Make the comment. "This lunch has officially become a meeting." Most follow suit. The group also stops conversations and stares at the person that does take a call until that person hangs up. Has gotten to where people in the group only take "important calls" and leave the table to take them.

[rattlsnak]

I haven't seen a working one in years and they are all gone out of the ATL airport. I guess the future is safe because the terminator wont be able to find Sarah Connor without a payphone and a phone book!

[ossiblue]

Originally Posted by RKDinOKC

When going to lunch with a group I make a big deal of muting my ringer when we first arrive. Make the comment. "This lunch has officially become a meeting." Most follow suit. The group also stops conversations and stares at the person that does take a call until that person hangs up. Has gotten to where people in the group only take "important calls" and leave the table to take them.

Those of us who are old enough, can look back at the progression to where we are today, where everyone is "important."

The only way a lunch meeting would be interrupted by a phone call, in the sixties, would be if the waiter came over and informed someone that they had a call. That would only happen if someone was enough of a VIP to leave the restaurant's number with their office and had to be "on-call"--say, they were a doctor, police officer, or some other person whose occupation required them to be available. Even in this case, they would leave the table to take the call, and those remaining would understand and respect the need for the interruption. This tended to be a rare occurrence.

In the seventies, we began to see pagers and with them, the interruptions by people who could be "self-proclaimed" VIPs. Still, even with the interruptions, they would have to leave the table to make their "important" call.

In the eighties, cell phones began to arrive in larger numbers, and the interruptions spread and the table courtesy declined--to the point where those receiving the calls took them at the table.

Now, with smart phones, the cell phone interruptions are overlaid by web surfing, texting, and app perusal. People sit at the table and are constantly on their devices, effectively sending the message (pardon the pun) that those at the table are not worthy of their complete attention.

IMO, your approach is warranted and sends the right message.