Day 34

I don't own a cell phone. Until recently, I've never considered this to be a liability. I'm certainly not that hard to reach. I have an easy to remember e-mail address and my landline phone number hasn't changed in twenty years. Nevertheless, I'm starting to feel like I'm missing some sort of fundamental change in the way society works. Every single one of my clients and most of the vendors I work with carry an iPhone around with them constantly. They seem to be glued to the devices. In meetings, at lunch, even at home, they can't take their eyes off the tiny touch screen.

What could be so important? I've known many of these people for years. A lot of them aren't any busier than I am. Often, their phones don't even ring, but still, they keep staring at them. Maybe I'm missing the point though. While I was eating breakfast this morning, I watched part of a program called "Planet of the Apps" on CNBC. In less than five minutes I saw a neat little iPhone application I could actually use myself. It was an inexpensive program that turned your phone into a fully functional teleprompter. Cool! I spend hundreds, sometimes even thousands, of dollars on renting expensive teleprompters every time I produce a video. Now, a mobile phone can do the same thing.

I'm torn. I'm fascinated by technology, but I still don't find much of a need to talk to anyone. Would an iPhone change my life? I don't know. I have a feeling it would be like the pair of brown alligator shoes that caught my eye last Summer. They're still sitting in my closet unworn almost a year later.

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