A better time before cell phones

By Preet Anand

As much as we may hate to admit it, our lives would be much better without cell phones. Why? Read on.

* No drunken dials

There is nothing funnier than hearing what a drunk person has to say. They may call, wondering why a clock ticks or raving about the unnoticeable extra noise the telelvision is making. However, that's much better to hear in person than via cell phone. Nowadays, since people always have cell phones with them, their lowered inhibitions definitely apply to making phone calls. Randomly, you may get a call saying, "Man, just know ... I love you. Like really!" Then they hang up. And half of the time you don't even know who called.

* Anti-hover craft

Our parents love us a lot. We are also in college, where they tell us to discover who we really are. But how can we do that when every time we are "discovering ourselves" we get called by our parents? Then once they know they have you on the phone, they ask about school, your day and more. They drop the anchor and you're stuck.

If you ask faculty, they remark about how our generation is so different from theirs was when they were in college. Not in terms of drugs or drinking -- they are professors, and it was the sixties -- but because of how much we are talking to our parents. Our generation will probably make significantly less progress to discovering our own rhythm because we are bouncing to everyone else's.

* We know directions

How often have you had to use your cell phone in the past month to ask someone for directions? Unless you are spectacular with your sense of direction, I bet you have asked for help at least 20 times. And even if it was just 10 times, that means every three days you wouldn't have been able to get somewhere unless you had your cell phone.

If we didn't have cell phones, we would have been forced to be more intelligent in our planning before embarking on an adventure. And think about how much richer 411 has become.

* Text messages

There is nothing more annoying than someone who is typing text messages while you are talking to them. For example, your friend's girlfriend comes into your room to say hello and meet you -- let's say her name is Hillary. Literally seconds after Hillary says hi, she starts texting while you are trying to learn more about her. Two minutes later, her friend magically appears -- even though she lives in a different building -- and they just have to go to Benson together.

You know who she was texting while you were trying to talk to her. These types of things happen all the time, and worst off, it isn't confronted. Text messaging, created for our convenience, shouldn't interrupt our most natural form of communication -- talking.

* Embarrassing pictures

I really don't think the person who integrated a camera into a phone was thinking logically. Honestly, having it as a separate apparatus causes people to evaluate their impulses; if they want to have the pain of lugging around a camera, they better want to take those pictures. The camera phone is so easy to have with you, you might not even realize what you take pictures of. Then those same revealing, risqué pictures will probably find their way to Facebook.

* Interruptions

I admire college professors because they have so much patience with us. They're interrupted in every class by the tune of some ringtone. For the 11:50 a.m. class it might be Jay Z, Beyonce and the All-American Rejects. Not too bad, but then at 1:45 p.m. you have Paris Hilton, Ashlee Simpson and opera. Where is the consistency?

Think, as a professor, how bothersome it would be if you were having a serious discussion with someone about their grades and then all of a sudden you hear, "They see me rollin'..." I would just start throwing chalk, and some D's by that point.

Even worse, picture talking to your parents about your aunt's hospitalization and just as your dad begins to talk about how your cousin is handling it, Nelly Furtado jumps in with "Promiscuous Girl."

The absolute abomination is when you are about to cuddle with someone and Akon starts whining in that high pitch voice, "I am so lonely, I've got nobody" for Mr. Lonely.

Come on people, put those phones on vibrate.

Preet Anand is an undeclared freshman.