Telephone Ringing Again? No, You Don't Have to Answer It!

History 1877 - The very first permanent outdoor telephone wire was completed. It stretched a distance of just three miles.

I first wrote about tyrant telephone callers four years ago, and recent unpleasantness has made me revisit this subject. What is it about the telephone that makes people think its imperious summons always has to be answered, right this minute?! Consider the following, please.

It's potentially deadly for non-professionals to answer a phone when they're driving a vehicle. However, unless it's your job to answer the phone immediately at work, for example, you don't have to race to answer the phone anywhere. The truth is, there are calls that don't have to be answered at all. Where, then, does society get the nerve to put pressure on people to drop whatever they're doing, to speak with someone else at an inconvenient time?

History 1955 - Saw the beginning of the laying of transatlantic telephone cables.

The very sounds that landlines and cell phones now make can be reason enough to snatch them up, I suppose, just to save your sanity. But why not just turn them off? The irritating rings, tones, and music can be as bad as the sound from a frustrated child; he's banging over and over on piano keys he doesn't want to play in the first place. Or the phones irritate as much as the two weeks of beeping from a low battery, before the Facilities crew gets around to replacing it.

Why do we bother to have answering machines at home and voice mail at the office, if we aren't going to use either one? There's not much that's more annoying than a spouse with a head cold, bellowing at you to answer the phone, when Caller ID clearly indicates either "unknown caller," or yet another toll-free call coming in. (Privacy Manager, from the phone company, is a dubious solution. It can sink you, if you're job hunting, so disable it or cancel it. Don't make it hard for would-be employers to reach you. )

History 1946 - Worlds first commercial mobile phone service put into operation. It could link moving vehicles to a telephone network via radio waves.

What many of us didn't realize until recently is that many invasive phone calls are now dialed by a machine. When we answer such a call, there's a silence, while we inanely say, Hello?…Hello?... Hello? During that pause, the machine is connecting us to a live telemarketer. So, if no one answers rightaway, we need to hang up immediately! They even have the nerve to call four times in 40 minutes, if you do ignore them.

History 1876 - Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone, beating Elisha Gray by a matter of hours.

Outside of irritating a sick person in the house, intrusive callers don't know or care that you might be in the middle of downloading bug fixes and enhancements (otherwise known as SR1 and SP3) from Microsoft. Even with DSL, such upgrades can take a couple of uninterrupted hours, after you've reinstalled Office. The reason such callers don't care is that they regard themselves as the most important people in the world, and anything you're doing can be set aside.

History 1874 - Principal of the telephone was uncovered.

What's worse, perhaps, is that it isn't just telemarketers, solicitors and pollsters, who can be rude. People from your own volunteer activities (church, community, or profession) think it's perfectly OK to call very early or very late in the day. After all, it's for a good cause, right? And heaven help you, if your employer makes you carry a pager or a company cell phone. It never occurs to Type A pushers that the rest of us function much better, when we unwind in the evenings, and get a healthy amount of rest and sleep.

And mothers, are you guilty of this, too? That is, do you expect your grown-up kids to drop everything, so you can nag one more time? Or do you call to be supportive and reassuring, which is what they need from you the most in today's hectic world?

History 1888 - Common battery system developed by Hammond V. Hayes, allows one central battery to power all telephones on an exchange, rather than relying on each units own battery.

The bottom line is that the phone doesn't have to be answered on the first ring, unless you are expecting an important call and/or don't want to alert everyone else in the house. Even then, extensions make it easy for others to listen in.

History 1900 - First coin operated telephone installed in Hartford, Connecticut.

If you're the caller, you might try being a little more considerate. And if you're the one who's paying the phone bill, turn off the ringer and let the answering machine pick up the calls. You'll save more than your sanity.

Shirley Ann Parker is a full-time technical writer. She is also the author of Discoveries: A Journey Through Life, a delightful collection of short stories about the joys and frustrations of family life and friendships. Discoveries is available from http://www.bbotw.com and other online bookstores. Read more about Discoveries at http://www.shirleyannparker.com, and see more of Shirley's creative work at http://www.cafeshops.com/topazcoveplus

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Review Of Satellite Radio - How Much It Worth?

By AnsweringPhoneServices.com

Tips! No loss of signal. Because the signal is digital and transmitted to a group of satellites that orbit high above the earth in the atmosphere, there are no obstructions like trees, buildings, or even the curvature of the earth's surface that can prevent you from receiving any of the available channels no matter where you go.

This is the first and perhaps the biggest technology advancement of radio since FM decades ago. Soon we may all be hooked up to satellite radio.

No matter how advanced the technology becomes for pre-recorded music, all of us still need the radio. There is something warm and fuzzy listening to your favorite disc jockey play the music that you like. However, there is a new technology opening up in the radio market; satellite radio.

All of us have experienced, particularly in our cars, when the radio signal fades or is over driven by static. All of this comes from the fact that most radio stations cannot broadcast their signal beyond 30 or 40 miles up 100 miles, depending on the terrain and the frequency, from the transmitting tower.

Now with eh new technology of satellite radio, you could drive all the way across the country listening to the same radio station. Although satellite radio is not just for automobiles, industry sources say that is where the future lies. With eh signal being broadcast, not from the highest mountain around but from 22,000 miles in space, you will never lose the signal.

Tips! Sure, out here on the West Coast we have these great, cheeky commercials that poke fun at competing technologies, those ads that point to the techno-wars between satellite dish and cable companies, including ComCast cable and the Direct TV dish, for example.

Even at home, the wind blows and the neighbor's big tree next door starts moving and then the signal fades. On the other hand, in the big city, you just cannot receive your favorite FM station because the other tall buildings block the signal. That will never happen again with satellite radio.

Moreover, I have to add that, because satellite radio is a paid-for service much like your cable TV, there would be few if any commercial interruptions of your music listening pleasure. The two big players in the satellite radio business, also called digital radio, are XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. Each is offering near CD quality music beamed to your home, office, or car from outer space.

Tips! Great for travel. No need to pack up the CD player and all your CDs when traveling to listen to your favorite music, just listen to your satellite radio.

For several years now, the automobile industry has been offering satellite radio in some of their most popular models. Now though, there are many portable units available for you to receive satellite radio. Because the signal from the satellite radio is digital, the sound quality is much better than what most people are used to when listening to their radios.

Hot* New* Satellite Tv Pro + Goohay! Brand New* Satellite Tv Pro + Goohay. Converting like Crazy.

The content on satellite radio is much greater than what you would receive on your own standard radio just like what you get on your cable TV hook-up. You can expect around 100 stations with more being added every day. Receiving satellite radio requires that you purchase a special receiver and you must pay a monthly service charge of around $10.

Tips! You'll need to contact your satellite TV provider to activate your system.

However, the cost is minimal when you consider the large number and huge variety of stations that are available. Of course, there are numerous stations that play on a certainly genre of music so you never have to wait for the whim of the DJ to finally get to your favorite artist. News, weather, and talk channels are on satellite radio.

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