July 18, 2008 Chautauqua

From the Editor's Computer

In March of 1896 something pretty momentous happened down by Medicine Hat, in the Northwest Territories. A ranch manager by the name of John Ellis invented the barb-wire telephone and life was never the same for the ranchers. The new-fangled telephone allowed Mr. Ellis to find out when the train would be arriving so he didn’t have to spend all day in town waiting for it to arrive.

We have come a long way since the time of the barb-wire telephone. Virtually every home has at least one telephone, if not many more than that. Countless households also boast at least one cell phone, if not one for each family member.

We can be connected to anyone, anywhere in the world, we want by virtue of a telephone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It used to be that a person went shopping to get away from the phone, now we bring our phones with us so as not to miss a call! The car used to be one place where you knew that you wouldn’t be force to listen to the ringing of a telephone. That is no longer true.

If that wasn’t enough to make a person’s head spin we now are being told we have to dial 10 digits instead of the 7 most of us are so accustomed to. How are you making out with that change? Are you remembering to punch in all 10 digits, or are you still being treated to that annoying message reminding us that we need to dial all 10 numbers? I must admit as a training tool, that message is very effective. More often than not I remember to dial the extra numbers just to avoid listening to it!

Beth

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