Good Morning and welcome to a Winter Wonderland!

That snow out there this morning looks nice, but it's not causing many problems. The main streets are just wet.
The big debate out there is the use of cell phones in cars. The state wants to ban the use. You are not supposed to be able to drive and talk in New Jersey or Philadelphia (if you look, though, it doesn't appear anybody is paying attention to that ban).
I try not to use the phone in the car. On the rare exception it does ring, thank you, Caller ID inventor) I let it go through the voice mail.
Now, I know the cell phone has made our life a bit easier. If there is an accident or a problem, it's a lot easier than knocking on doors to make a call.
Driving and talking (or texting!), still doesn't seem right. I know people do it all the time, but we somehow survived all those years without being plugged in.
Then again, pretty soon Apple will no doubt have a phone and lap top right on our dashboard, so better get with the program.

Good Morning and welcome to another Wednesday!

Ever notice how some things just happen.
For months now, a 10-year old boy I know has been asking to for a cell phone.
When asked why he needs one, the answer was always the same: 'Everybody else in my class has one' or 'Because.'
Obviously, those aren't the right answers. So, since he rarely has to walk home from school, isn't left at home alone nor does he stay late after school, there was no real need to 'add a line.'
This week, though, maybe because the stars were alligned in such a way or the moon was sending radiation, but he ended up with a cell phone.
How? It's still a blur, but we needed to replace a broken one. Since the actual upgrade date was a couple of months away, the only way to get a new phone (without paying full price) was to add another line to the plan.
Somehow, with the new phone and another line, the bill doesn't go up very much, so that's a plus.
Meanwhile, the 10-year old's line is just a phone. No fancy gadgets. No Internet access.
All I have to say is he better ace that spelling test this week.

Good Morning and welcome to a whole new week!

A couple of weeks ago, as Kathleen was preparing for her trip to Iraq, we went out and upgraded to an iPhone.
The thinking was a 'smart' phone, as they are called, would be easier to carry around than a phone and a camera. Plus, with the Internet at a touch of a finger, she wouldn't have to carry a laptop on helicopters.
So, we got the iPhone (scaring the salesperson after telling him we were taking it to Iraq). Got it set up with an international roaming plan (cell phone companies get you where ever and whenever they can).
So, she has the iPhone in Iraq. She was able to use the camera part, but never the phone. Apparently, there are some in the Middle East who still hate Americans. They can track cell phone usage. So, Americans are told not to use the cell phone to make calls ever.
After finding that out (in an e-mail), I was resigned to two weeks of e-mail back-and-forth.
That's when I was able to discover how to 'chat' online using gmail. It's like using the phone only typing and both of you can 'talk' at the same time. And, yes, those of you out there who can't believe it, you can connect with anybody all over the world.
So, I'm beginning to think you might not need a phone at all.
Of course, this is a little ridiculous:

Good Morning and welcome to the new week!

It took me a long time to break down and get a cell phone. It took me even longer to totally ditch the 'regular' phone and just rely on the cell.
I never felt the need to be 'in touch' 24 hours a day. When Caller ID debuted, that was close enough for me. If somebody wanted to call me(somebody trying to sell something) and I didn't want to talk to them, they could talk to the answering machine.
Then I could decide whether it was worth my time to call back (mostly no).
After a while (driving three children 35 miles a day back-and-forth to work did the trick), I was able to find the silver lining in the cell phone revolution.
I was able to get by with my non-smart cell phone all these years, ignoring (as best I could), the new smart phones hitting the market.
Last week, we broke down and got an iPhone (it's needed for an exciting project you will find out about later this week, so stay tuned).
Now, after one weekend with the iPhone, I wonder what took so long.
No longer do you need to make those $2 calls to 411. Need a map, just click on. Want to find out if the Phillies are still playing at 2 in the morning, hit the Internet button.
It's all pretty cool. You can blog. You can e-mail. You can text (whatever that is).
Still, there's a part of me that wonders if all this technology is making us dumber, or lazier.
With everything right at our fingertips, does it really stretch our brains?
OK, I don't have to walk into a scary looking gas station to ask directions, but I can also see less interacting between people.
We text. We e-mail. Do we talk?
I don't know. Besides, it's time to log off.

Good Morning and welcome to the middle of the week!

The request comes every other day now (it used to be once a week).
'Dad, everybody is school has a cell phone. Can I have one?'
The answer is always the same: 'I didn't have a cell phone until I was 40 years old. You don't need one at 10.'
Now, I've come to the realization that cell phones are now a way of life. We don't even have a land line at home anymore, it's just better to keep the cells around.
Still, I can't wrap my mind around why elementary school students need cell phones.
Maybe, just maybe, if the student is involved in a lot of clubs that have open-ended meetings, a cell phone is useful. After all, most children probably wouldn't know how to use a pay phone if they could even find one.
So, maybe in a small instance, a cell phone is necessary.
While my answer is kind of contrite, I don't see the need for a 10-year old who gets dropped off at the school door every morning, then gets picked up at the school door every afternoon needs a cell phone.
At least I'll keep fighting the battle until I'm too beat up.

Cell Phone In Art Gallery - watch more funny videos

Good Morning Dear Readers and All the Ships at Sea!

You know how Comcast keeps offering those 'Special' (read cheaper) deals to new customers. You can get cable TV, Internet and phone service for like five bucks if you are a new customer (OK, an exageration, but there's a point, trust me). If you are a current Comcast customer, you're out of luck.
The cable conglomerate, which rakes in billions every year, figures they have you already. Why try anymore? It's not like you can go somewhere else (RCN, Dish, Verizon?).
Well, that's frustrating enough, but I found another one this week: AT&T wireless.
Apparently, once you are a customer, you can pound sand. My cell phone has been used as a boat, race car, baseball and anything else you can think of that would entertain 10 and 7-year old boys. The front is cracked. The buttons stick. The ring sounds like a dead bird (actually, it is a bird, only a live one).
So, I logged onto AT&T's Web site to upgrade. Found a nice phone, then typed the name into Google to find any reviews.
Along with the reviews, I found out you can get the same phone at Amazon.com for $150 less if you are a new AT&T customer. So, I called customer service. The woman there told me to deal with their price or just cancel.
Not satisfied with that 30 second phone call, I sent an e-mail with my concerns. Here's what I got back:
I apologize for the difference in cost between a phone that Amazon sells versus a phone that we sell. The reason for this is that the equipment that Amazon sells is their equipment and they can choose to sell it for what they choose to sell it for. They sometimes choose to take losses on their equipment to make more money in the long run. All companies that simply sell our service for us can do this. These companies usually also have an item in their contract in addition to ours. This item states that if you get a discounted phone from them and then choose to cancel, for whatever reason, you will pay them an early termination fee. This is on top of our early termination fee and does not matter whether we waive the fee or not. If you choose to get the phone from Amazon, please make sure that you are aware of all conditions for getting the phone at that wonderful price. I am sorry we are not able to price match it.
So, in other words, we have you, pound sand. AT&T took in $3.2 billion in the second quarter this year. Not too shabby in a year where jobs are being shed like K-Mart shoes.
I realize this doesn't amount to much in the grand scheme of things. There are more important issues out there, but, sometimes, big companies could look out for the little guy.
By the way, Verizon and T-Mobil reps each said they would match any price.

Robert Gibbs vs. Cell Phones - watch more funny videos

Good Morning. You are looking LIVE a the NLCS!
OK, it's not live, but you get the picture. Also, if we actually "Paint the Town Red" can we get in trouble.
By the way, ever notice how sometimes the universe keeps you grounded.
I can remember as a child getting banged up all the time. I remember two times being rushed to the hospital to get stitches. Once for a broken leg.
Well, we have been lucky for the last nine years. Despite having two boys and a precocious little girl, there haven't been many major injures or illnesses.
Sure, there was a banged head here and there and the younger boy did have to spend a day in the emergency room after banging his head. That was a quick staple (staple?) to keep it closed. Despite having children jump off couches, ladders, down steps, off trees and falling off bikes, there have been no broken bones. There was no need to head to the hospital.
That was until yesterday.
After answering the phone and hearing: "There's been an accident. We are stopping the blood, but he should get somebody to take a look."
You have to jump back in the car, call the doctor (by the way, thanks, Kids First, for hanging up during an emergency. What is it, "Kid's First unless we have to make some coffee"). Finally get to school. Rush to the hospital. Wait in the emergency room. Pull a scared little boy to see the doctor and still keep as normal as possible.
Thankfully, the person who had to do all this is adept at handling about 100 things at any given time, then adding about 20 more.
Once again, luck held and the injury was just a deep gash and could be fixed with glue (glue?).
In the end, it all worked out all right, but what fun?
Speaking of fun:

See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die

If you have any cool links or photos, send them along to onlinedelco@gmail.com

Good Morning everybody!

So, a couple of members of Philadelphia City Council are talking about introducing a bill that would ban the use of cell phones while driving.
Even though I am guilty of this on too many occasions, it's about the best new law that could be introduced.
Talking on the phone while driving is dangerous. Even though you might be concentrating on the road, you are also concentrating on the phone call. Unless you have some kind of double brain, there's no way you can concentrate on both.
Too many accidents are caused by people not paying attention to where they are driving. People blow by stop signs, red lights and school zones.
We are already a nation of bad drivers. Cell phones just make it a little worse.
If you need to make a quick call or answer the phone, wait until a traffic light is red. Do it quickly, then drive. Or, pull over to the side.
A number of years ago before cell phones became as necessary as air, you had to walk to a pay phone or knock on a door if your car broke down. While cell phones can make us safer in those situations or if you are in some kind of accident, they can also cause trouble.
Just drive. Get where you are going and talk.


If you have any cool links or photos, send them along to onlinedelco@gmail.com