The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.

Modern Conveniences

by Dessa Rodeffer, Publisher

16 January 2002

Modern conveniences have their drawbacks.

Take for instance the Caller I.D.

No one seems to want to answer the phone any more when they can see it is not for them.

No matter where you are in the house with a house full of family, you now have to hustle to the phone because someone has yelled, "the phone is for you, it's so and so."

Even one of my family members (I won't say which one) answers a drawn out, "yes?" when I call them, rather than a polite "hello".

It's almost making us become a society of rude people. Of course, tela-marketing has done their share in making people rude in answering the phone.

Many don't even think twice about hanging up on an unwanted call when they find out it is a tela-marketer.

I think there must be a better way of marketing products than utilizing the phone.

Other modern items are the cell phone. They are great for helping keep track of work and family with our busy families. We all seem to be more spread out than our grandparents, and they become more essential to run a household or a business.

But they, too, have their drawbacks of drivers talking and not being focused on the road and dangers that lie there.

And, of course, there is my computer. The Quill sings its praises every week because of the ease of production and laying out of our newspaper pages.

The ease of e-mail and articles being already typed and fired into us, and resources available on the internet are an editor's delight.

But, they too have their drawbacks. Time flies, and if you are there too many hours and aren't squared up at the computer you can suffer from strained muscles, pinched nerves, computer vision, etc.

Also, there are computer crashes, viruses and the expense of keeping up with the a better computer and software.

But I wouldn't give up the cell or the computer any more than I would give up my car, the electric door locks (which more easily locks your keys inside) or microwave oven (which take close watch).

The conveniences far outweigh the drawbacks. I'm wondering, what will be new in this decade that will bring us joy and frustration. I can only imagine.