Uncanny | Katherine Nielson

I live between campus and my home, across the street from the baseball field. My walk between the library and my home is made daily. In the event of one of these walks I can observe over thirty individuals talking on their cell phones. It reminds me of scenes shot on the streets of New York City. This Age of the Mobile is effecting every age of life. The cell phone is replacing many normal forms of communication, writing, and even talking one on one. As I was watching these passing phone adicts, I suddenly saw the mental picture of them each carrying old-fashioned cord phones, the ones with the curly cords. How ridiculous would they look, yet the only thing that has changed is the phones size and convenience.

I guess Hurricane Katrina has had an impact on me, I wonder how well we could communicate if our medium for it suddenly broke down. "Oh, dear, how can I tell my wife I love her when she's next to me if I don't have my cell phone to text her 'I luv u.'" I can see the break down now. The end of civilization as we know it. All relationships break down, because all of them are based through correspondence through an inanimate object.

So the end of the world will come with the break down of the cell phone. And in the end . . . excuse me, my mobile is ringing.