I likewise broke down and bought a cellphone. Price per minute (prepaid plan), it was cheaper than maintaining a land-line, and infinitely more portable.

I'd just say, treat it like a regular phone. Turn it off when you go on a walk, or when you've got things to do -- the same as leaving the phone off the hook when you're having dinner or sex. :-)

Since I'm a recent adopter, I kind of made an etiquette list -- things that annoyed me about other people's phones, and what I'd do to not be the same nuissance now that I had one:

* Turn off the damned thing at the theater / restaurant / coffee house / etc.
* Use vibrate or a simple "classic" ring tone, rather than Green Acres or Fur Elise.
* Do not use / answer it in the car / on the bike unless you immedietly pull over.

I'm still a bit nervous about the whole microwave-based device right next to my brain, inner ear, eyes, etc... so I keep use to a minimum. It's obvious that it uses a tremendous amount of power when it's transmitting -- batteries get hot under load, and my little motorola gets noticeably warm after just a minute or two of use.

I pretty much only use a cell phone and consider it a move towards simplicity (unless one were to go to no phone whatsoever.) It allows me to be immediately reachable, but I still get to screen if and when I take calls. Much simpler than filtering through a single land line in a family home setting.

I recently got rid of my phone and i have to say it's rather strange so far. I started to dislike being contactable anywhere/anytime so i used it a lot with the ringer turned off. If i didn't see the phone flash or vibrate then i generally missed the call & mainly only used it for outgoing calls. Just always hated cell phones ringing in public. Then because i wasn't using it as much i asked myself why i was paying for it each month. And that was it. I have to admit that they do make some aspects of life more convenient and i'll probably get a new one within a few years,..maybe sooner. It's not that i'm against them, just thought i'd take a break.

And one thing that made the decision easier for me was the fact that it really wasn't that long ago that the whole cell phone culture started. 12 years ago there weren't many cell phones around at all. Despite that, we all managed fine. Now you get the sense that cell phones are "required" for "normal" life. If that's not excellent marketing, i don't know what is.

Ever see the movie Johnny Neumonic(I believe Keanu's first 'savior' and perhaps prepatory roll to 'Neo')? In it Henry Rollins plays an underground doctor/scientist that is secretly treating the populace that has come down with a 'neural virus' that is really being caused by all the electronics mass produced and incorporated into society. It echoed what I had already wondered and felt is most likely true. Our bodies are energetic and constantly being influenced by various energies throughout the universe, much less the intensified ones here in the immediate environment.

I am not a scientist or even a studied individual, but in researching I try to gather information that is presented in a reasonable and well sourced way. The following are resources that may be very helpful in addressing the question of health, and perhasp motive for introduction, in regards to cellular technology.

Here is the current page with previous years accessable:
www.mindfully.org/Technolog...gy2005.htm

Electromagnetic Fields (EMF): Killing Fields - Arthur Firstenberg / The Ecologist v.34, n.5, 1jun04
www.mindfully.org/Technolog...1jun04.htm

And there appear to be other interesting articles as well, that may not get presented in popular media. Make sure to go to the homepage to access other areas of research if you are interested.

Peace and be well...

Hi,

I have some information about cell phones that I would love you all to become aware of.

Please check the following link at:

people.tribe.net/c89a95fc-...1781f84413

Have a great day - John Grau

Speaking of the research on electromagnetic fields, the research about their harmful effects was just recently confirmed in a very tightly done study in switzerland, (if I recall correctly) and it showed a several times normal increase in brain tumors in the side of the head that people used they cell phones on.

This would also apply to cordless home phones as well I believe.

So there are good reasons to be concerned.

I've gotta say... I do think cellphones are a mainly unnecessary item. I am a student, part time worker, bellydancer, girlfriend, and friend. I had a cell phone for all of one year, when I lived in Los Angeles and had no land line. I actually found that I kept it off most of the time. I enjoy being unreachable. I have no children and don't work on call, so there's rarely a reason for someone to need me urgently.

I detest listening to people talk on their cell phones in public. I ride public transit, and both there and at college I hear people using cell phones constantly - and they're never saying a damned thing. My fellow students seem to use their phones to alleviate boredom. In a way, it devalues communication.

I understand why some people have them and need them - on call, work on the road, no land line, kids who may need you urgently. But I certainly don't, and I don't think a lot of people do.

I hate listening on private conversations on trains, subways and busses, especially when the ring signals are annoying and conversations seems like an effort to kill time or make them important. Where I live they have introduced cell phone free carriages, which is nice as long as people remember to turn their phones off.

I resisted getting a cell phone for a long time. I still use a land line, long distance provider, and was using a calling card for all my calls away from home. But being an electrician, I work in the field, and found that I needed a more effective way of being able to contact my boss should a problem arise, such as being late to a jobsite, getting lost, needing a part, etc. I had shared a cell phone with my wife at that time, but she had it most of the time unless we were travelling together. She's a massage therapist and does a lot of outcall treatments, so she was using it to stay in contact with regular and prospective clients.

I finally bought a plan with two phones and 1000 minutes a month. My wife used about half, and the rest were hardly touched, as my call volume was much lower.

At this time, we are in the beginning stages of a divorce, and I have been talking to a lot of friends for support, so the phone has come in very handy, and I'm using it a lot more. As soon as our plan's up for renewal, she'll get her own plan and I'll reduce the number of minutes available since I'm not using that many.

I still write and receive letters, so I don't think the phone has really affected that level of correspondence or quality of communication. Let's face it. We are living in an age with technology that keeps getting more and more advanced. You can use or not use as much as you want. I don't watch TV,or own a PDA, microwave, or any of the other myriad electronic convenience devices available. Use your best judgment. Everyone's different.