Comments on: Get Off The Phone http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2008/10/22/get-off-the-phone/ Wed, 05 Jan 2011 21:59:36 -0600 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: aspiringexpatriate http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2008/10/22/get-off-the-phone/#comment-3058 aspiringexpatriate Thu, 23 Oct 2008 04:18:30 +0000 http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2008/10/22/get-off-the-phone/#comment-3058 <p>Um, I actually quite prefer texts and email, but if you want anything close to a commitment for some impending event, the phone works best.</p> <p>Also, for girlfriend issues, I’d suggest Skype/iChat/your choice of video conferencing. Long distance over phone is horrible. Or maybe that was because we had a language barrier too.</p> Um, I actually quite prefer texts and email, but if you want anything close to a commitment for some impending event, the phone works best.

Also, for girlfriend issues, I’d suggest Skype/iChat/your choice of video conferencing. Long distance over phone is horrible. Or maybe that was because we had a language barrier too.

]]> By: wmd1961 http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2008/10/22/get-off-the-phone/#comment-3056 wmd1961 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 01:13:08 +0000 http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2008/10/22/get-off-the-phone/#comment-3056 <p>Phony is derived from telephone. At a minimum it was applied to confidence games done using telephones as an instrument.</p> Phony is derived from telephone. At a minimum it was applied to confidence games done using telephones as an instrument.

]]> By: macaquerman http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2008/10/22/get-off-the-phone/#comment-3047 macaquerman Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:58:09 +0000 http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2008/10/22/get-off-the-phone/#comment-3047 <p>For a pertinent response, press 1.</p> For a pertinent response, press 1.

]]> By: tatere http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2008/10/22/get-off-the-phone/#comment-3027 tatere Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:50:55 +0000 http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2008/10/22/get-off-the-phone/#comment-3027 <p>Telephones are a pain, it’s true, but some people apparently can’t think unless they speak out loud, and I’m in no position to slag on other people’s cognitive quirks. So kind of a necessary pain. That said, though -</p> <p><i>Plus, what in the world are you supposed to do while you talk on the phone? They get mad at you if you’re caught reading a magazine or a comic book or a blog while talking.</i></p> <p>That’s just sad.</p> Telephones are a pain, it’s true, but some people apparently can’t think unless they speak out loud, and I’m in no position to slag on other people’s cognitive quirks. So kind of a necessary pain. That said, though -

Plus, what in the world are you supposed to do while you talk on the phone? They get mad at you if you’re caught reading a magazine or a comic book or a blog while talking.

That’s just sad.

]]> By: scythia http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2008/10/22/get-off-the-phone/#comment-3017 scythia Wed, 22 Oct 2008 15:31:14 +0000 http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2008/10/22/get-off-the-phone/#comment-3017 <p><em>Plus, what in the world are you supposed to do while you talk on the phone? They get mad at you if you’re caught reading a magazine or a comic book or a blog while talking. But there isn’t enough sensory stimulus during a phone call…text-based long-distance communication is imperfect, but it solves many-if-not-most of these problems, at least until such a time as we can send each other holograms alerting us — complete with visual cues to our facial expression, the subtlest indicator of them all</em></p> <p>Please Cf. Wallace, David Foster. <em>Infinite Jest</em>, pp. 144-151 </p> <p>for a discussion of why the holophone will only exacerbate said problems.</p> Plus, what in the world are you supposed to do while you talk on the phone? They get mad at you if you’re caught reading a magazine or a comic book or a blog while talking. But there isn’t enough sensory stimulus during a phone call…text-based long-distance communication is imperfect, but it solves many-if-not-most of these problems, at least until such a time as we can send each other holograms alerting us — complete with visual cues to our facial expression, the subtlest indicator of them all

Please Cf. Wallace, David Foster. Infinite Jest, pp. 144-151

for a discussion of why the holophone will only exacerbate said problems.

]]> By: WilliamOckham http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2008/10/22/get-off-the-phone/#comment-3003 WilliamOckham Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:34:39 +0000 http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2008/10/22/get-off-the-phone/#comment-3003 <p>Normal people don’t understand this, but computer geeks do. The most important difference between texting and phoning is the nature of the protocol. In geekoid terms, phoning is a connection-oriented synchronous protocol and texting is an asynchronous, connectionless protocol. Translated to normal human, that means to make a successful phone call, both parties have to be available and attending to the conversation at the same time. The pattern is like this:</p> <p>A: Send a connection request to B (dial their phone number)<br /> B: ACK (Acknowledge the connection by answering the phone and saying Hello) or NACK (don’t answer)<br /> A: Start conversation by sending a packet of information (’Hey, what’s up’)<br /> B: Respond</p> <p>….</p> <p>Texting on the other hand is connectionless. I can send you a text even if your phone is turned off (although delivery is not guaranteed). It’s also asynchronous in that you can respond at any time and there’s no convention that says I have to wait for your response before I text again.</p> <p>As every programmer discovers, connection-oriented synchronous protocols make multitasking very difficult while connectionless asynchronous protocols encourage multitasking.</p> Normal people don’t understand this, but computer geeks do. The most important difference between texting and phoning is the nature of the protocol. In geekoid terms, phoning is a connection-oriented synchronous protocol and texting is an asynchronous, connectionless protocol. Translated to normal human, that means to make a successful phone call, both parties have to be available and attending to the conversation at the same time. The pattern is like this:

A: Send a connection request to B (dial their phone number)
B: ACK (Acknowledge the connection by answering the phone and saying Hello) or NACK (don’t answer)
A: Start conversation by sending a packet of information (’Hey, what’s up’)
B: Respond

….

Texting on the other hand is connectionless. I can send you a text even if your phone is turned off (although delivery is not guaranteed). It’s also asynchronous in that you can respond at any time and there’s no convention that says I have to wait for your response before I text again.

As every programmer discovers, connection-oriented synchronous protocols make multitasking very difficult while connectionless asynchronous protocols encourage multitasking.

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