What the cellular gods hath wrought – Point

Counterpoint: Don’t let cell rudeness happen to you

When most women think of Valentine’s… Counterpoint: Don’t let cell rudeness happen to you

When most women think of Valentine’s Day, they think romance, flowers and other mushy things.

Not me.

No, every year when that day comes around, I think of one thing — one of the few things in my life that has been nearly 100 percent reliable for the past five years.

My cell phone.

I know this must sound odd, but it actually makes perfect sense. It was on Valentine’s Day 2000 that my life changed forever. It was then that my mom bought me my first cell phone.

Ours has been a tragic, costly love affair, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I don’t know where I’d be without my cell phone, and honestly, I don’t want to think about it either.

It’s a common assumption that cell phones are considered to be useful, but unnecessary and potentially annoying. Not to me. It’s my constant companion, always on and somehow attached to my body.

It might be just a cell phone, but it has made a huge difference in my life. As a commuter who lives 30 minutes away from Oakland, it helps keep me in touch with my friends and family. I’m always just a speed dial away from them.

It’s rather handy, if you ask me. For instance, when the 61C begins spouting black smoke and breaks down in the middle of Squirrel Hill, it helps to be able to just call my parents. That way, they aren’t expecting me for dinner and know I’m going to be late. At the same time, when the wrong bus drives past me, I can just call the friend who dropped me off minutes before to give me a ride home.

As for my friends, it’s a lot easier to get in touch with them when I’m running my customary 20 minutes late and we’re planning to meet somewhere. Plus, when I get lost at a concert or separated in a large crowd, a cell phone is a lot more effective than yelling and waving my arms.

Another perk to having a cell phone is that it makes me easier to get in touch with. As a college journalist, I’m able to give my sources a reliable number by which to reach me. By keeping the phone on me constantly, I’m able to get the story I need on deadline, even if it means doing an interview with Pitt Police Chief Tim Delaney while being pushed around on a bus and calling in the end of the story 10 minutes after deadline.

Now, I’ll be the first person to admit that I have a horrible memory. It takes a lot of repetition for me to get something down. So having speed dial on my phone is ideal for me. I don’t have to remember 10-digit phone numbers — I just remember a simple two-digit speed dial code. When I want to call my friends, I just dial 15, 12 or whatever number they are and I’ve got them on the phone. If I still can’t remember that number, I can just flip through my phone’s memory and find the number quickly and easily.

Cell phones are also ideal for travelers. With the right plan, there’s nowhere in the country a cell phone can’t be reached — well, except maybe the mountains of West Virginia and other remote areas. Granted, if you go to Antarctica, you’re out of luck, but how many people actually go there?

With the growing technology that is being used on cell phones, they aren’t just for verbal communication. Users find themselves faced with more choices than they can imagine — from games to Internet access, from text messages to cameras. It’s the ultimate mobile tool. Stuck on a bus? Play a game of solitaire or snake. Need to find directions? Just hit up MapQuest. What more could you ask for?

Granted, it can be a distraction and keep users from paying attention in classes. At the same time, a piece of paper and a pen offer the same lure to someone who doesn’t want to be where she is.

For those who prefer to ignore the need for time management, a cell phone offers the security of a watch, but without the extra accessory. Telling time was never so convenient.

While I’ll concede that cell phones do have their disadvantages, they’ve become a necessity in today’s hectic world. For those who like to keep in close contact with their friends and family, they may be the ruination of your finances with $580 telephone bills unless you take advantage of special plans designed for people like us. However you look at them, you can’t deny they have their uses.

Even if you keep it turned off and just use it as a paperweight most of the time.

Daveen refuses to ever show her support for a “No Cell Phone Day.” E-mail her your support at drk974@pitt.edu.