Connecting to the Future
I thoroughly enjoyed your cover story on wireless communication (“Way Cool Phones,” The Next Frontiers, June 7). It did an excellent job of looking into the technical trends and the image of things to come. An equally important issue is the social consequences of existing mobile communication. Mobile communication has resulted in the ability to “microcoordinate” in real time. It has changed the way we organize social interaction. We can call meeting partners to adjust, or readjust, our meeting time or place on the fly. Mobile communication gives us an umbilical cord that can enhance our safety and our sense of security, unless we gab on it while driving. In Europe and in Asia teens have become the prototypical users. A recent survey I have done in conjunction with Statistics Norway (the national census bureau) shows that 100 percent of a nationally representative sample of 16- to 19-year-old Norwegians had a mobile telephone. The average teen sends about nine text messages per day to coordinate with friends, to exchange endearments with a boy- or girlfriend or just to chat. It has become a central part of their lives and an element in the emancipation process. The surprising thing is that all of this has happened in the last decade. We are literally experiencing these changes even as we speak. Thus, while it is fun to focus on all the neat stuff to come, let’s not forget the impact mobile communication has already had on society. Rich Ling, Ph.D. Fornebu, Norway
After reading Steven Levy’s article “A Future With Nowhere to Hide,” about the dangers to privacy that could arise from GPS (Global Positioning System) devices that allow one’s movements to be tracked, I turned to Tip Sheet and was struck by the irony of the situation. The article “Spying on Speeders” praised a new device that allows parents to track their teens’ driving habits and location, and even calls their parents if they get too far away. Levy was speaking in the future tense, but it appears that part of the future he predicted is already happening. Emily Haines McLean, Va.
Steven Levy is right to be concerned about the risk to privacy that a wireless world will pose. But does anyone really think that it will be healthy to have more radio waves passing through us? Every technological advance carries some hidden cost. Cancer continues to be a serious health issue, its origins still not fully understood. Surely the ever-increasing bombardment of human tissue by electromagnetic radiation, everywhere and all the time, can’t be a good thing. William F.B. Vodrey Cleveland, Ohio
When are all these tech people going to realize that there is a large market they are missing? At 63, I only want to call and receive calls, nothing else. I want something small that can be carried, but not so small it can be lost. Simple, simple, simple. For many people a phone is a tool for communication by voice and nothing more. This kind of tool would be cheaper to buy and in demand. If you think I’m kidding, techies, ask your parents! Jerry R. Frazier Hanford, Calif.
I worry about exploding technology geared toward developing cooler gadgets for people who already have much more than they need. Americans don’t need phones that double as digital cameras and computers. We need clean, renewable energy, universal health care and a more equitable, less gluttonous society. Sharon Connor Encinitas, Calif.
There are already smart phones that have been out for more than a year, and can be gotten for free with contract sign-up, that pretty much do everything the “petfrog” does. I got my Nokia 3650 for free for signing a normal one-year contract a while ago. It plays MP3s and movies, records videos, has a Microsoft-compatible word processor and voice command, can be aware of other nearby users and much, much more. And it is probably half the size of the model device shown on your cover. Hiroshi Hamazaki Sunnyside, N.Y.
Thank you for the excellent series of articles on wireless technology. It is true that loss of privacy is a problem with increasing technology, but I disagree with Steven Levy’s conclusion that we might lose our “license to get lost.” Worried about being tracked? Tired of being called on your cell phone day and night? Here’s an idea: turn off your gadgets, leave them at home and go for a walk. If you are so addicted to constant instant communication and information that you cannot walk away from it when you need a break, then a loss of privacy is the least of your problems. Scott Pickles Newtown, Conn.
In reading your latest cover story I was struck by the typical overly optimistic view of a world made utopian by technology. I’m not a technophobe by any stretch of the imagination–in fact, as a scientist I am very much reliant on technology–but I’ve been hearing this same line of blather for years now. As far as I can tell, the major impacts of these portable communication devices have been to make people ruder in restaurants and theaters, and more dangerous behind the wheel. Meanwhile, communication towers are springing up all over the country. And not only do these towers diminish an aesthetically pleasing countryside, but many are located in migratory corridors and cause massive bird deaths numbering in the millions per year. I’m a firm believer that technological advances are not only inevitable but often beneficial–however, technology for the sake of simply making the next “coolest” toy may be more destructive than it’s worth. Perhaps we should be examining the potential long-term impacts of these devices in a more holistic way. Bill Trankle Southport, Ind.
After reading about the advanced cell-phone technology, I cannot help but be angry. I have severe hearing loss and need “old” technology and extra battery power available to me to be able to take advantage of simple cell-phone technology. I need a telecoil inserted to make the cell compatible with the common “T” switch on the hearing aid and added power to increase the volume, something that is readily available in regular home phones. I have found that I am in a minority of people searching for the ever-diminishing pay phones with a volume control. Unless the cell-phone industry is forced to provide hearing-assisted phones, people with hearing losses will find themselves without sufficient means to make needed contact or even get help in emergencies. The cell-phone industry must be legislated to make such phones available. The large baby boomer population is aging. Greater numbers of people will have age- and industry-related hearing loss. I suppose I must wait until then, when hearing loss is more marketable. Sheila Manke Wakefield, R.I.
Am I the only person who has read “1984”? Your articles didn’t mention the book or Big Brother, but it seems that’s where we’re heading, albeit a little later than George Orwell thought. Toni DiMargio Canfield, Ohio
Severe Postpartum Blues
I want to thank you for running Katherine Stone’s June 7 My Turn, “I Was Scared That I Might Hurt My Baby.” I began to suffer from postpartum depression shortly after the birth of my daughter in 2002. I remember the “baby blues” being mentioned as a footnote in my childbirth class. Well, I went way past blue and right into deep purple. And it happened quickly. Fortunately, I asked for help within the week. Medication and the support of my husband and family helped me return to the sane person I was prior to my daughter’s birth. I agree with Stone that education is key when it comes to combating postpartum depression and its cousins. And that includes making sure expectant mothers and fathers know what to look for, even if it might freak them out a bit during childbirth class. So many women suffer in shame and silence. Kira Newman West Sacramento, Calif.
I cannot tell you how relieved I was to read Katherine Stone’s essay. She is courageous to come forward and write about her personal experience. I have recently helped my daughter cope with these same terrifying thoughts after the birth of my granddaughter. My daughter was convinced she was losing her mind and that she would be “locked up” if she ever told anyone of these dreadful images. She was too frightened to even talk to her husband. Thank God she turned to me and felt safe enough to share her painful secret. At first she was fearful of speaking to any doctor, convinced that they would take the baby from her. I was able to encourage her to speak to her obstetrician, who immediately assured her that she was not losing her mind. Her doctor prescribed medication and recommended two support groups. My heart breaks for any young woman who suffers in silence and fear. Name Withheld Somers, N.Y.
I only wish my daughter, Melanie Blocker-Stokes, had Katherine Stone’s article. Like Stone, Melanie was a beautiful, successful, happily married woman with no history of mental illness. During her pregnancy, she was radiant–eager to meet her daughter. But after she gave birth something changed. I am an educator and Melanie’s husband is a physician, but when she descended into despair neither of us understood what was happening. One day she said to me, “This is not just depression. This is more than a depression.” Melanie became a gaunt, unresponsive shell of her former self, unable to care for her daughter. We hospitalized her, yet no physician spoke the words we needed to hear: postpartum psychosis–a mood disorder affecting about one in 1,000 women, in which they lose touch with reality and begin to experience paranoia. Sometimes, like Stone, they hear voices urging them to kill themselves or their children. Last week was the anniversary of Melanie’s death. On June 11, 2001, she jumped from the 12th floor of a hotel. My grief is mingled with compassion for women who struggle as Melanie did. I initiated the legislation Stone mentioned, the Melanie Blocker-Stokes Act (see melaniesbattle.org). One of the most disturbing aspects of my work is the letters I get from women who are in prison for crimes they committed while in the throes of postpartum mood disorders. Our legal system does not yet recognize postpartum mood disorders as reasonable pleas for insanity. This needs to change. Carol Blocker Chicago, Ill.
To new or expectant mothers: it may or may not be magical, you may love or hate your newfound parenthood. Pay attention to how you really feel, and if that feeling isn’t right, or isn’t what you’d expected, find someone to help you through. There are many professionals and paraprofessionals–women who might more accurately be called veterans. Believe me, we understand, we’ve been on the front lines and have experienced some frightening, as well as some amazingly wonderful, moments. And whatever you do, keep talking; it’s the only way these myths can be erased and women made to feel it’s OK for them to react this way. Alice Tenney Mamaroneck, N.Y.
Getting Our Houses in Order
I read your article “Clean Freaks” (June 7) on the subject of professional organizers and the sloppy state of many American households and am a little surprised. Whatever happened to the good old American work ethic? Have we become so lazy that we can’t even clean our own homes? We cannot turn a blind eye to the mess we’ve made and hope that it won’t be there in the morning. Instead, we need to pick up our heels and shape up our houses a little, rather than acting like preteens reluctant to do their chores. America doesn’t need TV shows or professionals to organize itself. What we need is to stop being suckered into buying so much useless filler and to make an effort to do that which homeowners are obligated to do–take care of their homes. Alex Campbell Woodbridge, Va.
I have been a professional organizer for more than 25 years, and have always been dismayed by the “clean sweep” type of approach that seems to value the quick fix. The truth is, different people have different natural styles of organization, and unless you take this fact into consideration, solutions will never be long-lasting. Too often, people are made to feel like failures for simply being unable to maintain systems or use products that are just not compatible with their preferred way of doing things. Sunny Schlenger Fair Lawn, N.J.
While the degree I earned from a well-respected university languishes on the wall of our basement, the organizational skills I learned from my mom are what get me through my day and keep our house from collapsing under the weight of junk mail, kids’ meal toys and unused clothing. With all of the inherent stresses in life, organization helps limit at least one: living in a mess. Order brings peace to our home and gives us something very important: time. Every minute I spend filing, decluttering and throwing things away comes back to us twofold when we don’t have to hunt for things. Organizing is one way to reduce stress, but getting rid of things is another. My husband and I have become ruthless purgers of the stuff in our house, and we’ve noted a curious phenomenon. The excitement of buying and bringing home a new item is nearly matched a few years later by the ability to get rid of that same item to make more room in our house/closet/garage. Our home and our lives feel lighter with less stuff in them. Tara Tucker Signal Mountain, Tenn.
If the Bikini Doesn’t Fit…
When I read how to keep young hands busy knitting a swimsuit, it reminded me of my then l6-year-old sister’s endeavor 70 years ago (“Skimpy Stitches,” Tip Sheet, June 7). She, too, knit a darling, two-piece, wool bathing suit in American Beauty red. The first time she dove into an icy Maine lake, the bottom went west, the top east and sis south. Horrified, she retrieved the shorts and her boyfriend, the top. Somehow, she exited the water. Later, she unraveled it and knit a sweater for our dad. I never saw him wear it. A word of caution to neophyte knitters: check the fiber content of the yarn. Helen Kininmonth Austin, Texas
