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[at-l] Perception - Cell Phones.



Jim,

Reference your post, dated 1-14-05, where you ask, ?Did hikers become more 
foolhardy as a result of the invention of the signal mirror or the whistle?  
What about the flare gun?  Do owners of cars with On-Star drive more 
recklessly because they know that when they crash On-Star will call an 
ambulance?  Did sailors first set out across the sea because the compass had 
been invented??

Your question implicitly asks,  ?Did ALL hikers become more foolhardy as a 
result of the invention of the signal mirror or the whistle??

This is not what I said.  I hold that SOME hikers rely upon a cell phone 
and, as a consequence, foolishly accept too great a risk.

To make your point, you need to assert the following propositions:  No hiker 
ever became more foolhardy, relying on a signal mirror, a whistle, or a 
flare gun, and; no driver of a car with On-Star ever drove more recklessly, 
knowing if they crash On-Star will call an ambulance.

If it became popular to flash the sun?s reflection into people?s eyes with 
signal mirrors, blow whistles in their ears, and shoot off flares throughout 
the day and night for non-emergency reasons, I would probably object to 
these practices along the Appalachian Trail.

?On-Star? is marketed as a way to reduce our risk.  Much of the 
justification for carrying cell phones is to reduce our risk.

You advise, ?Humans have always taken risks.?  ...  And ?... if life isn't 
an adventure it is just existence ...?

If you want more than mere existence and to preserve a sense of 
adventurousness, leave your cell phone home.

Steve