Living With and In Technology

I hate living in this technological age.  Everything is connected.  No matter what.  And, yes, I realize the idiocy of venting this on an internet blog... thank you very much.

Remember the good old days, when you got into an argument with someone and you could slam the phone down into the cradle with that satisfying sound.  The person on the other end of the line heard a slam and a click and a dial tone and KNEW you were pissed.  If you were really pissed, hell.... unplug the line.  This came in handy too when you were horribly depressed and just wanted to forget the world and imagine that the world had forgotten you. 

Now however, in the age of internet and smart phones, if you want to ignore someone, its a huge process that unless you are really SERIOUS about not talking to someone, it's just not worth it.  First off, on a cell phone, hanging up on someone in a rage, just doesn't have the same dramatic effect you got with a nice big receiver hitting it's cradle.  There are times that I will keep on talking thinking there is someone on the line listening, when in actual fact one or the others phones has simply cut off.  No noise, no warning... just sudden silence and the imposing feeling that you are talking to yourself.  I wonder how many times I have hung up on some one in a rage and they continued talking as if I was still there.  Not to mention the only way to stop someone from continuously calling your cell phone until you pick up is to turn the thing off... in which case...there goes my clock... And I don't know about your phone, but it takes about 30 minutes to turn my android back on so lord help you when you decide you are ready to talk to them again... or if there is a sudden emergency.

Speaking completely hypothetically, of course, lets say you are having a discussion that turns sour with someone on google, gmail, chat, talk, whatever...  In the midst of the conversation you grow tired of the circling of words and decide to sign off on the convo.  BYE!  Close the browser and have done with it.  Seconds or so later and <beep> your phone gives off it's tiny notification alert.  Looking at the screen...  the person you just left in a huff is responding to your chat, completely ignoring the send off you just sent now it's being automatically transfered to your phone.  What the what!?!  So now, unless you want to scramble through the settings of phone and chat and figure out how to un-sync the account without destroying the phone settings entirely for after you have had your little tantrum, you are stuck...  Are you mad enough to not answer the chat?  Cause you know that person isn't going to stop until you respond.  Or, worse yet, if you don't respond it will probably make things all the worse in the long run.  Do you respond and possibly further the words and hurt feelings...  or do you ignore and do just about the same thing. 

It's a god damn double edged sword is what that is...