EMAIL IS N O T OBSOLETE.....NEITHER IS SNAIL-MAIL!!!!!!!

I venture here to repeat myself, because I feel SO strongly about this. I am a firm believer in the Native American idea of "walking a mile in another person's moccassins".....which the author of this piece obviously neglected to do.

NOT everyone in the world has a computer at home...and/or the time to visit the library, (where computer usage is often given in 20 minute intervals.....do try that some time if you've never done it!). And, that said, not everyone has texting capabilities.....or wishes to spend the extra money that texting from a cell-phone involves!

WHY I FEEL SO STRONGLY ABOUT THIS.....My sweet, wonderful parents were the greatest.....no smoking, no swearing, no excessive drinking, (usually only for "kiddush" on Friday nights), no arguing.ey were truly in love, and truly loved my sister and me. But -- like all human beings -- they weren't perfect. Their main faults? To themselves -- they never realized how wonderful and special they were. (False modesty can be as bad as false pride!!!!) To my sister and me............especially when we were little......................th­ey didn't take us seriously. I swore as a child I would ALWAYS take EVERYONE, (and their problems) SERIOUSLY. Children, the old, the poor.....EVERYONE DESERVES TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!! I got my first computer in 2001, when I was way over 35! I know and remember how it is not to have your own computer at home!

My present cell-phone, (my very first), is a pay-as-you-go-17cents-a-minute­-deal.....with NO specials for nights and weekends. As I stay home most of the time, I find using my land-based, (regular) phone for most things, and my tiny cell-phone for emergencies only, fits me (and my budget),. very nicely. Besides, in blackouts and other emergencies, cell phones are not supposed to work.....and a land-based phone will! It is not only cheaper, but VITAL to have a land-line phone! I cannot understand how so many people I know have ONLY cell-phones. It is dangerous.....and it is expensive!

So, although I do own a personal computer, (and thus can send e-mail to anyone at any time I wish), I refuse to pay the exhorbitant rates for having a cell-phone only, (for texting purposes), and I refuse to lose the safety of having a land-based telephone! IT IS ONE OF THE CHEAPEST FORMS OF INSURANCE THERE IS!

Lest we forget, not everyone even has their own land-based phone at home......and not everyone has a home, either! Alarming news, told to me by a friend, states that most telephone companies WANT TO DO AWAY WITH ALL PUBLIC PHONES, SO THAT ONE MUST EITHER HAVE ONE'S OWN CELL-PHONE, OR BE NEAR TO SOMEONE SO THEY CAN BORROW A FEW MINUTES ! ( AND NOT EVERYONE WILL DO THIS!!!!!)

Please, everybody, walk a few miles in other people's shoes......those who have no personal computer, those who have a personal computer, but no cell phone, those who prefer to keep their land-based phones, and those who have no homes, no phones, and no computers at all!

E-MAIL, SNAIL-MAIL, AND LAND-BASED PHONES ARE ...N O T ...DEAD! AND I HOPE FOR THE SAKE OF THE SAFETY.....SANITY....AND BUDGETS OF ALL PEOPLE.....THAT THESE THINGS WILL NEVER BE DEAD, WILL NEVER BE OBSOLETE. WE NEED THEM ALL!!!!!

I agree with you. I have a cell phone too, but no texting and it is on of the phones where you purchase a minutes card. My husband and I each have for emergencies. I still love writing letters, postcards and of course talking on my land line phone. I did not have a Home computer until 1999. It was an expense I could do without. So, I totally agree, unconnected technologically should not mean unconnected personally.

I agree on the text messaging thing. Teenagers were given phones by their parents and text messages all the time, unaware of the cost. Usually, unless you have a certain plan, you pay for the incoming text messages. So it all started there for the most part. As these kids enter the workforce, they will be using pcs more, and e-mail more, as it is a integral part of business. My office is paperless, so e-mail is a big form of our communication, where we use these e-mails as documentation to put into our online filing system. You can use a blackberry to do some company biz, you can't do it all from it.

Hi, Scorpiorising!

Thanks for your reply -- glad you agree with me! : ) My mother thought cell-phones were a luxury.....it's important people realize that they need not be....the "buy-minutes-as-you-go-used-on­ly-for-emergency" cell-phones, such as you, your husband, (and I, too), have, should be considered a necessity....and not an expensive one either. Their attributes should be more well-known.

I got my first computer in 2001. It was considered a luxury, as well....until I read about how much money people were making via the computer. Though I haven't found any way yet, I know there must be many out there. (Would you know of any?????? I'm homebound and handicapped....but now have two computers and a printer..... Would be grateful if you could give me a tip as to where to look for online work (with salary). And...wlll gratefully give you a 2% fnders fee for every dollar I make......

Thanks again for your reply. Whether you know of any online jobs or not, it's always great to find someone who agrees with one's opinion! : )

Thanks