| Author |
Message |
Skitt
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2005 1:33 am
Post subject: Re: US cell phones |
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Bill Bonde wrote:
| Quote: | TakenEvent wrote:
Land line -- good.
Cell -- oversimplified just to be different, even elitist, and
tweaked just to tweak. And it's becoming more common.
Since everyone seems to have a mobile phone now, it's hard to claim it
is "elite" behaviour.
|
Right. I have more of a claim on being elite by not having a cell phone.
They are nasty, privacy-invading things.
Speaking of privacy invading, for the last three months or so, almost every
day we get a recorded message on our land line phone from a Sandy at some
Message Center, requesting the person who answers to call a number for an
important message. I, of course, am ignoring that, as any truly important
messages for me should be in written form. Besides, I have a good idea what
it is all about.
--
Skitt (in Hayward, California)
www.geocities.com/opus731/
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TakenEvent
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2005 3:23 am
Post subject: Re: US cell phones |
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"Bill Bonde ('by a commodius vicus of recirculation')"
<John.Methuen@magersfontein.co.uk> wrote in message
news:435FD160.DB5DDE70@magersfontein.co.uk...
| Quote: |
TakenEvent wrote:
"Bill Bonde ('by a commodius vicus of recirculation')"
John.Methuen@magersfontein.co.uk> wrote in message
news:435D23DB.D658C67E@magersfontein.co.uk...
ArWeGod wrote:
"TakenEvent" <lightbulbsnickety@chartermi.net> wrote in message
news:ev86f.13587$E17.9805@fe03.lga...
"Tony Cooper" <tony_cooper213@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:t9thl193cuot4p7cgg51daqcqj31m1r6ne@4ax.com...
On Fri, 21 Oct 2005 00:24:51 -0400, "TakenEvent"
lightbulbsnickety@chartermi.net> wrote:
Popular US terms for cellular phones:
cell: "Give me a call on my cell tonight." IMO, this usage
sounds
terrible -- pretentiously kitschy, if that's possible. This
usage
seems
to be gaining popularity in the under-22 crowd.
I call it my "cell", or "my cell number", and I'm almost double that
demographic. But I mostly don't tell people what kind of phone it
is. My
phone is my phone. I say, "Call me at 7 o'clock." or whatever. The
item
I use to talk on never really comes up.
Referring to a mobile phone as a "cell" is common in the US, being
neither pretentious nor kitschy, unless you confer those on anyone
using
other than a landline phone. "Let me call you back on a land line" is
a
part of some positively cool conversation too. In order to heighten
the
note of pretence, I tend to refer to my mobile as "my Mot". Almost no
one has any idea what I'm talking about. Perfec'.
Land line -- good.
Cell -- oversimplified just to be different, even elitist, and tweaked
just
to tweak. And it's becoming more common.
Since everyone seems to have a mobile phone now, it's hard to claim it
is "elite" behaviour.
|
And who would want to make such a claim? I was talking about using the
*term* "cell"; I was not referring to the usage of cell phones.
| Quote: |
Can't speak like ma + pa. Is it
premature to start the backlash against text message-speak? There've
been
complaints, sure. I'm all for the evolution of language, but at what
point
do the returns start to diminish?
When a phone becomes a "cell." It's a shortcut that should elicit
cynical
murmuring, or a sharp blow to the back of the head. It's a phone, a
cell
phone, even a mobile phone, though not for much longer. Even Amazon.com
is
How can you complain about "cell" and defend that by saying "phone"?
Aren't they "telephones"?
|
Not anymore. It's far too late to make that argument. OTOH, we may still
be able to stem the usage of "cell." Besides, "phone" doesn't sound stupid
without the tele- part.
| Quote: |
Are jump ropes called "jumps?" Are portable phones called "portables?"
Not
really, even though some may do so when in a hurry.
They are often called portables from what I hear. You won't get much
traction telling people not to cut compounds to the quick for the quick.
|
It's fine with some nouns, just not the ones that sound stupid when cut. |
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TakenEvent
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2005 3:32 am
Post subject: Re: US cell phones |
|
|
"R H Draney" <dadoctah@spamcop.net> wrote in message
news:djohip01e6n@drn.newsguy.com...
| Quote: |
TakenEvent filted:
Land line -- good.
Cell -- oversimplified just to be different, even elitist, and tweaked
just
to tweak. And it's becoming more common. Can't speak like ma + pa. Is
it
premature to start the backlash against text message-speak? There've
been
complaints, sure. I'm all for the evolution of language, but at what
point
do the returns start to diminish?
When a phone becomes a "cell." It's a shortcut that should elicit
cynical
murmuring, or a sharp blow to the back of the head. It's a phone, a cell
phone, even a mobile phone, though not for much longer. Even Amazon.com
is
offering "Cell Phones & Service."
Are jump ropes called "jumps?" Are portable phones called "portables?"
Not
really, even though some may do so when in a hurry.
I'm about to put my lunch in the microwave and slip in a video...wonder if
that'll generate more heat here or wherever TakenEvent is....r
|
To be completely honest, I never cared for the usage of "video" to refer to
a videocassette which contains a movie. I simply call it a movie. For
example, I prefer "I'll put the movie in while you're making the popcorn" to
"I'll put the video in..." I just don't like the way it sounds. When I'm
in a good mood, I'll even accept "I'll put the tape in..." Unless, of
course, it's a DVD.
Also, I hate it when people refer to milk by saying melk. The mother of one
of my childhood friends used to say that, as well as "set" for "sit," and as
a child I was much disturbed by such weirdness.
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TakenEvent
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2005 3:39 am
Post subject: Re: US cell phones |
|
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"Tony Cooper" <tony_cooper213@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:kk5il1lbtnunhg771lfc66mqla8nn415a5@4ax.com...
| Quote: | On Fri, 21 Oct 2005 12:16:28 -0400, "TakenEvent"
lightbulbsnickety@chartermi.net> wrote:
I think I gave all accepted terms a fair shake. Also, where I live we
tend
to be some months behind the times. If "mobile" and "mobile phone" are
all
but gone from the local vocabularies, chances are that the general
populations of hip beach states like California and Florida probably
moved
on 1.5 years ago.
Florida is a "hip" state only in that a large percentage of the
population have, or soon will have, hip joint replacement surgery.
Because I'm securing some quotes on something, I've been leaving my
phone number with a lot of people lately. I find myself giving my
number and adding that this is my mobile number.
It is the number assigned to my mobile phone. While it could be
called a cell phone (and I often call it that), "mobile" describes it
better since I am mobile when I use it. I could say that this is the
number of my cell phone, but I couldn't say that it is the number of
my cell.
When my wife left the house this morning she told me "I have my phone
with me". She doesn't distinguish between "cell" and "mobile". To
her, it's just her "phone". She gets more done in a day than I do
since she doesn't waste time dwelling on terms. Women can be very
practical that way.
|
You might be happy to know that Motorola, maker of the best cell phones,
still lists them on their site under the heading "Mobile Phones." I might
email them about it though... |
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Bill Bonde ('by a commodi
Guest
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| Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 3:22 am
Post subject: Re: US cell phones |
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TakenEvent wrote:
| Quote: |
"Tony Cooper" <tony_cooper213@earthlink.net> wrote in message
|
| Quote: | When my wife left the house this morning she told me "I have my phone
with me". She doesn't distinguish between "cell" and "mobile". To
her, it's just her "phone".
Since it is silly to think you could carry a land line phone with you |
and still get calls, it seems like it isn't important to say that the
phone is 'mobile' or 'cell', at least to her. I know I've heard people
refer to phones by their three number prefix: "I've got the 613 number
with me." This is why it is nice if you have several mobile and land
line phones to get them with different prefixes. If you are forced to
refer to them by their final four digits, well, you've got to say four
digits instead of three.
| Quote: | She gets more done in a day than I do
since she doesn't waste time dwelling on terms. Women can be very
practical that way.
You might be happy to know that Motorola, maker of the best cell phones,
still lists them on their site under the heading "Mobile Phones." I might
email them about it though...
I think they need an ad capaign called, "Got Mot?" |
--
"Throw me that lipstick, darling, I wanna redo my stigmata."
+-Jennifer Saunders, "Absolutely Fabulous" |
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R H Draney
Guest
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| Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 4:57 am
Post subject: Re: US cell phones |
|
|
'by a commodius vicus of recirculation' filted:
| Quote: |
I know I've heard people
refer to phones by their three number prefix: "I've got the 613 number
with me." This is why it is nice if you have several mobile and land
line phones to get them with different prefixes. If you are forced to
refer to them by their final four digits, well, you've got to say four
digits instead of three.
|
I've just had a horrible thought: are there people who actually *name* their
cellphones the way some people name their cars?...I can just picture some soccer
mom calling out "oh, that was the number for The Growler, but I'm carrying
Little Sure-Shot today"....r |
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Wood Avens
Guest
|
| Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 3:40 pm
Post subject: Re: US cell phones |
|
|
On Fri, 28 Oct 2005 14:22:50 -0700, "Bill Bonde ('by a commodius vicus
of recirculation')" <John.Methuen@magersfontein.co.uk> wrote:
| Quote: | Since it is silly to think you could carry a land line phone with you
|
Ah, but you can look as if you do. See
http://www.firebox.com/index.html?dir=firebox&action=product&pid=1044
or http://tinyurl.com/6rsuw for one of the daftest current gadgets.
As the blurb says, "Simply plug this highly evocative hunk of shiny
retro-ironic plastic into your mobile via an adapter and you'll be the
envy/laughing stock of all those who encounter you."
--
Katy Jennison
spamtrap: remove the first two letters after the @ |
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TakenEvent
Guest
|
| Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 7:38 pm
Post subject: Re: US cell phones |
|
|
"Wood Avens" <woodavens@askjennison.com> wrote in message
news:nlg6m1lcshp3rebtu5s854bgqn24b15n0l@4ax.com...
| Quote: | On Fri, 28 Oct 2005 14:22:50 -0700, "Bill Bonde ('by a commodius vicus
of recirculation')" <John.Methuen@magersfontein.co.uk> wrote:
Since it is silly to think you could carry a land line phone with you
Ah, but you can look as if you do. See
http://www.firebox.com/index.html?dir=firebox&action=product&pid=1044
or http://tinyurl.com/6rsuw for one of the daftest current gadgets.
As the blurb says, "Simply plug this highly evocative hunk of shiny
retro-ironic plastic into your mobile via an adapter and you'll be the
envy/laughing stock of all those who encounter you."
|
It was only a matter of time... |
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TakenEvent
Guest
|
| Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 7:40 pm
Post subject: Re: US cell phones |
|
|
"R H Draney" <dadoctah@spamcop.net> wrote in message
news:djuad202rgo@drn.newsguy.com...
| Quote: |
'by a commodius vicus of recirculation' filted:
I know I've heard people
refer to phones by their three number prefix: "I've got the 613 number
with me." This is why it is nice if you have several mobile and land
line phones to get them with different prefixes. If you are forced to
refer to them by their final four digits, well, you've got to say four
digits instead of three.
I've just had a horrible thought: are there people who actually *name*
their
cellphones the way some people name their cars?...I can just picture some
soccer
mom calling out "oh, that was the number for The Growler, but I'm carrying
Little Sure-Shot today"....r
|
Given the wide variety of ringtones available, it wouldn't be that
farfetched. The Growler could growl, and Little Sure-Shot could sound as if
there was a shot being fired. This may actually violate some fire codes,
though, if Little Sure-Shot happened to ring in a movie theater. |
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Bill Bonde ('by a commodi
Guest
|
| Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2005 11:25 pm
Post subject: Re: US cell phones |
|
|
TakenEvent wrote:
| Quote: |
"Wood Avens" <woodavens@askjennison.com> wrote in message
news:nlg6m1lcshp3rebtu5s854bgqn24b15n0l@4ax.com...
On Fri, 28 Oct 2005 14:22:50 -0700, "Bill Bonde ('by a commodius vicus
of recirculation')" <John.Methuen@magersfontein.co.uk> wrote:
Since it is silly to think you could carry a land line phone with you
Ah, but you can look as if you do. See
http://www.firebox.com/index.html?dir=firebox&action=product&pid=1044
or http://tinyurl.com/6rsuw for one of the daftest current gadgets.
As the blurb says, "Simply plug this highly evocative hunk of shiny
retro-ironic plastic into your mobile via an adapter and you'll be the
envy/laughing stock of all those who encounter you."
It was only a matter of time...
Given how often people on usenet resolve grammatical ambiguity with the |
absurdity, I think you are right.
--
"Throw me that lipstick, darling, I wanna redo my stigmata."
+-Jennifer Saunders, "Absolutely Fabulous" |
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John Dean
Guest
|
| Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2005 5:10 am
Post subject: Re: US cell phones |
|
|
TakenEvent wrote:
| Quote: | "R H Draney" <dadoctah@spamcop.net> wrote in message
news:djuad202rgo@drn.newsguy.com...
'by a commodius vicus of recirculation' filted:
I know I've heard people
refer to phones by their three number prefix: "I've got the 613
number with me." This is why it is nice if you have several mobile
and land line phones to get them with different prefixes. If you
are forced to refer to them by their final four digits, well,
you've got to say four digits instead of three.
I've just had a horrible thought: are there people who actually
*name* their cellphones the way some people name their cars?...I can
just picture some soccer mom calling out "oh, that was the number
for The Growler, but I'm carrying Little Sure-Shot today"....r
Given the wide variety of ringtones available, it wouldn't be that
farfetched. The Growler could growl, and Little Sure-Shot could
sound as if there was a shot being fired. This may actually violate
some fire codes, though, if Little Sure-Shot happened to ring in a
movie theater.
|
Only if it was crowded, and few of them are these days.
But you could use it to get in free.
--
John Dean
Oxford |
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John Dean
Guest
|
| Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2005 5:15 am
Post subject: Re: US cell phones |
|
|
Bill Bonde ('by a commodius vicus of recirculation') wrote:
| Quote: | TakenEvent wrote:
"Tony Cooper" <tony_cooper213@earthlink.net> wrote in message
When my wife left the house this morning she told me "I have my
phone with me". She doesn't distinguish between "cell" and
"mobile". To her, it's just her "phone".
Since it is silly to think you could carry a land line phone with you
and still get calls, ...
|
You can actually, depending on model. Our landline is a cordless DECT
phone and will pick up anywhere in the house and garden and is claimed
to operate outside the premises within a range of 300 yards.
In reality, distance from the base is not as significant as the amount
of masonry in the line of sight. But I could pick up a call to my
landline using a handset while shopping a quarter of a mile away. If it
wasn't for the 'ouses in between.
--
John Dean
Oxford |
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ArWeGod
Guest
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 5:26 pm
Post subject: Re: US cell phones |
|
|
"R H Draney" <dadoctah@spamcop.net> wrote in message
news:djuad202rgo@drn.newsguy.com...
| Quote: | 'by a commodius vicus of recirculation' filted:
I know I've heard people
refer to phones by their three number prefix: "I've got the 613
number
with me." This is why it is nice if you have several mobile and land
line phones to get them with different prefixes. If you are forced to
refer to them by their final four digits, well, you've got to say
four
digits instead of three.
I've just had a horrible thought: are there people who actually *name*
their
cellphones the way some people name their cars?...I can just picture
some soccer
mom calling out "oh, that was the number for The Growler, but I'm
carrying
Little Sure-Shot today"
|
So, you're not planning on patenting that idea, or anything, right. You
haven't "shopped it out" yet? It's still public domain...?
Just asking.... ;-)
--
ArWeGettingBackToYouRSN |
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ArWeGod
Guest
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 5:45 pm
Post subject: Re: US cell phones |
|
|
"No Spam" <tinpork@spamalot.org> wrote in message
news:3rz7f.170$2y.73@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
| Quote: | "ArWeGod" <ArWeGod?@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:D147f.5521$BZ5.3808@newssvr13.news.prodigy.com...
"Donna Richoux" <trio@euronet.nl> wrote in message
news:1h4xo26.5d31lozc646kN%trio@euronet.nl...
ArWeGod <ArWeGod?@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
Presumptious? Humpty Dumptious? Hmmm... I would think spell
checkers
would be de rigueur on a.u.e!
Spelling checkers don't know "rigeur," apparently.
How fascinating. Do they know the word I used?
Can they tell "stationary" from "stationery"?
|
Can you tell whether that was part of the joke? ;-)
Well, it was not. It was a blatant (not flagrant!) gafff (A public place
of entertainment, especially a cheap or disreputable music hall or
theater). No, no, no wait! Meaning 3: a faux pas (that's a fox paw, to
us Southerners).
--
ArWeEntertainingOrHooking |
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ArWeGod
Guest
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 6:32 pm
Post subject: Re: US cell phones |
|
|
"TakenEvent" <lightbulbsnickety@chartermi.net> wrote in message
news:JHb8f.2718$7s1.173@fe04.lga...
| Quote: | "R H Draney" <dadoctah@spamcop.net> wrote in message
news:djohip01e6n@drn.newsguy.com...
TakenEvent filted:
Land line -- good.
Cell -- oversimplified just to be different, even elitist, and
tweaked
just
to tweak. And it's becoming more common. Can't speak like ma +
pa. Is
it
premature to start the backlash against text message-speak?
There've
been
complaints, sure. I'm all for the evolution of language, but at
what
point
do the returns start to diminish?
When a phone becomes a "cell." It's a shortcut that should elicit
cynical
murmuring, or a sharp blow to the back of the head. It's a phone,
a cell
phone, even a mobile phone, though not for much longer. Even
Amazon.com
is
offering "Cell Phones & Service."
Are jump ropes called "jumps?" Are portable phones called
"portables?"
Not
really, even though some may do so when in a hurry.
I'm about to put my lunch in the microwave and slip in a
video...wonder if
that'll generate more heat here or wherever TakenEvent is....r
To be completely honest, I never cared for the usage of "video" to
refer to
a videocassette which contains a movie. I simply call it a movie.
For
example, I prefer "I'll put the movie in while you're making the
popcorn" to
"I'll put the video in..." I just don't like the way it sounds. When
I'm
in a good mood, I'll even accept "I'll put the tape in..." Unless, of
course, it's a DVD.
|
"Put the tape in"? 
That is really funny! When he said put in a video I, of course - like
everyone else in the known Multiverse, knew he meant a DVD. Nobody
thought of video tape! Like, since 1000 years ago, when it was the 20th
Century, in the before time. <cue Conan O'Brien's "In the year 2000"
song>! "Gas was $1.70!" Ooohhhhhh....
Video = DVD, there is nothing else. Scan you neighborhood on trash day,
if you don't have one; they're like old sofas. 
What is the emoticon for a sad head shaking in disbelief?
--
ArWeVinyl |
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