Non Sequitur by Wiley Miller for March 03, 2010

The back of the sign says “Cell site to be erected here soon”.

Or it says “Office Space for Lease-Will Build to Suit”.

Sounds like Heavean, to me. Can’t hear me now!

Coming soon, 60 single family homes starting in the low 400’s.

Morse still works better than texting (watch Leno’s demo here- it’s been removed from YouTube), and you can do that from just about anywhere, if you decide you really need or want to (some go to really remote spots and for fun, see who they can talk to).

All that said, I recall an editor of Byte magazine who answered the question “What computer do you use at home” with “I don’t!” It can indeed be a blessing to take a (paper) book on vacation, and put it down when the sun goes down.

Utopia without wifi or cel ¿what kind of Utopia is that? Not mine. ;) Lol!

You know, you can turn both of those things off…

The first time I took her fishing, my wife brought a cell phone. Rome is going to make me a saint for not throwing it in the river.

Watch the demo posted by pbarnrob. It is worth the trip..

the past

Ahh but the temptation Dracip! You’ll never know peace without the temptation!

Geez, where’s the backbone…all those devices have a switch that will turn the device “off” as well as “on”. Just turn them off when not wanted!

I think you’re right, Fairportfan2. Utopia is no place–there’s no place we can be rid of cell phones and wifi!

I don’t want the devices on all the time, but they have value. Morse code is great but takes a long time to learn, and only a small percentage of the population ever learned it. Texting is available to all. And it’s better than some jerk gabbing on his cell phone at the restaurant (because I can’t hear it). I use a cell phone, and it has come close to saving my child’s life, so I won’t complain. I also take it with me on vacation but don’t turn it on unless there’s an emergency. Like all technologies, it’s all in how you use it. BTW, I don’t have a TV, so that’s a lot more non-screen time for our family right there. And on a side note, this is a strange conversation for us to be having, considering we are having it via our computers….

Turning MINE off is only half the problem. The rest isn’t under my control.

What’s the punch line? My wireless cut out before the last panel was displayed.

Dsom8: The final panel has another sign saying “No sarcasm” with everybody standing outside the gates of the village looking insulted.

Once upon a time, my FIL and his grown son were out fishing, and the son’s child had an medical emergency and was taken to the hospital. No one had cell phones at the time. I parked my car on the shore of the lake, and honked “S O S” in morse until a good samaritan came by to see what the ruckus was, and motored off to find my FIL’s boat.

The kid was okay, BTW.

I thought I had found my utopia, but all they had was Strawberry Passion Awareness and I wanted Tangerine Wavelength…

Ah, the dilemmas of modern life… Where I live, it’s almost as if you can lose your citizenship if you don’t have a cellphone.

It would be nice if people could just learn some basic manners - and realize that involuntarily overhearing half of a conversation is a lot more annoying than hearing a whole one… and while I’m wishing, I’d like a pony, too, please…

On the other hand, the little buggers can literally be lifesavers…

Oh, make sure you see the Leno video pbarnrob linked to above. New is not necessarily better…

nostalgia warning - skip the rest if you don’t like windy reminiscences…

I barely made the 5 wpm Morse test (I used a button on a touchtone telephone to transmit…) back when the FCC still required code for all amateur radio licenses - but I think it’s kind of sad that they dropped that requirement. Although it takes a bit of work to learn the code, the equipment needed is much simpler than for voice, and a low-power code signal can get through in places where a high-power voice signal is just buried in the noise.

dahdahdidit dit didahdahdah

(I was going to use periods for dots and hyphens for dashes, but smart@$$ gocomics’ text processor kept trying to “interpret” what it “thought” I was trying to say… and, yes, I’m the type that prefers a manual transmission to an automatic…)

I really miss the drums and smoke signals.

Utopia for some (until you need it)

Of course if you can’t find your “Utopia”, there is always this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isolation_tank for sensory deprivation -no cell phones allowed in there either! :-)

Nevertheless, another masterpiece, Wiley, very funny!

I try to maintain myself at least 10 years behind current electronic leash technology. Still forget to pick up the bleeep thing and bring it with me from time-to-time.

I am SO there! What are the GPS coordinates?

So there’s no Starbucks in Utopia?

I use the Off-button to get to Utopia.

Lewreader said: “The first time I took her fishing, my wife brought a cell phone. Rome is going to make me a saint for not throwing it in the river.”

-I am female.

I was trout fishing alone in the GW Nat Forest (my brother says I shouldn’t do that, but I was.) I found my self being stalked by 2 guys… no matter where I went on the stream, they would show up, making comments that had nothing to do with fishing. -I was standing mid stream with 1 guy facing me and another approaching from downstream. I made a big show of pulling out my cellphone and placing a call. (did they know, the signal was spotty at best) It stopped the guys long enough to allow me to back out of the stream, hi-tail it to my car and leave. -Really spoiled my day, but the cellphone may have saved me.

In back country it isn’t so much the folks using the instruments, as the siting of towers that destroy everyone’s sense of solitude or remoteness. Every “no service” area represents one less mountain top or viewshed despoiled by towers.

After years in search and rescue- it’s a concern that more people are seeking Darwin awards by ASSUMING they will get service on their cell phones, and go into areas they don’t belong- like on ATVs or in OHVs, especially in winter.

Wilderness is utopian and quite pleasant, but today’s folk think anything more than 100 yards from a BK or Wal Mart IS “wilderness”. Keep cities - cities- and wild lands wild.

But will my satellite phone work there??? :)

dah dah dit dah dah dah dah dit dit dah dah dah dah dit dit dit dah dah dit dit dit dah dit dit dit dah dit dah dah dit dah dit dah dit dah

Just goes to show, everyone’s vision of Utopia for themselves is different.

The hiker looks very disappointing after he finds that sign. sighhh! alas, sorry!

Oky guys, we can life without cel or wifi. What about whisky? or Vodka… is impossible living without alcohol. :)

Visit our natural utopias: our national parks. A lot of them have no cell and wi-fi service.

Nirvana

You know if you want no cell reception CUT OFF YOUR PHONE!!

It’s not just your own phone that can ruin your version of utopia, but everybody else’s as well. My phone is off more than it’s on. I have it more for emergencies. I wish I could say the same about everyone else’s, especially while they’re driving, but certainly not limited to that. There was a time we got by just fine without them.

It’s only utopia if you get a daily comics delivery.

cmugnier, excellent comment but I’m trying to stay 20 years behind the electronic leash simply because that is what it is.

I may be wrong, but I read FIL as Father-In-Law

welcome to indian lake, NY