This morning, I was driving through the town of Middlebury, and a guy in a passing car yelled at me to get off my phone…while I was stopped at a stop sign.  I mean, I could understand if he was frustrated at me for cutting him off while I was on my phone, but I didn’t, so why does he care?  Or, I would understand if we were in New York and I was engaging in illegal activity.  Also not the case.
How did cell phones get such a bad rep?  More likely than not, I am using my iPhone to speak to a friend from home or to my parents, and since when did keeping in touch become such a bad thing?  My phone has helped me find my way through cities with its maps application, find new music on Pandora and Shazam, keep up with breaking news from my TweetDeck, check my bank account balance, buy movie tickets, and find museum exhibits and new restaurants.  I have access to more news in the palm of my hand than most newsrooms did ten years ago.  My phone keeps me connected to and aware of the world outside Middlebury…thank God!  I’m not ashamed to admit that I am quite attached to my phone, and not because it is a piece of frivolous technology, but because I, unlike the angry Vermonter I encountered this morning, am connected to important people and information all day long.