A TECHNICAL QUESTION REGARDING PHONES

Can people with smart phones get and read a chess catalog from me on their phone or only on their at home desktop or laptop type device (or bigger screen such as an iPad)? The reason I ask is that people who call me and give me an email address which bombs I think are using their phone.

Even though some of these phones can hold a lot of data, who would want to read a catalog with pictures on one?

I may have to start asking people for email addresses which can be sent to me from their phone because I believe either the above phenomenon is happening or I am getting incorrect email addresses. Yes, I do go over it with them to make sure I am getting what they are telling me. I write it down too, no memory stuff here.

Now it's easy to gloss over, but I can almost tell when someone is using a new phone, especially a smart phone, because they say things that are redundant or inarticulate (I'm not sure why that is). And I've asked questions that in some cases where the answers given to me are not 100% correct. Are people so excited about using a smart phone that they are trying to pee and talk at the same time?

Myself, I do not own a smartphone. Probably I couldn't afford one (I pay Verizon $65 a month for the Motorola device I have) anyway. I see people in bathrooms checking their phone, looking at them in church and in the movies, and later again in the movie blinding everyone behind them. I see them texting and reading stuff on their phone while driving down the street OR the highway (that one blows my mind—I move beyond them as quickly as I can). I see them at the grocery store or the gym talking and texting and reading. I think I see a pattern here, NO LIFE. Can't be still for a minute. Be glad I am not wed to one of these things or you might not ever get your merchandise. It's got to be hurting American productivity.

It is really annoying when standing in line at the Post Office and some yahoo is talking, often loudly, to someone else who puts up with this and then when they get to the counter, they get all confused about whether they should continue talking, put the other person on hold, or shut up and take care of business. At one point there was a "no talking on your phone" notice on the wall, but I see it is no longer there.

Did the can and string device help cause the downfall of the Roman Empire? Were there even cans back then (I don't think so)? I banned the use of phones at the Last Chess Clinic but I still noticed a couple people checking them for messages. What is so DAMN important that it can't wait? What did people do before they owned one?

bob@thinkerspressinc.com