Written by
Umang Saini
on
on
Ph-one
There's a strong reason why phone calls are charged by the minute. Nearly every important thing can be conveyed within this time. Why is then one spends hours and hours on phone?
I go on to the extent of saying that spending more than 1 minute on any single conversation is a ridiculous waste of time, and more than 10 minutes average in a day is totally ridiculous.
You might say 10 minutes a day is too less. Most plans give 600 minutes monthly calls free (20 minutes per day), so one has to utilize that at least. I say this is a trap. And those who fall into this pit, I call them - "Ph-one Junkies" - people who will call for the sake of calling, having nothing better to do, or worst they consider this a part of *socializing*networking*building friendships*.
I know several Ph-one junkies. Usual time on phone ranges from 40 minutes to 3 hours regularly. 40 minutes is still much higher than my hard-limit of 10 minutes.
I have a Reliance-CDMA prepaid connection. It costed me Rs. 220 for installation and 1 month validity. Thereafter, I have spent Rs. 205 for last 18 months and got a balance of Rs. 50 flat. One minute call costs me Rs. 2.00, which brings my total calls made to (50*18) /(2.00*60) = 7.5 hours. (My Samsung Slim says 7 hours 15 minutes to be exact)
However, I receive lots of calls, primarily from home. Total 32 hours 38 minutes.
Total Dialed = 7 hours 15 minutes
Total Received = 32 hours 38 minutes
Total = 39 hours and 53 minutes ~ 40 hours
Total Days of usage = 18 months = 540 days
Minutes per day = 40*60/540 = 4.44 minutes per day. 0.80 minutes called, 3.6 minutes received.
P.S - This includes calls made to check the pre-paid balance.
10 minutes per day is still twice my daily average, and I consider myself lenient user of phone (who calls frequently whenever required). Despite this, I see several Ph-one Junkies having routines of minimum 40 minutes daily routine on phone, and I am forced to wonder why so?
I think, it is fairly evident, how much I abhor these Ph-one Junkies. This is not to say that I don't sway sometimes, and talk for irrationally long durations of time, but that is once or twice in a month, and that irrational is 10-15 minutes. For Ph-one Junkies minimum starts at 30-40 minutes and irrational is perhaps 10 hours!
Counter-Argument: How else do you expect people at long-distances to keep their relations?
Counter-Counter-Argument: By making 1 minute calls. Max 5 minutes.
Counter-Argument: I know 1000 people who are *close friends*, I get minimum 100 calls and have to make 100 calls back.
Counter-Counter-Argument: Make 1 minute calls, and reduce 1000 to 100. Use e-mails for rest.
Counter-Argument: It saves hordes of money as one can talk without paying a visit.
Counter-Counter-Argument: I would say, this is a talk for talk's sake. Most of it is CRAP (more on this in subsequent post), bitching or trash-talk. Waste. Waste. Waste.
Counter-Argument: It helps me cut my loneliness.
Counter-Counter-Argument: Calling someone will not cover that either, it will only delay it a bit. One has to find sustainable ways of being busy and happy to counter loneliness.
... And the list continues. I will never agree that more than 10 minutes a day is justified (except for business/work related talk). Anything above is simply trash and it stinks too. (harsh words huh!)
You may comment back by your average usage of phone.
--
US
P.S - "I love mankind; it's people I can't stand". - Charles Schultz
... and more so for Ph-one Junkies
I go on to the extent of saying that spending more than 1 minute on any single conversation is a ridiculous waste of time, and more than 10 minutes average in a day is totally ridiculous.
You might say 10 minutes a day is too less. Most plans give 600 minutes monthly calls free (20 minutes per day), so one has to utilize that at least. I say this is a trap. And those who fall into this pit, I call them - "Ph-one Junkies" - people who will call for the sake of calling, having nothing better to do, or worst they consider this a part of *socializing*networking*building friendships*.
I know several Ph-one junkies. Usual time on phone ranges from 40 minutes to 3 hours regularly. 40 minutes is still much higher than my hard-limit of 10 minutes.
I have a Reliance-CDMA prepaid connection. It costed me Rs. 220 for installation and 1 month validity. Thereafter, I have spent Rs. 205 for last 18 months and got a balance of Rs. 50 flat. One minute call costs me Rs. 2.00, which brings my total calls made to (50*18) /(2.00*60) = 7.5 hours. (My Samsung Slim says 7 hours 15 minutes to be exact)
However, I receive lots of calls, primarily from home. Total 32 hours 38 minutes.
Total Dialed = 7 hours 15 minutes
Total Received = 32 hours 38 minutes
Total = 39 hours and 53 minutes ~ 40 hours
Total Days of usage = 18 months = 540 days
Minutes per day = 40*60/540 = 4.44 minutes per day. 0.80 minutes called, 3.6 minutes received.
P.S - This includes calls made to check the pre-paid balance.
10 minutes per day is still twice my daily average, and I consider myself lenient user of phone (who calls frequently whenever required). Despite this, I see several Ph-one Junkies having routines of minimum 40 minutes daily routine on phone, and I am forced to wonder why so?
I think, it is fairly evident, how much I abhor these Ph-one Junkies. This is not to say that I don't sway sometimes, and talk for irrationally long durations of time, but that is once or twice in a month, and that irrational is 10-15 minutes. For Ph-one Junkies minimum starts at 30-40 minutes and irrational is perhaps 10 hours!
Counter-Argument: How else do you expect people at long-distances to keep their relations?
Counter-Counter-Argument: By making 1 minute calls. Max 5 minutes.
Counter-Argument: I know 1000 people who are *close friends*, I get minimum 100 calls and have to make 100 calls back.
Counter-Counter-Argument: Make 1 minute calls, and reduce 1000 to 100. Use e-mails for rest.
Counter-Argument: It saves hordes of money as one can talk without paying a visit.
Counter-Counter-Argument: I would say, this is a talk for talk's sake. Most of it is CRAP (more on this in subsequent post), bitching or trash-talk. Waste. Waste. Waste.
Counter-Argument: It helps me cut my loneliness.
Counter-Counter-Argument: Calling someone will not cover that either, it will only delay it a bit. One has to find sustainable ways of being busy and happy to counter loneliness.
... And the list continues. I will never agree that more than 10 minutes a day is justified (except for business/work related talk). Anything above is simply trash and it stinks too. (harsh words huh!)
You may comment back by your average usage of phone.
--
US
P.S - "I love mankind; it's people I can't stand". - Charles Schultz
... and more so for Ph-one Junkies