Random thoughts and observations
Telstra cops a lot of criticism, much of it justified. However, when it comes to public payphones, a reality check is appropriate. Rewind a few years to the former Telecom and the Postmaster General, there were payphones dotted at regular intervals. Mobile phones and the internet didn’t exist, milk was delivered by horse-driven carriages and television was black and white. Fast forward to the modern era and nearly everyone has a mobile phone.
Losing an electronic charger is a peculiarly modern problem. Our ancestors in the cave had only a handful of possessions to worry about and a missing club was not cause for alarm. The more we collect the more we stand to lose. That’s very true of electronic gadgets. In a household with four kids, there are numerous mobile phones, digital cameras and laptops. Discarded models get handed down to the youngest ones, who are less reliable than adults at keeping the associated paraphernalia.
I am again writing to you regarding the above order and account. I wish to complain that despite repeated attempts and assurances, the order has not been cancelled. On July 21, I completed an online order for a Samsung GalaxyS II handset on a $29 per month cap plan over 12 months. After receiving no communications regarding delivery in three business days, I called Vodafone customer service on July 26 and was told my credit reference had failed. As a result, I asked that my order be cancelled. I was told by the customer service officer that my order would be cancelled.
There have been many new devices and technological changes since I was born in 1967. I can’t remember the exact dates they came into my life, but here is an approximate order:
This candid picture, taken today while waiting for Michael’s soccer match to begin, pretty well sums up how life has changed in the past 37 years. Twins James and Maggie, aged 7, took a netbook computer to the match. They played games on it and listened to music. When I was seven years old, the high-tech gadgets in our house were a television (black and white), a wireless (that’s what we called the radio), an LP player and (unusually) a tape recorder. The tape recorder was a bulky thing with two reels. Dad used it to record some of his music.
