The availability and power of pervasive personal communications took on special meaning for our family this past week as our daughter completed her year of studies abroad.
She spent much of her time during the past week in bomb shelters. We were able to stay in touch by cel phone – providing a reassuring voice for both sides of the call.
I often hear people complain about the changing decorum and etiquette as cel usage becomes pervasive. Still, it is in times of emergencies such as these that help most of us appreciate these technologies and the accommodations that must be made to our traditional sense of courtesy.
By the way, she arrived home safely last night. Thanks for asking.
Update:
I notice that Jeff Pulver has a guest blog today that makes observations on war in the age of connectivity .
The New York Times has an article Online, Tears and Empathy for Israelis that also ties into this theme. The article quotes Ami Ben-Bassat, a journalist who writes about popular technology.
Mr. Ben-Bassat cautioned against what he described as the romanticism of some bloggers who think their interactions might change the world, or at least the conflict.