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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!ittvax!dcdwest!sdcsvax!sdccsu3!brian
From: brian@sdccsu3.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.consumers
Subject: Re: junk phone calls
Message-ID: <2080@sdccsu3.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 15-Jul-84 08:30:06 EDT
Article-I.D.: sdccsu3.2080
Posted: Sun Jul 15 08:30:06 1984
Date-Received: Mon, 16-Jul-84 05:30:42 EDT
References: <194@qusavx.UUCP>
Organization: UCSD beer & pizza society
Lines: 30

"... people who are busy and might be interrupted by junk phone
calls..."

If you are busy, just don't answer the phone!  A truely important call
will be repeated; the caller will call back.

Pavlov conditioned dogs to salivate when a bell rang; now the Bell
people (RIP - ripped in pieces) have conditioned the American public to
leap for the phone when it rings.

When was the last time you got an important phone call?  The telephone
is there for YOUR convenience - and if its not convenient, you shouldn't
pay attention to it.  Look at it this way: would you unconditionally
answer 'yes' to every man, woman, child, and computer that walked up to
you and demanded at least five minutes of your time? (Yeah, I know, not
too many computers walk yet, but you get the idea.)  The shrilling of a
telephone bell is no different - it is still a demand for you to abandon
what you are doing, answer the damn thing, and give freely of your time.

In summary: answer the phone only if you want to; not out of some
feeling that you must or that 'it might be important' - it usually
isn't.

Maybe this belongs in net.flame. :-)
	
	ihnp4 \		Brian Kantor, UC San Diego 
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	akgua   >----  sdcsvax  ----- brian
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	ucbvax/		Kantor@Nosc