No cell, no deal?

[jay]

I'm putting together an autonomous drilling proposal in response to an astrobiology call, due in 2 weeks. Fortuitously, my counterpart S at our robotics partner company is at the same conference this week in Washington.

After laboring overnight, I found a printer at the hotel and managed to sit down with S and go through the proposal. She seemed enthusiastic, interested, even slightly flirty. We worked out several issues. Fine. Then, as we were dispersing at the end of the day's sessions, S said that she would be out of the office until a week from tomorrow, and asked for my cellphone number so that she could contact me from various locations with her questions and suggestions.

I said that I didn't have a cellphone. After a look of bewilderment, her body language changed. S became wary, a bit distant... obviously my technical credibility had just suffered greatly due to my lack of a given communications appliance. "But, you travel so much... how can you work without one?" "I use payphones and e-mail -- NASA doesn't pay for cellphones, I'd have to get a personal phone."

At the next possible interval, S ditched me... just as she might have lost some loser in a bar. It wasn't subtle. Who knows what will happen to our drilling proposal, now? Sigh...

Comments

[treacle-well.livejournal.com]

Weird.

but what do I know. I'm just another loser who doesn't own a cell phone. :-)

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

Heh. So we're siblings-in-arms, then :-).

Couple options...

[greeklady.livejournal.com]

Well... she may have been flirting. I know for some, giving someone a cell phone number instead of a home number lets you know how close you are to the person. Also I know people, (ok they are not poly) but they feel weird still calling the house because Mike may answer. *shrug*

I am such a loser as well. Ever since I left the dot com over a year ago I haven't activated my cell phone in my own name. Now that work may be an hour comute, I suppose I will have to get a cell phone for the just because you never know what will happen situations. Especially driving so far. Personally I have survived not having a cell phone. But I always hate the fact that when I may be by someones house I want to call first rather than just showing up. So I end up not seeing my friends when I am driving through their town.

Trade offs.

I doubt your drilling proposal will suffer due to lack of cell phones. I mean heck, you wouldn't have been able to work on it if she didn't happen to be in the same area anyway right??

Re: Couple options...

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

you wouldn't have been able to work on it if she didn't happen to be in the same area anyway right?

True, it was opportunistic. And there are others at her company who might be interested...

when I may be by someones house I want to call first rather than just showing up

I still call, but find a gas station or convenience store for a payphone. $40/month is expensive for convenience...

[technomom]

How weird!

[hopeforyou.livejournal.com]

Agreeing with the rest: That is weird. I don't get it either. =/

I spent the past 2 years without a cellphone and I managed fine. I realized I would fare better with one, though, when my car broke down at 2 am on 280 S and no-one knew what happened -- there were no pay phones nearby at SLAC, either. And my sweeties were worried, and wanted me to have one -- so now I do. But I did okay without one most of the time.

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

broke down at 2 am on 280 S and no-one knew what happened

Hm... aren't there those call boxes along the freeway? Although a woman alone in a semi-rural area at 2am has other potential problems...

Viva email

[purpletigron.livejournal.com]

Well, my cellphone is still registered in my
mothers name, being her cast-off, and it is
usually switched off and/or in the charger at
home.

The one time we did need it, was very traumatic
and urgent, so I have to admit that they have
their uses. :-(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((

But for working on a proposal ... Email!!!

No wonder you're annoyed. Sounds like a great
project too, so I hope you can pull through despite S.

Re: Viva email

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

The one time we did need it, was very traumatic
and urgent

Ouch! I hope that the occasion was successfully endured without lasting mishap.

And thanks, I believe it is a good project likewise :-)

[purplejavatroll.livejournal.com]

Definitely very strange. We have 2 in the house, one work related and my personal one, but I keep mine turned off unless I'm expecting someone to try and be locating me. Otherwise, it's just for emergencies.

pjt

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

but I keep mine turned off

The personal one?