The quality of my telephone experience has deteriorated over the years. As a teenager, I spent hours on the telephone when being on the phone meant being tethered to a wall. High-tech was a 25-foot cord. If I called a friend, he’d only answer if he were at home. If someone was on the telephone when I called, I’d hear the same busy signal we hear now.Telephone services have come a long way. I used to have an answering machine that functioned between the telephone and the wall jack. When I’d come in after work or play, I would know from across the room and in the dark if I had messages because a light on the box would flash. The machine would show me how many messages I had. I could hear my messages by pushing a button.

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