Tamon Mitsuishi, from an interview with Thomas Friedman in The World is Flat:
"[DoCoMo] believes that the mobile phone will become the essential controller of a person's life," added Mitsuishi, oblivious of the double meaning of the English word "control." "For example, in the medical field it will be your authentication system and you can examine your medical records, and to make payments you will have to hold a mobile phone. You will not be able to lead a life without a mobile phone, and it will control things at home too. We believe that we need to expand the range of machines that can be controlled by mobile phone."You won't be able to lead a life without a mobile phone? That sounds awesome, said no one.
Friedman admits that there are dangers with this proposal, from kids being victimized by sexual predators to employees spending too much time playing mindless phone games. But those are logistical problems. You could easily control how a child accesses the internet from a cellphone, and you could block certain applications at work. No problem. The real problem is that this is going to suck. I don't own a cell phone now. I don't want to own a cell phone ever. I hate talking on the phone, phones feel clunky and awkward in my pocket, owning a phone is a great way to lose $200 on the T, and I don't want to be that accessible anyway. What about choice? In the future, will the penalties for living your life how you want be prohibitively costly? Here's an innocuous sounding example from The World is Flat that D and I noticed too: Southwest Airlines gives passengers boarding passes in three groups, A, B, and C. Southwest doesn't reserve seats, so it's a first come, first serve basis. If you check in early, you have a good shot at getting in the A boarding group, and a better selection of seats and overhead storage. So, that's fine, I have no problem with that. But since Southwest started doing self check-in, you have the ability to print your boarding passes at home and grab a spot in the A group days before anyone else. However, if you don't have a computer at home, or if you aren't down with the latest fad, you don't have a chance. You will likely have to sit apart from whoever you're traveling with, and in a middle seat. Your flight will suck, and if your seat-mates are anything like me, they'll probably be blasting you with farts the whole time. Enjoy that.
So, now expand that to everything! If you don't have your cell phone/ID when you go to the doctor's office, you'll be charged a $10 paperwork fee. Your phone will be scanned and charged for tons of things, and you won't even know it's happening. Oh, didn't you see the sign that the bathroom costs $1.50? We charge everyone's phone when they walk through the doorway. I bet it will be impossible to fight the charges too. I was told by Verizon that they wouldn't be charging me a $200 cancellation fee when I left for Japan, and after 4 or 5 angry phone calls, they have yet to return my money. I hope they bought a trampoline with my money and were later mangled by it.
I opt out. I want to see America maintain it's technological and economic lead, but not if it means I have to get a cell phone. It's much harder to get them out once you let them in.
