As I thought about the revelations in the world of technology, I thought back when the closest thing we had to innovation were pink message slips in the office which we used to communicate with others.  Some of you will remember those notes with messages such as who called, who wanted to see you and who returned a call.  I suspect prior to those pink message slips people just scratched out notes on scraps of paper.

As I thought about the progress we have made in communication I wondered where it all started.  Perhaps cavemen communicated by banging two rocks together similar to Morse code.  That method was probably followed by the town crier - a person who made public pronouncements in the streets.  Town criers usually wore white breeches, black boots, and a tricorne hat. Today, an outfit like that will either get you arrested or mugged!

I think next in the line of communication might have been Indian smoke signals. The signals could be altered to curl in spirals, ascend in puffs or circles or in some cases just parallel lines.  Watching old western movies I was always amazed that someone could actually read this type of communication.   Usually  it was Tonto, the Lone Ranger's constant  companion.

Maybe the telegraph followed in line with our next means of communication.  It was always interesting to watch a bespectacled operator pound out a message to someone in an adjacent town.  

Alexander Graham Bell then entered the scene and we all scrambled to install the latest invention - the phone.  Growing up in Kansas I can remember our phone in the kitchen with a side crank that connected us with Molly the operator who would then connect us with a nearby neighbor.

When dial up phones came into existence it was hailed as a marvel and we all agreed.  I can recall our having a "party line" which meant there were two people in town who had the same phone number.  There was a unique ring on our phone so that we knew the call was for us.  Sometimes we would pick up the phone to make a call only to discover that our "party line" was using the phone.  Those were always embarrassing moments.  You can imagine our excitement when push button phones were introduced!

And how about the excitement when a long distance phone call came through, especially if you were in the yard.  Someone would call breathlessly about the long distance call and you would double time it into the house because those calls were expensive.  Today, most of us have unlimited calls which includes long distance anywhere in the nation.

Of course watching old movies from World War II gave us another method of communication - that of Morse code or the flag waving or light flashing from ships.

Then came car phones.  While I was working for a local bank,  I was given a car phone as an experiment.  The phone itself was the size of a large brick and the electronics for it were stored in a large suitcase - not very suitable for traveling!

Cell phones all of a sudden emerged and now everyone seems to have one.  And of course there is e-mail - voice mail - and the ever present beeper.

Our automobile has OnStar which means there is a hands-free phone that we can utilize.  What with various towns making the use of cell phones illegal, we use this phone quite often.

Wonder how long it will be before mental telepathy makes its appearance?

So from a simple pounding on stones all the way to phones that feature e-mail and access to the Internet, we certainly have come a long way.  Well, time to go.  Our local town crier just notified me it's time for dinner.  "On my way dear!"

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