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Ever think about the doomsday scenario of all the lights going out for an extended amount of time? Many shrug off the threat and laugh at the doomsday Prepers, but the possibility could be a very real a one. One factor could be a CME, which is short for coronal mass ejection. The 411 on CME, is that this type of event is capable of releasing a huge amount of energy, which could disrupt the power grids and lead to a laundry list of problems. Although, there are many who stress there are plans in place to mitigate the damage. You only need to look to when the levees broke during Hurricane Katrina, to realize how quick shit can get real in the blink of an eye.
After events such as these take place, the first thing on everyone's mind is communication and how to get in contact with their loved ones. This brought me to 'Where the hell are all the pay phones?' It also led me to how a lot of people have given up their landlines, print news has been phased out, books stores are non existent, libraries aren't as popular as they used to be, and the last time I checked the United States Postal Service was hanging on by a thread. All of these are concrete forms of communication, which have been eroded or are being eroded out. Society has become so dependent on smartphones to access their news, send email versus snail mail, and I can’t even remember the last time I saw someone reading a tangible book versus an ebook.
People often look to their cellphones, which would be deemed useless if there is no fuel to power the backup generators. Consumerreports.org advises, “The benefit of the old copper service is that, unlike fiber and hybrid-fiber lines, it carries not only the voice and data signals but also the power to operate a standard, non-cordless telephone. The phone company itself provides that power, which often keeps the phones working even when a problem at the power company knocks out electric service.”
You would only need to revisit the events of 9/11 and the blackout, that hit the North east back in 2003 to know many people took to the streets, scavenging for a payphone. My question is “Why would a basic yet reliable technology, be ushered into in early death?” Pay phones haven’t completely died out as there are some still in operation. So the next time you see a pay phone, take a picture of yourself with your ‘smartphone,’ using the no dropped calls pay phone while you still can.