Some writers are just rejecting modernity. M. J. Rose, whose books about reincarnation are the basis for a planned pilot on the Fox Network, intends to set her next book in 1948 in part so she can let missed connections and miscommunications simmer.

“You miss a train in 1888 or even 1988, and have no way to contact the person waiting at the station on the other end,” she said. “He thinks you’ve changed your mind, been captured, weren’t able to escape. You miss a train in 2009 and you pull out your cell and text that you’ll be two hours late.”

It's so true!!

I purposely don't use my cellphone, except when travelling, because I don't want to be found every moment of the day or night.

I continue to be annoyed when TV cops still have to wait to trace a call when I can see who's calling before I answer my phone, or when a window in a late-model car gets broken and it's not safety glass. I have resisted getting a cell phone for two reasons: they're still too expensive for me, and I kept losing my palm pilot, so I can't expect a phone to be any different.