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Should cell phones be banned in restaurants?

I can really appreciate the concerns for the call to ban cell phones in the restaurants. I get really annoyed in the church service and later in the restaurant when phone rings. The ways some people talk on the cell phone in my part of the world are quite unbearable. Not only the voice is loud, but it is sharp too. People may also intentionally raise-up voices to attract surrounding people to show off the new hand mobile.

In Thailand, there are so many cell phone promotions where you pay for a minimal sum of fixed monthly fee and you can talk for fever. People just like to talk on the phone anytime anywhere notwithstanding if there is a need to do so. This is especially true to the young generation courting each other over the phone. Housewives with plenty of free time to shop and dine in the restaurants also indulge in the same practice. And because calls do not incur additional expenses, business person also join in the mobile crowd and chat senselessly to make their fixed bill worth.


In the end, every one carries a mobile and yak-a-yak all over the places. I see people talk in front of a no mobile zone in the hospital, against the law while driving and cause accident, in the bus, on the train, underground subway or up the mono-rail. It is virtually ubiquitous anywhere.

But again, mobile phone is made with the purpose of the conveniences of its’ mobile nature. You are kept in touched anytime anywhere as long as it does not cause danger while driving or great annoyance in the hospital restricted area or church service hours.

If we ban them here and there and every where, why should we then need to have a mobile? We might as well go back to the old system of calling the restaurant fixed line and ask the waiter to call Mr. XX on table number 3 to answer the phone. What happen if I work in the restaurant, do I have to leave my cell at home to work?


It is quite common for us to spend an hour or hour and a half in a restaurant, and for many, those time are working time. So it would only be appropriate for them to stand by to answer phones. Your patients may need you, your client wants you, your family is looking for you, subordinate is waiting for your advice, my boss is calling, fire broke out, car accidents, or what we may need to attend promptly. We can not simply shut ourselves out for 1-2 hours of responsibilities.

The problem is not cell phone by itself; it is more to the improper handling manner. We can certainly lower the ring tone, put on vibration, speak softly, kiss (keep it short stupid), walk away to talk, or SMS/MMS talk. But just do not shut off the cell phone just because someone is not handling it right. Please.
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Should cell phone use be banned while driving?

Thailand today (November 14, 2007) passed the third and final parliamentary reading on the cell phone driving bill. This makes driving with cell phone immediately illegal. The law, however, is still in the early stage of development and has a great degree of leniency. It bans only drivers holding a physical cell phones on hand.

Drivers with earphone, headset, Bluetooth, or any other hand free devices can still drive with their cell phones. But laws makers are continuing to devote time and thought to further improve the law. The second stage of the bill will consider the total ban of cell phone usage altogether while driving. This is expected to put in use sometime by the end of 2008.

Back in 1965 while I was still studying in Australia, I was stopped on the road one day and given a notice by one police man for driving with an ice cream cone in my hand. I was perplexed by his interception. But he was kind to explain patiently to me that what I was doing was dangerous and it could easily cause car accident. This happened long before the cell phone came into the driving scene.

In USA, the majority of car accidents are caused by irresponsible driving behavior. Statistics show that 98 % of car accidents involve single distracted driver. Among all these accidents, rubbernecking where drivers looking at other accidents, traffic or roadside incidents ranks top. Studies also review that cell phones have recently sprung up as a common cause of car accidents. Worse, researchers have found that this latest undesired phenomenon is rising sharply. (The Washington Post March 17, 2003)

Today too, Thailand is hosting about 250 traffic experts from all over the world to share and find ways to reduce road accidents. One of their major concerns is the alarming car accidents involving usage of mobile phones while driving. We will have to wait for a few more days when the conference ends to hear their formal report. But the media report is certainly pointing to too a high rate of car accidents due to dialing, answering, changing battery, talking on mobiles while driving.

All the facts and figures are pointing to the same direction that a ban is necessary now. This will not only protect the innocent parties who are accidentally rammed into but the reckless drivers with the cell phone too. It is a law long over due.

The urgent matter we should discuss now is to over look the basic and consider a total ban on all kinds of cell phone usage while driving. Studies have shown that weather, physical condition, emotion, mood, can all cause driving behavior and car accidents. Campaigns have been launched in Thailand for drivers feeling fatigue or emotional unstable to pull the wheels aside and take a short rest before moving on. Free body massages too are provided at major highway petrol stations for drivers during holiday seasons.

Experts insist that driving requires body fitness and mind concentration. Distractions of any kind are undesirable. A sudden twist or disruption of mood can result in car accident. A phone call from a creditor with mean demeanor can arouse driver’s tension and lack proper temper to drive. It is, thus, an obvious cause for car accident. A hand free phone call while driving is, therefore, considered unfit.

We do not have time and space to look at all the statistical car accident data. But from what I have gathered, they are indeed disappointing. The next accident could be yours with your hand phone while driving. So, it is high time we put the brake on our cell phone driving habits. I would conclude that we should definitely ban the use of cell phone while driving?


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Future ATM

December 19th 2007 00:28
I first saw the ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) in 1968 in Australia. However I did not learn how to withdraw cash from the machine until recently in 2004. Unlike other new electronic gadgets like computer or mobile phones, ATM has not gone through any major change over the long 40 years time span from the early cash dispenser.

ATM is still ATM performing the very basic function for the card holder to withdraw cash from it. Changes, if there is any, may be the ubiquitous of the device and a few added functions like paper printouts.

Not anymore and we will see a revolution soon. Now a day, we can go to ATM and transfer fund to others. We can also transfer fund to person in other bank. I myself used to walk in New York, Oslo, and Sydney and all over other places around the world and drew cash with a touch of the figure. You can also pay your bills or buy tickets on ATM.

Very soon we will see ATM every where that are capable of taking cash and cheques in batches of up to 50 without an envelope. It will automatically, as the name suggests, issue out receipts with a copied image of the deposited cheque. This will certainly reduce manual cheque clearing process. You can also replenish your prepaid mobile phone time with the machine.

Newer ATM will allow users to program certain preferences, such as normal withdrawal amount. ATM will remember their financial habits whenever they revisit. This will speed up usage time and reduce queuing annoyances. Still others incorporate biometrics by using eye or figure print scans to recognize customers. This will increase security and the need of cards and personal identity numbers.

Other functions expected to be added in time include cheque book reordering, credit card applications filled out on-line at the ATM, and other special service requests. Soon, we will be able to view stock quotes, purchase gift certificates or interact in new ways we have not even thought of. We will also be able to make a donation with updated tax record.

And as banks are increasingly moving to TCP/IP networks, we will soon see ATM with video and voice over functions. Today over 80% of North American customer retail banking transactions are conducted over ATMs or internet services1. Nine out of Ten withdrawals are from a bank machine as well.

My one concern is how long will I have to wait in the queue to perform a simple task of drawing cash from ATM despite all the improvements to speed up services of the machines? My other concern is how can I ask my wife to withdraw cash from my ATM account for the weekend if ATM is so innovated to the point they will recognize users only by eye contact or finger touch?


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