Diary of a Mad Editor

Back in the early 90’s, I remember stocking cell phones on a shelf at my local Sears Roebuck department store. Back then, cell phones still looked like walkie-talkies. You couldn’t play games or do stock trading or anything but talk on the phone. No one had heard of an “App.”  Within a couple of years, the phones had gotten a bit smaller and more and more people owned them.  I managed not to own a cell phone prior to 2002.  I didn’t really need one before that time. I’m always early to praise technology, but late to adopt it (I didn’t own my first computer until Windows 98 and I didn’t try online trading until just before the tech bubble burst and I ended up losing money instead of becoming an instant millionaire).

Of course, today, mobile phones are amazing. The electronic equivalent to the Swiss Army knife. Mobile trading has come a long way. You can connect with your online broker and check the progress of IRA accounts while you listen to a Bach Concerto or chat with your grandmother. You can play Angry Birds or watch a movie. You can even start your car! Damn, I really want a smart phone.