In prior columns, here and here I have written about the transformative power of the cell phone.  Currently there are more than 2.1 billion cell phone accounts in the world and more than 220 million in the US.  More people have cell phones than have computers or use the Internet.  Globally, there are some 15 to 20 million news cell phone accounts opened up every month.

The cell phone has obviously changed the way we communicate.  We are all available all the time no matter where we are.  Text messaging is a new form of communication that did not exist before the cell phone.  We have all experienced altered communication and behavior patterns as a result of this great technology.  What is now becoming clear is that the cell phone is dramatically changing how we view and use the land line phone.
Mediamark Research just released a study that reported that 14% of U.S. adults now live in households with one or more cell phones but no landline phone.  That is an impressive statistic.  What makes it a milestone is that it was also reported that 12.3% of adults live in a household with a landline phone, but no cell phone.  For the first time in the U.S., there are now more cell phone only households than landline only households.  That is significant as the cell phone has moved from being something that was used outside the house to being the only phone.  Conversely, land …

Science fiction can be extremely thought provoking, particularly to one who thinks about the future.  There are novels that are fantastical and take place centuries in the future in galaxies ‘far far away’, populated by weird creatures and other worldly landscapes.  Then there are the many novels that are more conceptual, set slightly in the future on planet Earth that posit interesting social views and visions of how humanity might live and be governed; far enough ahead to allow a disconnect from current reality, but close enough to current day that they seem possible.  It is these novels that can provide fodder for thought about the future and what might be ahead for humanity.

All of this came to mind when I read an article last week in the New York Times about a new phenomenom in Japan.  In the last seven years, 10 Gran Cyber Cafes have opened in Tokyo.  These facilities are open 24 hours and are full of cubicles that can be rented for any length of time.  In the cubicles there are DVD players, VCRs, high speed Internet connections, sound systems, regular and satellite TV, video game consoles and computers loaded with software.  Nearby there are libraries with thousands of DVDs, VHS tapes, comic books, magazines and novels.  A customer can come in for an hour or can spend the night.  Couples can share open cubicles to watch together. There is an overnight rate from 11p - 8a which draws both those with no place to sleep …