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Since Pat is somewhere in the land of non-computer, I'll put an entry in for him. In case you've forgotten who I am, I'm Cory, one of Pat's many buddies and have helped him design graphics. My own website is skycron.com. It would be kind of nice if Pat bought his own domain name.

Around seven o'clock the other night, I was recording some music for one of the many radio shows I find myself doing these days, (I did a radio station, CKLN FM, 88.1 in Toronto on a show called Electric Storm and just finished a radio interview on WGDR FM in Vermont and WOMR FM in Massachussets, in the big US of A.) and the door was closed. Music blaring, I heard a muffled chirp erupt from behind my door. Long distance.

"That's Cory's call," I heard my Mom say, and I figured it was my friend Cynthia. I was quite surprised when I picked up the phone and it was Pat.

"Hello," he said in a deep voice.

"Hi," I said. "What's up? How've you been?"

"I can't talk long," he told me hastily. "The cellphone costs me 33 cents a minute."

"33 cents a minute?! What the hell are you wasting airtime on me for?"

Patrick laughed. "Uh, actually, I'm trying to get the stupid email to work on my new cellphone. Can you send me a quick message just so I know I set it up right?"

"Last I heard, email didn't have a sentient nature of its own."

"Yeah, well," Pat coasted along as if he hadn't heard me, "here's the number."

I wrote it down.

"Okay, thanks," he said abruptly. "Bye."

So, I have the number. Fine. But how do you email a phone number? The answer lay in the email of the next day. I have never had a cellphone, but with my increasing musical engagements I may be forced to buy one of the blasted things. But not yet.

Turns out the mail is the number followed by the service provider. Weird. And at 33 cents a minute, including incoming calls, that's quite a cash grab. Whatever happened to PAYG?

Technology is indeed changing. And, essential or not, you can always expect Patrick to have the very latest toy as soon as he has the cash.

-Cory--