Phone Numbers

I had a weird realization just now. I used to give my phone number in the seven digit form, assuming the area code. At my job, I’m asking for and giving phone numbers all the time and no one ever assumes area code. Everything is done in the ten digit form. Is that because of cell phones? Or because I work for an nationwide company?

Thought For The Morning

It is currently very, very cold in the middle of the country. According to Will Wilkinson’s twitter, it’s -4 degrees in whichever part of the godforsaken mid-West he happens to be. Yet, despite that temperature being fatal to a naked person, I’m guessing people are still getting along just fine. Yeah, all that extra snow is a problem, but nothing a few plows and salt can’t handle.

Humans not just surviving, but being only inconvenienced by blizzards is, to me, one of the great testaments to our species’ ability to adapt. Can you imagine what it’s going to be like when the electrical grid is replaced by self-sufficient, sustainable energy?

Another related thought: is government a technology?