Cindy, our daughter was in the next room catching up with Christa, her sister, on the phone, when I heard Christa, who lives across the river, say, “Mom that is a nice hairdo.” I am accustomed to hearing compliments from our daughters because they always notice other people and are very quick to let them know that there is something about them that is worth a compliment. This time I was caught off guard because Christa was not there in person, she was on her telephone.

Cindy had called her and they had their phones set so they could see each other, as well as hear each other. Cindy held the phone in my direction allowing Christa to see me.

I went into the room where Cindy was and chatted with Christa for a few minutes then went back to reading my book. Cindy continued their conversation.

The new technologies take over previous technologies quietly and almost without notice, it is hard at times to be jarred into this century. As I settled into a chair with a throw around me to stay warm, my mind went back to my first telephone. No, it was not a flip phone or a smart phone. The telephone that I had was very inexpensive. Like all of my friends, we did not have to wait in line to make the purchase and all of the girls in my neighborhood had this type of phone. Perhaps the nicest part of our portable phones was they never needed to be charged and were always ready to be used.  

These telephones are similar to others used in the 19th Century and have been used by people all over the world. My first phone was made by connecting the bottoms of two paper cups or metal cans with tautly held string which transmitted sound by vibrations from one to the other along the string. If the string was really long we had to talk louder to be heard clearly on the other end. OK, it may not have been as technical as the phones used today, but for my friends and me, it was a lot of fun.

Something as frequently used as the telephone is just the type of invention whose importance to our society is lost over time. Almost everyone has heard of Alexander Graham Bell who was an eminent Scottish-born scientist, inventor, engineer, and innovator and is credited with inventing the first practical telephone.

Bell's mother and wife were both deaf, profoundly influencing his life's work. His research on hearing and speech further led him to experiment with hearing devices which eventually culminated in Bell being awarded the first U.S. patent for the telephone in 1876.

Although this was considered his most famous invention, Bell considered it an intrusion on his real work as a scientist, and refused to have a telephone in his study.

Many other inventions marked Bell's later life, including groundbreaking work in optical telecommunications, hydrofoils, and aeronautics. In 1888, Bell became one of the founding members of the National Geographic Society.

The first commercial telephone exchange was created in 1878 in New Haven Conn. The exchange was the brainchild of George Coy, a Civil War veteran who was the telegraph office manager, in partnership with Herrick Frost and Walter Lewis.

Prior to this time telephones were owned by private persons or businesses who leased telephones in pairs to connect one’s home with another home or with a business. They would then need to arrange for telegraph contractors to string the wires between the two locations.

Coy created a simple telephone switchboard that allowed a central office to connect multiple persons, thus allowing each subscriber the advantage of having to buy only one phone in order to connect to a potentially infinite number of other subscribers. He built the switchboard with carriage bolts, handles from teapot lids, wire, and other spare parts.

There were 21 original subscribers to the exchange and each paid $1.50 per month. All calls were made through the central office, where a telephone operator connected the person initiating the call to the party that he or she wished to reach.

According to the company records, all the furnishings of the office, including the switchboard, were worth less than forty dollars. While the switchboard could connect as many as 64 customers, only two conversations could be handled simultaneously, and six connections had to be made for each call.

If you are old enough to remember the television program called “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh In” you probably remember telephone operator Ernestine portrayed by Lily Tomlin. If you do not remember her, you missed a lot. She was a nosey, spinster, smart Aleck operator who would place a call and say, ”One ringy dingy, Two ringy dingy’s.” And then in response to the person answering on the other end she would say,”Hello. Is this the person to whom I am speaking?”

Direct dialing and telephone numbers did not become common until the 1920s. There are many funny stories, both real and fictional, about the telephone, telephone operators, party lines, and telephone booths.

My husband, Jim, told me about a phone booth in a Howard Johnson’s ice cream shop that was large enough to hold several people. During a craze of phone booth “stuffin” when teen agers and college students tried to see how many people they could stuff into a phone booth, he and his friends managed to beat other locals with about 24 kids stuffed into the phone booth at H.J.’s.

We have seen a growth in telephone styles from a candlestick style phone that you would speak into one end and hold a receiver to your ear to listen. Then we went to a cradle design having a handle with the receiver and transmitter attached, separate from the cradle base.

With all of the technological changes over just a relatively short period of time we have managed to move from bulky land lines to cell phones. We now have almost instant communications with people all over the world. With the addition of cameras and videos to our phones there is more of a need for using common sense when using your telephones.

Don’t let your phone ring tone, music, or conversation be intrusive to other people and their friends. Do not text or use cell phones while driving or anytime you should be giving your attention elsewhere.

Modern technology is wonderful. It is always changing which keeps us sharp and up to date. We cannot imagine this world without telephones, but we can imagine this world without rude annoying and impolite people. I hope all of our readers fall into the second category. If you read “The Altamont Enterprise” I am sure you are in the best category.

Canceled

The recruitment and informational sessions scheduled to be held at the Farnsworth Middle School on Feb. 26 and 28 were canceled.  

Information regarding school board recruitment and other programs about serving on local boards of education will be announced in the future. 

Donations needed

The FMS will hold a garage sale on April 25, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Proceeds of this annual event will be for the benefit of the organic garden and the butterfly project. Acceptable items include items and clothing in good repair. Stuffed animals will not be accepted. 

All donations can be deposited in the reception area at the front of the school. There will be large bins labeled for donations. Donations will be accepted from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through April 2, and again April 13 through April 24.

Village election

Need to register? Registration day will be on Saturday, March 7 in the village hall from noon until 5 p.m.

Gilder Run

This is a non-related program for students in grades three to eight offering athletes to participate competitively in track and field in a low-pressure environment. Those who choose to participate will have experience in sprinting, jumping, throwing, hurdling, pole vault, and distance running. 

This event will take place Tuesdays and Fridays from 5:30 to 7 p.m., April 21 through June 3 at the Guilderland High School track.

For additional information contact Chris Scanlan @scanlanc@guilderlandschools.net or Julianne Scanland at jscanlan1@nycap.rr.comor by calling 586-6985.

Interested students should not hesitate, as this program will fill up rapidly.

Anniversary

Happy-anniversary wishes are extended to:

— Myrtle and Owen Murray who will celebrate their special day on March 9; and

— Debbie (Giambo) and Luis Garredo whose anniversary is on March 10.

Birthdays

Happy-birthday wishes are extended to:

— Heather Burns, Eric Ciupek, Ruth Lenehan, and Wyett James Sluga on March 6:

— Melissa Jensen, Cheri Pieniazek, and Keith Weiler or March 7;

— Brenda Adams, Riley Grimm, Gail Munroe, Lou Sanderson, and Joshua Timer on March 8;

— Bonnie Anthony, Mary Ann Charon, Mike Farley, and Alison Roemer on March 9;

— Brian Fidler, Larissa Lenebacher, Hollis Stedman, Jack Lawler Tashian on March 10; and

— Nancy Caruso, Bianna Lynne Grant, Bill Salada, and Donna Schadow on March11.