Ten technologies that should be extinct (but aren't)

[Robert Stratton]

On Jul 13, 2010, at 9:27 AM, Karl W4KRL wrote:

> CB Radio made the list and there are a number of ham defenders.
>
> http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38141219/from/toolbar?Gt1=43001
>
The best analysis I read about the utility of fax machines was by  
Nicholas Negroponte some years ago.
http://web.media.mit.edu/~nicholas/Wired/WIRED2-04.html

It was interesting to read how many people seemed concerned about  
having a hedge when their traditional infrastructures fail. They might  
all be hams. I was a little surprised that amateur radio wasn't on his  
list, given all of the people (even hams!) who seem to think the  
Internet will be there  for emergency communications no matter what.

The commenters made a good point about how push-to-talk phones are  
hardly the many-to-many tool that CB was, but it got me thinking. How  
hard would it be to program a MTSO to allow for a dynamically- 
generated broadcast group of every handset within its coverage area?  
That would be like CB. Of course, unless the carriers could find a way  
to charge extra for listening to people ramble, it would probably  
never happen.

I know that GSM had the cell broadcast functionality, which popped up  
little messages in Europe as I travelled around. Is there an  
equivalent in the CDMA/EV-DO world?

--Bob