Even in a Time of Terror

In recent decades, many changes have occurred in our system of communication, some quite startling, and yet the telephone continues to be an important part of that system. It is the means that enables us to have conversations with friends, family, and business associates increasingly located at a distance. Admittedly, many of the exchanges that once took place on the telephone now occur through e-mails, especially when the purpose is to convey information, issue a directive, or render an opinion. We still turn to the telephone, however, when a conversation is needed, for the transmission of the human voice permits direct, highly interactive, and sometimes spontaneous engagement with others.