[Syonyk]

I sure hope so. And I hope that future is an awful lot closer. The past decade or so of teenagers can speak to just how nasty smartphone addictions can be, in terms of mental health, suicides, etc. I grew up with the internet, but we didn't have profit-driven advertising empires pretending to "connect people together" back then, either.

Part of my reason for not carrying a smartphone anymore is to be a better example to my kids, and I certainly point out couples staring at his-n-hers smartphones at a restaurant instead of actually enjoying each other's company.

Odds are good that instead of a smartphone, my daughter will just end up with her HAM license and a VHF handset instead. It'll cover the common cases direct simplex if I put a base station on the house, and my wife isn't opposed to getting her license either. :)

[ZekeSulastin]

Someone wake me up when I don't have to pay for a PO box to avoid having to announce my address to everyone within listening range - maybe my own license will still be active by then.

[bombcar]

HAM is nice also because it helps you remember that someone could be listening at any time, a lesson we often forget.