Could you imagine living without a cell phone? I'm sure most of us couldn't, and it would take us a long time to grow accustomed to not carrying one around. Many people use their cell phones even in the bathroom and while at the dinner table. It's becoming an obsession unlike any other I've witnessed. Some of us would even admit to using it while driving, which is an awfully dangerous habit we ought to curb. From texting, emails and social media to watching YouTube videos, taking pictures, listening to music on Pandora, and using GPS, a smartphone is basically a mini-computer in the palm of our hands. One could easily make the case that it's the ultimate boredom buster, whether they're at work, stuck in jury duty, or listening to a dull lecture at school. Some kids are getting cell phones even before they hit their teens! Beyond that, there's no question they've redefined convenience. Buying something on Amazon or eBay at the push of a bu...

Well, technology is partly to blame. The daguerreotype, introduced worldwide in 1839, was the first widely used photographic process. The exposure time in those early days was really long, sometimes lasting over 15 minutes. You could imagine how arduous a task it must have been for people to hold a smile that long. Getting your picture taken in the 19th century didn't come cheap. Most people had only one picture taken their whole lives, so the event itself was a big deal. Those with the wherewithal to have several pictures taken probably felt smiling didn't communicate classiness, so they refrained from doing it. Furthermore, at the turn of the century, smiling became more popular with the advent of the camera. Not only did they become more affordable and easier to use over time, but it became customary to use them for casual snapshots -- something those living in the mid-1800s might never have envisaged. Little did those folks know that selfies with cell phone cameras ...

...you were told that you had to rid yourself of all your possessions (excluding food, drink, water, medicine, clothing, and other essentials) -- except for only one . Which one item would you keep? Remember, we're talking about things that would be considered non-essentials -- wants rather than needs. You could only stay with one. I'll break the ice. As hard as it would be to kiss my beloved books goodbye, I think I would choose either my cell phone or laptop. Keeping one not only ensures I have the means to contact others, but I can use either the phone or laptop to avail of free Wi-Fi at a nearby Starbucks or McDonald's. Such gadgets also offer great entertainment value in the sense you can use them to play games and listen to music. As if that weren't enough, they have more practical applications, e.g., you can create Word documents on them. I realize there's no easy answer here. For example, men would have to forego things like porn and condoms; wom...