If All Movies Had Cell Phones...

This is a good video that explores the concept of if all your favorite movies had cell phones in them. I noticed that as we've advanced in this immediate technology that movies have either compensated by allowing the characters to go beyond today's technology (CSI with their 'enhancing' of video as an example) or they go out of their way to explain that something is blocking the transmission.

This video explores something that I think about from time to time when I read a book. One of my favorite books, Youth in Revolt: The Journals of Nick Twisp by C.D. Payne, was written in the early 90s and set during that time. As a result, a lot of the book revolves around outdated technology road blocks. The main character, Nick, a horny teen looking to woo a girl he meets during summer vacation, is constantly has roadblocks. His girlfriend sends him letters, which are torn up by his Mom. He accepts a lot of collect calls that run up several phone bills. He and his friends have to speak in code to avoid prying parental ears.

If the book was set today, there are cell phones, which he might not have automatically. He does have a computer in the book, so instant messaging would be a natural work-around.

The movie based on the book is coming out this fall staring Michael Cera, so it'll be interesting if they set it in the present, which might actually speed the story up because a lot of it is Nick anxiously waiting for a letter or a phone call.