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.how it affects us today.
The telephone has had a major effect on society, both in the country in
which it was invented and worldwide (Shannon 2000). It has helped bring people
closer together and added to our sense that we are all just a telephone call
away. The telephone has made it easier for long distance communication to take
place (Cummings, 1939). This device has saved lives and sent information around
the globe. As we have seen, it has helped shape the way our cities are built
and allowed people to conduct business out of their home and cars. It has changed
our lives greatly and it is hard to imagine life without this device (A World of
Inventions, 2nd ed., s.v. �Telephone�).
Even today, the telephone still continues to change the world. The
telephone can be a shortcut to communicate with the outside. Nowadays, if
there is an emergency, the person in need of help would dial 911 to get a hold of
the emergency operator, who would then send the police or the paramedics to
the person in need of attention (Encarta Encyclopedia, 2001 ed., s.v. �The History
of the Telephone�). The emergency operator would then immediately send the
appropriate department out to help the victim. Another shortcut number, 411, is
used to get information, such as another person's phone number. The person
dialing the number would tell the operator the name of the place or person, and
then the operator will give the information needed (Webb 1992, 25). Although this
number is not intended to save lives, as is 911, it is convenient for those who are
looking for information.
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