Show Me the Money

Crass commercialism entered my thoughts as I pondered the title for this blog post.
The above line from the 1996 film Jerry Maguire, is one that seemed to fit.

I heard a story on the radio this morning that stuck in my head.
In Haiti, over a year has elapsed since the devastating earthquake and the process of rebuilding seems to be barely inching along.  People live in sometimes squalid conditions and technology seems very distant.  And yet, in the country which used to be the poorest in the Western hemisphere before the earthquake (one can only imagine how much further they receded due to the earthquake), the very modern concept of electronic money, or the use of cell phones as debit cards, seems to be gaining ever widening adoption.

Perhaps it represents the ever accelerating pace of new technology becoming available, or simple economics and convenience -- only a small fraction of the population in Haiti have bank accounts and it costs less to use this service than others currently available on the market -- or the fear of disease agents, such as cholera, which might be transferred with paper money.  Perhaps it is all three of these conditions (and more) combined.

Another related article had caught my eye a few days ago.  It was titled "The End of Credit Cards is Coming" and it had explained how cell phones are about to take-on the additional role of credit cards (which are a close relative to debit cards mentioned in the Haiti article I made reference to).

Now re-imagine the phrase "Show Me the Money" and think of the image at right (feel free to substitute the image of an iPhone or Android device if you like).  Imagine using your cell phone as your virtual wallet and not having to handle paper money and coins again.

In order to complete this little near-future glimpse into the topic of money (and in case you would like one more thing to worry about), I will leave you with one last point.  The incredible amount of information stored in our smart-phones and the unparalleled access these little devices could wield in the future is outlined in an article titled: "Your most dangerous possession?"

Can you hear me now?

Among the many changes which seem to be coming our way at what seems to be an ever-increasing speed is likely going to be the demise of the good old fashioned telephone.

Most people I know have a land line and a cell phone - some more than one.
"Why keep the land line?" is a question more and more people (especially the younger folks) are asking with increased frequency - and they are deciding they don't need it (and its associated expense) after all.

A cell phone allows you to call anyone in the US and most companies don't even charge calls against your monthly minute allotment if you call people who use the same cell phone provider.

You say you call overseas?
I remember a few years back, calling friends and relatives overseas - the phone company charges were high and the conversations were typically brief - it was expensive after all.
More recently, third-party providers began offering overseas calling plans at a fraction of what the phone companies used to charge - and the calls got longer.

Then came VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) and companies like Vonage and Skype.  Now you can make calls to anyone (in the case of Skype, they can even be video calls) and there is no need for a land line.

Even the phone in my office is now a VOIP variant.  Calling colleagues in other parts of the world who are similarly equipped is a snap and the monthly bill is much lower.

The tagline from the Verizon (local land line, cell phone and internet provider) commercial echoes in my ears "...can you hear me now?"
(and if you can hear me, I wonder what kind of device you are using)