Do credit card companies send text messages?

Does the bank send you text messages?

Text me back!

In a world where everyone is constantly connected, it is easy to forget the power of being disconnected. We tend to think that if we are connected all the time, then we will be in touch with everyone at all times. But in reality, we are much more likely to miss someone if they don't call or text us.

It is amazing how many of my friends and family have not seen me for a while. The last time I saw one of them, I was in the USA for a week. It was great to catch up, but it was even better to catch up on things that happened while I was away.

Being offline can be a great way to focus. When I am travelling, I often send myself a message when I arrive at a new hotel. Welcome to , check in . It allows me to focus on getting a good night's sleep before starting my work, or to get up and take a walk before starting work. If I do not do this, I tend to end up wasting time on the plane or on the way to work.

When you are connected all the time, you can easily forget to disconnect. This is particularly true if you are working in an office environment, and are surrounded by people who are always on their mobile phones. It is easy to get so used to constantly being in touch, that you forget about the power of being offline.

By forcing yourself to disconnect, you are actually giving yourself the best chance to connect with the people you care about. You are more likely to be able to see your friends, or call your family, if you are not connected.

Here are some ways that you can practice disconnecting: When you arrive at a new place, send yourself a message to let people know that you are arriving. Have you ever sent yourself a message when you have just arrived somewhere? If so, did you find it useful? Find a quiet place, and close your eyes for five minutes. Take a few deep breaths, and try to clear your mind.

Go outside. Go for a walk, or spend time in the park. It is amazing how much you can focus on what you are doing when you are completely disconnected.

Stop using your phone.

Is it safe to open spam text messages?

Is your ISP telling you?

If you receive spam text messages on your cell phone, is it safe to open them? You may be surprised how much your ISP knows about you. If your cell phone is working in the USA (or one of the GSM carrier networks used in the US), you are probably sharing information with one or more ISPs including your cell carrier. If you have a Blackberry, your email and SMS traffic are handled by Blackberry. If you're a Verizon or AT&T customer, your cell phone will share information with their wireless carriers.

According to the FCC's Wiretap Reports website, more than 60% of U. Cell phones use the GSM operating system. A few years ago there were only two national operating systems: the traditional analog CDMA system and the non-digital (GSM) analog system. This has changed significantly over the past five years. There are now four major national operating systems, GSM, TIA/EIA, EDGE, and UMTS. Each of these systems provides cellular service which requires towers for transmitting signals. Most of these towers transmit at 850 megahertz or 2.1 gigahertz frequencies.

The FCC collects and compiles public reports that show which cell carrier is most frequently used for each city and county in the USThe result is called the Wireless Sector Report (WSR). WSR data shows that nearly 95% of all wireless communication within the USA is handled by AT&T, Verizon or Sprint. The FCC states this is because "the three wireless companies control a high percentage of available cell sites." (See AT&T, Sprint, U. Cellular.)

Your cell phone uses both towers (analog) and repeaters (digital) to deliver signals to your handset and other equipment. An example of a tower is shown in the photo at right. Notice how antenna at the top of the tower picks up signals, amplifies the signal and delivers it to each receiver within range of the tower. A repeater serves the same purpose. The repeater simply receives the signal from the tower and rebroadcasts it further. This helps assure coverage across large areas, even in rural and remote regions.

The above image is from a recent report titled: "Coverage Maps - U. Rural & Suburban" published by The National Association of Counties.