Is technology deficient a bad thing when writing novels?

[SpookyWriter]

I hadn't thought about it much until recently because most of my work doesn't have a particular scene or instance where I need to introduce an IPOD or some other technical device.

Since I write horror/suspense, most of my scenes to date are people orientated and not geared toward the technology around us today. I imagine I can have a scene where a character needs to make a call from a remote location. Okay that's easy. The character picks up (reaches for) a cell phone and places the call.

Only problem is that I never owed a cell phone, so I don't know the first thing about using one.

I don't have any of the technical devices many people take for granted. So how will this affect my scene? Heck, I guess if I need to I'll go borrow a cell phone or IPOD to find out how it works.

Do you think my technological deficiencies will be a hindrance or does it matter at all?

Just curious.

Side note: I'm a programmer with over twenty years experience, have my BSCIS, and have written advanced technology in many areas. I just choose not to have our use most modern contraptions.

[veinglory]

Thinking it over I realise that all my writing contains only one instance of using a cell phone, and the hero had to borrow it from a bystander.

Make of it what you will...

[TheIT]

My first instinct is to say, no, it shouldn't be a problem if a contemporary story doesn't incorporate modern technology. Why add bells and whistles if the story doesn't need it?

That said, the only thing I think might be a problem is if part of the story hinges on a lower-tech solution, but the reader sees a higher-tech solution. For example, let's say one of the characters gets into trouble in some odd location. A reader might say, "Well, why doesn't the character pull out a cell phone and call for help?" If the story doesn't at least address why a cell phone isn't used, the reader might be pulled out of the story.

Even if a technology exists, there are lots of ways for gadgets to break so that the characters are forced to resort to more primitive means. In the case of the cell phone: the battery could be dead, the phone could break, might be out of range, etc.

[veinglory]

...A lot of people still don't have one.

[SpookyWriter]

Even if a technology exists, there are lots of ways for gadgets to break so that the characters are forced to resort to more primitive means. In the case of the cell phone: the battery could be dead, the phone could break, might be out of range, etc.That's an interesting point. So someone should at least know the various problems a character could face with a specific type of technology. Would an IPOD work under a bridge?

[TheIT]

...A lot of people still don't have one.

True, but a lot of people do have cell phones so an average reader might think it odd if the character doesn't. A simple throwaway line about how the character never got a cell phone or doesn't have the phone on him would be sufficient to explain away why he didn't call for help and would get the story back on track.

[TheIT]

That's an interesting point. So someone should at least know the various problems a character could face with a specific type of technology. Would an IPOD work under a bridge?

I don't own an iPod, but as far as I know, it's basically a playback device for music stored in the iPod itself. I think some of them have built in radio receivers, too, so a bridge might interfere with radio reception. If the character is just listening to recorded music, then I think that could be done anywhere.

ETA: For simple questions, your local Circuit City or Best Buy equivalent would be a good place to start.

[scarletpeaches]

But for god's sake don't have the mobile's battery going dead; that's been done to death.

[Danger Jane]

iPods are a work of God.




They store the music inside them--they'll work under a bridge or underground, it doesn't matter. Cellphones should also work under a bridge, unless the service provider isn't very good or if the area has poor service (or if the bridge is lead-plated...).

[Joe270]

My cell phone goes dead every day, Peaches, it's just a fact of life. I don't think it qualifies as cliche if it happens regularly.

But it is more fun to have the darn things run over by a truck or steamroller.

Anyone else see your cell phone as your wife's personal remote control for you?

[SpookyWriter]

Anyone else see your cell phone as your wife's personal remote control for you?I don't have a wife, or a girlfriend, or a dog, or a cat, and so I'm thinking how lucky I am. Yep.

[justpat]

I don't have a wife, or a girlfriend, or a dog, or a cat, and so I'm thinking how lucky I am. Yep.

You'd be better of with an IPod or a cell phone, instead of a wife, anyway.

[SpookyWriter]

You'd be better of with an IPod or a cell phone, instead of a wife, anyway.Just so long as I can name it "Doris" because I never let a day go by without thinking of the first woman who made me tingle whenever she showed up.

[Danger Jane]

You can actually. When the iPod shows up in the sidebar on iTunes, you can double click the name and rename it. Mine is called Nancy Owns Your Soul Machine.

[Southern_girl29]

In my novel, I have a scene where the characters are in a car and being chased by the killer. One of the characters suggested the mother call the police. She says she doesn't own a cell phone, so she can't call. I don't have a cell phone either. We got rid of ours when my DH lost his job last year. His company now provides one for him, and I don't really think I have to have one.

[blacbird]

iPods are a work of God.

iPods are a work of Satan. Cell phones too.

caw

[SpookyWriter]

iPods are a work of Satan. Cell phones too.

caw
Of course one would come in handy if a stray bear came into your backyard by accident. :D You could either listen to your favorite tunes while the bear ate you or call for help while it's chasing you.

[Jamesaritchie]

Unless it's important to the story, you don't have to know how something works, you only have to know what it does.

It's like a car. Just because a car is in a scene doesn't mean you have to know anything about the technology involved. You don't have to know it has electronic ignition, etc. The character just drive sit.

Same with a cell phone or an iPod. Just saying a character used his cell phone to call someone is almost always enough, and just saying a character is listening to some song on his iPod is usually enough. You don't have to explain how.

[SpookyWriter]

That's what I thought. Thanks

[tjwriter]

I imagine I can have a scene where a character needs to make a call from a remote location. Okay that's easy. The character picks up (reaches for) a cell phone and places the call.


Even if a technology exists, there are lots of ways for gadgets to break so that the characters are forced to resort to more primitive means. In the case of the cell phone: the battery could be dead, the phone could break, might be out of range, etc.

The only thing that sets off my alarms, Spooky, is the fact that you have your character being in a remote location and just, Poof!, making a cell phone call. I know it's just an example, but let me give you an example.

A few years ago, when AT&T Wireless was its own company, we had service through them. The town we live in sits in a depression and is not so populated. If we wanted to use our cell phones, we had to go out on the porch as service was sketchy at best in the house.

In fact, when we went to switch service later, Verizon told us up front that they don't have good range were we live. In fact Cingular was the only one that had an agreement to use the closest tower, and therefore provide a decent service.

But you know, it's all FYI...

[Dave.C.Robinson]

Another little fact about cell phones: AT&T (inc. Cingular) and T-Mobil use one kind of technology while Sprint and Verizon use another. It's not too important most of the time but a general rule is that AT&T and T-Mobil phones are more likely to have similar coverage areas than either is with Sprint or Verizon.

Nextel uses something completely different so they have yet a third coverage map.

[Chumplet]

When we rented a cottage in Haliburton, we had no cell service from our location, and it was only twenty minutes from the nearest town. Hilly terrain might have been the culprit.

My WIP involves a lot of running around in the Pyrenees, so if they had a cell phone, it probably wouldn't work.

[veinglory]

Every time I really need (broken down in the middle of nowhere) my phone the battery is dead. It should be a horror movie staple...

[benbradley]

The only thing that sets off my alarms, Spooky, is the fact that you have your character being in a remote location and just, Poof!, making a cell phone call. I know it's just an example, but let me give you an example.
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A few years ago, when AT&T Wireless was its own company, we had service through them. The town we live in sits in a depression and is not so populated. If we wanted to use our cell phones, we had to go out on the porch as service was sketchy at best in the house.

In fact, when we went to switch service later, Verizon told us up front that they don't have good range were we live. In fact Cingular was the only one that had an agreement to use the closest tower, and therefore provide a decent service.

But you know, it's all FYI...
If you really want "full coverage" wherever you go, you can get it with satellite phone service, but it's really expensive:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iridium_(satellite)
It looks like they don't even make the phones for it anymore, you can only buy used satellite phones. But this could be an essential service and worth the price for the adventurous who know they'll be out of "traditional" cellphone tower service, such as small plane pilots and mountain climbers.

What is it with us nerds? I have a two-plus decades career as an embedded software/hardware designer, and I don't use a cellphone either. But I still have a landline and I know it's 5-nines reliable, and I'm sure cellphones are not. Don't have an ipod or other mp3 player (not counting desktop computers!) either.

[Jedi Dad]

...A lot of people still don't have one.


Just a funny note, on my way to work this morning I saw a homeless man pushing his shopping cart full of stuff down the sidewalk. he had a cell phone on his belt.

[tjwriter]

If you really want "full coverage" wherever you go, you can get it with satellite phone service, but it's really expensive:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iridium_(satellite)
...


Really, my point was that because Spooky doesn't use a cell phone, he may not realize that locating a character in a very remote region and then just having him (or her) make a phone call like it's not a big deal might throw some of the readers out of the story.

Some of us know how tricky it can be to get reception and be able to complete a call sometimes.

[SpookyWriter]

Really, my point was that because Spooky doesn't use a cell phone, he may not realize that locating a character in a very remote region and then just having him (or her) make a phone call like it's not a big deal might through some of the readers out of the story.

Some of us know how tricky it can be to get reception and be able to complete a call sometimes.I have to think about a future scene in my current wip where the need to get a call outside of the town limits will require a cell phone because the local phones are wired. I am going to have to think of how the cell phone can send/receive in a remote location, why it works or doesn't, and how soon they can use it.

See, my characters need (or will need) to escape and call someone. The only problem is how do I make this believable if I don't know the limits of using a cell phone? Hmmm...not about to go out and buy one for this scene.

[Danger Jane]

Of course one would come in handy if a stray bear came into your backyard by accident. :D You could either listen to your favorite tunes while the bear ate you or call for help while it's chasing you.

See that way the bear'll be first confused by your lack of panic, then it'll stop and be like "dude wth" and you'll be all "Oh, just check out my killer library" and then you and the bear will bond over music and you'll be fine.

iPods are a work of God.

When my first iPod broke I CRIED. For um a long time. I went out the next morning at like nine to get a replacement.

[tjwriter]

See, my characters need (or will need) to escape and call someone. The only problem is how do I make this believable if I don't know the limits of using a cell phone? Hmmm...not about to go out and buy one for this scene.

You can always do things like move them to higher ground or move away from the place with a lot of metal that interferes (sp?) with reception.

[Dave.C.Robinson]

It really depends on how remote is remote. I used to work cell phone support so I can probably give you a few ideas.

The best option is to have the area be essentially remote, but have an interstate within about 20 miles or so. Most of the interstates do have towers arranged to give coverage along the highway. In my own experience, the practical limit for reception is about 20 miles with nothing in the way and no interference. For example people in Port Angeles WA can get signals from Victoria BC and vice versa, but in both cases you have to be on the waterfront. That's about the best I can think of.

[Chris Grey]

Wired phones are essentially two tin cans with a bit of string between them. Cell phones are essentially two tin cans with no string between them.

I've had a cell for about seven years now, and in my experience, a tin can might be more reliable.

Here's what you need to know, for your story:
If you need your character to make a call, it works like a normal phone.
If you need your character to receive a call, it'll show one of three things:
The name of the caller, if the caller is known to the character (ie, their number/name are stored in the phonebook on the cell)
The number and nothing more, if the caller is unknown (or a payphone, etc)
PRI-VATE or some variation, if the caller is blocking their number (via keying *67 before dialing or some other devices). This trumps the above two.
If you need your character's call to be cut off, you can have the signal drop. Signal is like the string that connects the phones. There's a meter on the phone's display of 0-3 bars. 3 bars means good signal. Anything less means bad signal. No signal is 0 bars. After the call drops, if it's the character's fault, his phone will say "dropped signal" and perhaps "roaming" (which means it's looking for a signal to pick up). If it's the other side, it'll just act like the call ended normally (on my phone, at least, it displays the length of the call)
If you need your character to be unable to make a call, you can have him not have any signal. This is less gimmicky than a dead battery.
If you need to limit your character's phone use, give him an old or bad battery. Phones can usually go for a few hours of talk time, but an older phone or one with an older battery will go for many an hour and a half tops.
The phone, when receiving a call, can either ring, beep, or be completely silent, depending on the user's preference. The ring can be really annoying too if the user likes hearing "who let the dogs out" when someone calls. Rings can be unique to each caller (ie, Steve gets "Fur Elise" while Mona gets "Imperial March" from Star Wars). Phones can also be set to vibrate in tandem with any of the above, but it's more common for the phone to either vibrate *or* play sound.
Phones can send and receive text messages in lieu of calling. Text messages are limited at about 160 characters.That's about all you need to know, for story purposes. Just avoid going into any more detail than you need to and your readers won't know you don't know better.

[Joe270]

There's also On-Star, the car phone system. It works almost everywhere, way past where cell phones don't work, even in hilly or mountainous terrain.

Of course, as an example of my typical luck, the only time I needed it, my car battery was dead. No battery, no On-Star.

[Shadow_Ferret]

The only thing that sets off my alarms, Spooky, is the fact that you have your character being in a remote location and just, Poof!, making a cell phone call. I know it's just an example, but let me give you an example.

That's funny because in my urban fantasy, my character has transported himself into another dimension and while there his cell phone rings.

I just found it an amusing scene.

[Anthony Ravenscroft]

As to the OP: someone I met once asked William Gibson (on a panel) a technical question about computers & cyberspace.

Gibson knows nothing at all about computers, & froze like a deer in headlights. (He wrote all that great cyberpunk on a typewriter. I think it was even a manual.)

Later, recovering his senses, he wrote a great article about how he was concerned almost exclusively with the commercial surfaces, a term I try to teach to every fellow wannabee I meet.

Basically, if you're peddling BS & nonsense, it's up to you to give it the look & feel of being real. That's the root of all fiction. I mean, it could be utter cold fact but, if you're lousy, nobody'll believe you.

If you've got a device to show the reader, & you're not totally certain, then come up with an imaginary brand or model. Sketch it out, carve one out of wood, whatever it takes to have its reality in your head. Then describe it -- weight, heft, quirks, faults, fragility, utility (my cellphone has a built-in one-LED flashlight that I've used more than all its other nonphone tools added together).

[SpookyWriter]

As to the OP: someone I met once asked William Gibson (on a panel) a technical question about computers & cyberspace.

Gibson knows nothing at all about computers, & froze like a deer in headlights. (He wrote all that great cyberpunk on a typewriter. I think it was even a manual.)
I can relate to this in a way since there are a few technical devices that I have never used. Although I worked for three telecom companies and wrote software for inbound/outbound traffic, I haven't actually used a cell phone. I had to borrow one recently because I was stranded in lower Buckeye, Phoenix and the guy had to show me how to use it. It took me three attempts to get it right. So for me, I think there is a slight disadvantage if I had to go into details but since that's probably unlikely I might survive a bad scene.

[Haggis]

Unless it's important to the story, you don't have to know how something works, you only have to know what it does.

It's like a car. Just because a car is in a scene doesn't mean you have to know anything about the technology involved. You don't have to know it has electronic ignition, etc. The character just drive sit.

Same with a cell phone or an iPod. Just saying a character used his cell phone to call someone is almost always enough, and just saying a character is listening to some song on his iPod is usually enough. You don't have to explain how.

"Jon flipped open his cell phone and punched in the numbers..."

Piece of :Cake:

[SpookyWriter]

"Jon flipped open his cell phone and punched in the numbers..."

Piece of :Cake:What?? No rotary dialing?

[Danger Jane]

What?? No rotary dialing?

No that's only on Samsungs from before 2000. Old :Cake:

[Dave.C.Robinson]

Just a couple of points to add or expand on ones already made.

OnStar uses regular cell service (Verizon) but it's got better range because car phones are allowed twice the power of regular handsets.

Also, "Roaming" means that you have a signal (so you can make and receive calls) but that you're not in your home area. You're either on another network or outside your home calling area.

[SpookyWriter]

Do you really "punch in the numbers" when making a call? Not just a cell phone either. I'm not sure if I like the idea of punching or punched when placing a call. Maybe that's just too much detail?

I need to make a trip to Best Buy and check out the new gadgets someday. I read a post several days ago and the OP mentioned PSP. What the heck is a PSP? I know what a DVD is and have a player that belongs to my son. But even that model is old and out of date.

[Danger Jane]

PSP is a portable system developed by Sony. Stands for PlayStation Portable. You can get internet access, watch movies, or game.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_Portable

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/5e/Pspcontrol.jpg/230px-Pspcontrol.jpg

[Dave.C.Robinson]

Do you really "punch in the numbers" when making a call? Not just a cell phone either. I'm not sure if I like the idea of punching or punched when placing a call. Maybe that's just too much detail?

I need to make a trip to Best Buy and check out the new gadgets someday. I read a post several days ago and the OP mentioned PSP. What the heck is a PSP? I know what a DVD is and have a player that belongs to my son. But even that model is old and out of date.

Actually, you dial the number on a normal phone keypad then press the send key, which initiates the call. You also answer the phone with the send key (unless it's a flip phone that has been set to answer when it's opened).

PSP stands for Play Station Portable, and is a hand held game console made by Sony. It's designed to either play games or watch UMD movies which are on a special mini disk.

[Medievalist]

That's an interesting point. So someone should at least know the various problems a character could face with a specific type of technology. Would an IPOD work under a bridge?

An iPod is just a portable drive (flash memory or hard drive) with sound input/output, a small LCD panel, and a hardware UI.

It doesn't send signals, or receive transmissions; it just plays digital media files.

Works fine under a bridge as long as the battery holds up.

[Medievalist]

Cell phones rely on local repeater transmitters to bounce signals.

There are lots and lots of places where one particular carrier has no transmitters, and many, even in the lower 48 states, where there's no signal from any carrier.

I've been to places in Maine, N.H. and Vermont where there's no signal at all, and no way to use a cell. It's pretty common.

[Stijn Hommes]

It isn't much of a problem if you don't have a cellphone or iPod, but you better be able to do your research and find out if you need it.

[midwife]

I have a character in one of my WIPs who uses a GPS thing. I wrote it in vague terms as a "black box" until I could get my hands on one and learn more about it.

[FloVoyager]

I've seen people who looked homeless talking on cell phones too. Not sure what to make of that.

Unless a tech device and how it works, or doesn't work, is part of the story, we probably don't need to know the details. That said, I tend to research quite a bit to make sure my descriptions and use of technology in a story makes sense. For example, if a character is going to get a brain scan to look for a tumor, I'm going to find out first which machine (CATT, MRI, whatever) would be the best machine for the job and why.