PING: Blackberry's Contribution to Communication in St. Lucia

PING!

It is becoming quite difficult to talk about the recent advances that the world has made in technology without mentioning the likes of email and instant messaging. It is even more difficult to talk about these two things without mentioning the innovative device that has pioneered these brilliant features over the last few years. The Blackberry is undoubtedly now the most popular phone in the Caribbean region despite the likes of the iPhone and miscellaneous devices running Google’s Android and Microsoft’s Windows software. Notice that I didn’t say it was the “best” phone and I hold no bitter taste in my mouth to admit that its two amazing features don’t compare to the plethora of services that its competition offers. However, when it comes to instant messaging, its BB messenger is undeniably the best there is and communication in St. Lucia has never been the same since its advent. The question is: has it changed it for the better or for the worse?

 Most BB users had positive things to say (go figure) when I approached them about the topic. “My BB makes communicating easier,” said Amanda, holding up her handset as if she were doing an advertisement for one of the local telecommunication companies. “You can talk to someone discreetly in a meeting without having to distract anyone.” Some random girl on facebook with a name too long to document added, “It feels like sending unlimited text messages all over the world without having to pay for each one,” and when I challenged her on the fee of data usage, she emphasized on the word 'feeeeeeeeeels'. Despite my open aversion to Blackberry and its BB Messenger, I had to admit that she had a great point; the data fee would be far cheaper than the price one would pay to send so many text messages to both local and foreign destinations per month. “But what about Whatsapp messenger?” I asked her. “Can it not do those same things?” “BB is more popular and therefore more effective,” she retorted. “Plus, it has the perfect emoticons to describe how you’re feeling and they’re much better than that stupid substitute called…what’s the name of the app again?” 

I instantly recalled a technical moment of embarrassment while trying to find the PING function on Whatsapp messenger and having to type it instead. This was getting even more interesting than I had bargained for. I originally perceived most Blackberry users to be mere sheep following whatever was deemed popular at the time but it seems like I had misjudged them. 

The next day, a gentleman in suit and tie, carrying the 'Torch' model of the phone responded to the question like he was a candidate on a cell phone debate: “The arrival and popularity of BBM has granted people access to each other in ways that they didn't have before. It’s not just a messenger it's like a more personalized version of facebook with status updates, picture and video sharing.” “And don’t forget about BB broadcasts,” cautioned another avid fan. “It’s the fastest way to spread a message whether it’s an ad, SOS, news bulletin or whatever. Don’t be a hater gassa. BB is d' baddest!” Hmmm... could this fool actually be right? Has this phone and app really enhanced the level of communication here on this island and the rest of the world?

“So what do you think sir,“ I asked.

“BBM is the devil!!!”

“Ok…not quite what I was looking for…moving right along. Thank you!”

Before BBM we had often heard the internet being criticized for encouraging its users to become somewhat anti-social. This happens to be an understatement compared to being at a family dinner table and realizing that everyone is on his and her Blackberry phone talking to other people. “ I hate it,” Mike said, “I always feel like I have to struggle with my girl just to get her to look at me whilst I talking. Sometimes I  does want to take the stupid phone and mash it up gassa.” Regrettably, Mike isn’t the only person who feels this way. The BB has elevated it’s way to one of the top five reasons for breaks ups or fights between couples everywhere, and though we all know intelligently that an electronic device is not what is to be blamed here, we cannot ignore the significance of its influence. “The worst thing for me,” said Mona, “was when I would spend how long messaging my friends for all of us to hang out and when we finally get together we barely speak to each other. Everyone’s checking their phone every two minutes, smiling and then messaging back. Choops!” Young children are also complaining that their parents are neglecting some of their parental responsibilities for the butterfly effect of getting a PING or viewing the frantic picture changing of their friends. 

Whilst most BB users can agree that relationships at home are important, many seem to be guilty of paying more attention to those relationships that are outside of the home via their phones.

 “I was driving the other day,” said Tony, “when I saw a young girl walk into a parked car on the side of the street.” He thought it was hilarious but I thought it was pretty stupid. Thank God for her it was only a parked vehicle but how many persons endanger their lives and the lives of others because they can’t resist the PING? How many reports of stolen phones in the middle of town would get some people to simply stop or wait till they get to their destination before trying to communicate via their phones? How many accidents would it take for drivers to message their friends and tell them, ‘I’m driving, can’t talk now’ or motivate them to purchase a hands free device for their vehicles? It’s a dangerous distraction whilst driving or walking, to be head down in a phone. Some have even put messaging whilst driving in the same category as drinking and driving, and considering the amount of countries that the practice has been made illegal, this can’t be far from the truth.

“And speaking of truth my brother, you know these BB broadcasts does have the most lies? You cah be quick to believe any ting you read on der man. Too many little boys crying wolf!” Those were the words of a an old BB user who had just made his way to the Android platform and seemed to be quite proud of it. 

What good is a medium of communication if it isn't a credible source? Is the price of these enhancements that we read earlier really worth the social damage that they’re causing to us? I am in no way suggesting dear reader that we dispense with the technology or the handset because more and more smartphones are being built with similar and eventually, better instant messaging characteristics that we all can benefit from. Whatsapp messenger is now perhaps more if not just as popular as BBM and has the ability to do almost everything that its major competitor can do.Thus the real issue here is what course of action can be taken to curb the negligence and irresponsible use of the device/app and others like it. 

“Send a BBM broadcast gassa!!

“Weren’t you listening to anything I just said?”

“Oh sorry, I was responding to a PING deh.”

“GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR”

Written by
Valentine Dantes

Called to be Glass by the Beach

Beach Glass

 There are two types of glass pieces: the ordinary one you find along the streets and the other you find at the beach. We are called to be the latter.

     

Secretly, when I’m not too consumed by my manliness, I’ve always allowed my thoughts to be fascinated by the beauty of beach glass. Some have taken to call them sea glass or transparent stones but I see them as a surreal yet natural phenomenon of the beach and its environs. How they came into being; I don’t know. It’s difficult for the mind to conceive the science involved in the drastic transformation from an ordinary piece of glass into a stone of considerable beauty. In fact, the differences between glass by the beach and glass along the street corners may have you question whether they both were products of the same bottle or manufacturing plant.

Consider the effects of the first kind. Pieces of broken glass are generally regarded as a nuisance  that people generally want to get rid of. They’re usually a by-product of juvenile delinquency, an ostentatious display of gang violence, a car accident or even a mere slip of the fingers. Oh and let's not forget those sharp edges which make them very dangerous on barefoot grounds and to vehicle/bicycle tires. If that isn't enough, it is also no secret that we hate cleaning it up because it requires a great deal of meticulousness to find all the pieces.

Now consider the latter. This is the same piece of broken glass yet it is the most sought after souvenir by beach goers all over the world. It is the same glass that you can find today being sold on eBay for hundreds of US dollars; the same glass that some people are using to make jewelry and the same glass that others are collecting in large numbers for the purpose of decorating their homes. The once undesirable piece of nuisance has become a desirable symbol of beauty. And to what do we owe the difference? The answer is found at the beach:

                                   The place where the sea and the land meet
                                   And the earth sinks gently beneath our feet;        
                                   The one place that remedies us fast;
                                   A natural recycling plant of unwanted pieces of broken glass

The change is nothing short of amazing. The jagged knives of its margins have been made smooth and its protuberances flattened. It can no longer be toyed with or broken because its fragile core has been hardened. I thus pardon myself for calling it beach glass because it is destitute of the old characteristics of glass. If any glass is in the beach, it is a new creation; old things have passed away and behold, all things have become new. It sits in the sand triumphantly as a transparent stone of a remarkable color and substance. What a metamorphosis!

There should therefore be a clear distinction between the old glass and the new, like the unbeliever of Christ and the believer; no blurred margins or periods of uncertainty. So whether close or distant, people who come into contact with any Christian should bear no difficulty in determining what type of glass he or she is.

The beach in all its glory is the church of Jesus Christ and its natural elements: the sea, sand and the wind represent the changing power and presence of the Spirit of God. How the broken glass gets to the beach is no puzzle too hard to fathom. Those who come to the beach or travel by sea bring them along and they somehow get broken during the excursion. The pieces are left on sand or carried to the shore, not forgetting the local rivers and streams which carry them along with other debris to the sea. Similarly, unbelievers are invited or taken to church and miraculously their hardened hearts get broken by the Holy Spirit. Christ at that instant becomes their Savior and they cling on to him for dear life, remembering the pits that they came from. Time in Word and the study of it cultivates the new man or woman and the longer he or she stays entrenched in the natural agents which take effect on the beach, the more he or she will be likely to change.

The Christian no longer cuts and scars with the sharp edges of his tongue and becomes gentle and safe to be around. He resigns from being the host of negative energy and picks up a torch of cheerful optimism which lights his path as well as the particles of sand all over his body. Some ask rhetorically if he were taken from the beach and he answers, “Yes” and now every where he goes, they inquire which beach he came from. He is a rare beauty; the likes of which their eyes hadn’t seen before.

There are those onlookers however, who won't be impressed simply because the last time they were at the beach they stepped on a broken piece of glass and got cut. The truth is that in as much as these gorgeous stones exists on the beach, there are also those who by ignorance sheltered themselves from the powerful and changing effects of the sea and the wind. The end result was an unchanged, ordinary piece of glass by the beach.

Others still not convinced, would watch over a magnifying glass to test the authenticity of this new stone. They discussed whether his love was with or without dissimulation and if his colors and origin were true. But he remained focused and would not give in to their snares. His edges weren't perfect but he lived a life worthy of honor and praise and always gave the thanks and glory to the beach and the creator of it, for which it was due. People far and wide sought after him for all kinds of reasons: some for show and others for personal gain; but he would stay true to the beach.

Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away and behold, all things have become new. He sits in the church triumphantly as a transparent stone of a remarkable color and substance, impenetrable and unmovable by the world, the flesh and the devil. What a metamorphosis!

By Valentine Dantes