I begrudgingly bought my first mobile phone in 2000 after my boss dictated that I be accessible while traveling. Despite my resistance, I’ve generally come to accept and mostly enjoy having a cell phone. But for a ubiquitous communication tool, it amazes just how bad the mobile telephone experience still is.

Why is it that, in 2006, cell phone reception from my close-in urban house still sucks? How can it be that I can still have voice mails disappear into limbo for days? Why do calls still drop along Mo-Pac, the second busiest stretch of highway in Austin? And, most importantly, how is it not possible to block specific numbers from calling my mobile number?

On Tuesday, I fell victim to SMS spam for the first time. It started in the afternoon, when my phone starting buzzing every few minutes. A 347 area code number kept popping up, each time sending a text message. There was a pause after the first dozen, but then the floodgates opened and I was deluged with 46 repetitions.

I called Cingular, who’s only answer to the problem was to completely shut off my SMS service. I guess they never heard the old Henny Youngman bit …

Patient: Doc, it hurts when I do this (lifts arm).
Doctor: So don’t do that!
Audience: Hilarity.

… because they weren’t laughing when they said it. All of a sudden, all the IT flunkies who ever told you to reboot looked like diagnostic geniuses compared to Cingular.

Now I’m stuck in no-text hell, partly to avoid further irritation, but mostly because I’m too lazy to have Cingular turn the damn service back on.

Did I mention, I hate my mobile.