There was a time that cameras on cell phones seemed silly. Then after watching kids at a Nickelback concert frantically send live photos to their friends, it seemed fun. Now, it’s gotten serious. Mayor Bloomberg is encouraging folks to use their phones to record crimes. Emergency 911 call centers will soon be able to receive cell phone pictures and videos. “If you see a crime in progress or a dangerous building condition, you'll be able to transmit images to 911,” Bloomberg said in his annual State of the City speech last month. If you ever needed further proof that cell phones are becoming a integral part of our life, this is it. And if you need further proof that are lives are officially turning into a Philip K. Dick novel it’s worth noting that MySpace.com now offers Amber Alerts notifying members of missing children. And a company called BigString is offering Mission Impossible-style, self-destructing e-mails. Data can be set to disappear after a couple of weeks or a couple of seconds. A brave new world indeed. Oh wait that was Aldous Huxley.
