I discovered this week just how dependent on technology I have become. I was out with a friend Wednesday night, watching Roy Halladay of the Phillies pitch the second no-hitter in MLB postseason history (sorry, I had to slip that in somewhere), when my nearly two-year-old BlackBerry Storm (one of the first-generation Storms, with myriad problems) froze. No worries, I just popped the battery out, as I was used to doing several times a week, and reboot. One problem — it never rebooted. My BlackBerry was dead, and I felt lost. Not to mention, I couldn’t text my best friend, a Yankees fan, to brag about Roy. My first reaction was panic, I must admit. I just immediately felt so disconnected. I worried the whole drive home that something would happen and I wouldn’t have any way to call for help. I just kept wondering, what did people do before cell phones? And, honestly, I never thought I was that connected to my phone. I went to the Verizon store early the next morning. Luckily, I was due for an upgrade, so I was able to get a new phone right away. Moving away from the touch-screen Storm and all the problems I’d had with it over the last few years, I went with the BlackBerry Bold, a huge improvement. I had been holding out for the winter, when Verizon is supposedly getting the iPhone. Alas, my back was against the wall and I had to upgrade now, rather than waiting. Then, more bad news. Since my defunct Storm would no longer turn on, all my information was lost. My contacts, my calendar, my saved applications and files. So, along with a new phone, I’m starting from scratch, rebuilding years of information. Luckily, I have Facebook and was able to reach out to a lot of my friends and contacts and get their numbers and email addresses. The situation led me to then wonder, what did people do before Facebook? Ah, the wonderful world of technology! — Kim Krol, eFlyer editor, PR and circulation executive