From today's SF Chronicle:
It starts this evening and continues into Christmas morning, the annual cell phone frenzy as thousands of people open up their shiny new presents and, just to see if the thing really works, start punching in the first number that comes to mind -- 911.
In the last few years, during which time I have been politically awakened more and more, it's been difficult to retain my optimism that people really are, in general, sensible. At this point, I'm ready to give up. In this society at least, people are idiots!
"Our phones start exploding with hang-ups (on Christmas)," said CHP Sgt. Wayne Ziese of the Golden Gate division, which patrols the nine-county Bay Area and dispatches its cars and motorcycles from division headquarters in Vallejo. "The operator says, 'You've reached the CHP, and what is your emergency?' Then 'click.' Or they'll say, 'I'm just testing out my cell phone. ' "
It's the kind of thing dispatchers are not happy about.