The article and the Oatmeal comic seem to apply to people you don't like much - people you don't really want to talk with by any means. I also bristle at busin

The article and the Oatmeal comic seem to apply to people you don't like much - people you don't really want to talk with by any means. I also bristle at business calls, or calls from anyone I don't adore. But because I'm an introvert, I love the phone for some real good undistracted one-on-one conversation with dear friends. I prefer phone to hanging out in-person. I have a social window of about an hour where I'm into it, then my tolerance fades fast. When you're on the phone, an hour is a good long conversation. But in-person, an hour is so short, it rarely feels worth the travel time. My best friends are in London, Minnesota, Singapore, LA, SF, Portland, NYC, Texas, Taiwan, and New Zealand. (I move around a lot. And many of my friends are touring musicians.) Phone is the only way we keep in touch. The best, deepest, most life-changing conversations I've had are by phone. I think it's because I'm an introvert, and like low-stimulation environments, that the phone keeps everything focused on the conversation itself.