In the early 1890s, French painter Auguste Renoir overheard two of his colleagues, Edgar Degas and Jean-Louis Forain, talking about the technological miracle that had recently set Paris abuzz—the telephone. Forain was apparently quite proud of being one of the first people in the city to own one.

Degas: "Does it work well?"
Forain: "Very well. You turn a little handle, and a bell rings at the other end of the wire in the apartment of the person you are calling. When he unhooks the earphone you talk just as easily as if you were in the same room."

After reflecting a moment, Degas asked: "And does it work just as well the other way around? The other person can also turn a little handle and ring you up?"
"Of course," replied Forain, beaming.
"And when the bell rings, you get up and answer it?"
"Why, yes. Certainly."
"Just like a servant," concluded Degas.

Possible Preaching Angles: Has technology (or any other form of compulsive or addictive behaviors) turned you into its servant?