The thing I absolutely cannot relate to though is the joy over getting "surprise" phone calls. I don't want a land-line, even if the quality is better, because I don't want another device making noises and demanding my attention. Sure you could unplug it when you're not using it, but I'd feel like too much of a jerk doing that. Voicemails are also just another thing that make noise or lights and demand attention.
I hate podcasts, and have issues with audio processing in general - but in some ways I actually think ham radios are the ideal. I don't normally talk on mine - but sometimes I like listening in on some of the local repeaters and hearing the convos there. I'm out in the NC mountains right now, so It's kind of cool to hear the accents of some of the older guys (reminds me of my grandad's accent), plus they're always swapping crazy stories. I also like the give-and-take nature of ham radio, since people tend to be very cognizant of how much time they are taking up and the need to make space on the channel to let others jump in and talk. And of course, I like that you can just turn it off if you're not feeling like hearing people's voices.