QUOTE : Researchers today suggest that the spread of cell phones has been accompanied by a more relaxed attitude toward punctuality inasmuch as people can call ahead and apologize in advance for lateness. But the deeper reason is the decline of the assembly line. Assembly lines require synchronized work, so that if one worker is late it slows down all the others on the line. It requires a level of punctuality little known in agrarian societies. Today, with more free agents, more individuals working on all different schedules, time is more important, but exact punctuality matters less.