For all our cries that e-mail is "mission critical" and our reliance on BlackBerries (and other hand held devices, including cell phones), there are some realities which argue for a different approach.

Reality 1: Internet mail is inherently unreliable, and becoming more so as more and more data moves across the network, and as more and more spam filters go into place. No one should be surprised when a mail message doesn't arrive - we should be grateful when it does.

Reality 2: Hand helds and cellular devices are garage door openers with screens and keyboards. They are susceptible to all sorts of problems, and the fancier they become (read that as the more features they support), the less likely they are to be able to work reliably.

Reality 3: Many people are lulled into a false sense of security, expecting systems to work at all times. For them, Plan B is to re-do Plan A.

The lesson is that what can fail will fail. It is the responsibility of the sender, not of the network, to insure that critical communications takes place. Certainly networks should be as reliable as we can make them for the price we are willing to pay, but expecting the Internet to be anything other than a wild west show or three-ring circus is to fail to understand the animal.