They certainly are, in a manner of speaking, you're quite right.

[he listens to her intently, captivated by the thought of a society which achieved certain heights of invention, only to backslide. he can't help drawing a haphazard comparison to the Roman empire, even though he knows it's not a complete match. correlations are human nature, after all.]

And I'm used to pocket recorders. They just barely started making portable telephones available in my world, but they're expensive, and I saw no reason to complicate my life with one. This thing is going to take some getting used to, to be sure. ... I'm at least glad I'm not the only one.

[he takes a long drink of the tea, now that it's cooled enough not to burn his mouth so much]

Interesting decorations we have on these cookies. I think I've just eaten something's ear.

[sorry, Commander Gare-Bear.]