Atoms, Electrons, and Transistors.

I just signed up with Bell for a new cell phone plan. It was time for a new contract, the years was up. I was with Telus, but decided to go with Bell. I was given a "free" phone with the contract I signed - a blackberry pearl. I can maintain my address book, task list, calendar, check email and make phone calls all on one device. Nice. I'm a little nervous since it is so high tech and it rattles around in my pocket or Oakley briefcase - I don't want it to be damaged. I'm sure if I mess this phone up the next one won't be free.

I've taken enough courses on digital electronics and physics to know what's inside this phone: a whole lot of circuits, integrated circuits, and some analog circuits to communicate with the cell towers. Within each integrated circuit is a bunch (millions) of transistors. There are two types of transistors (at least since I last learned about this) they are NPN-type and PNP-types. One switches a little differently than the other. Each transistor has silicon and other impurities (depending on P or N type).

Take it another level lower, the silicon and the P or N doping each have electrons and atoms that make up the structure of it. Now within this bottom level structure of this phone, are elements that have been captured, controlled and modified to do what we want it to. Then when I sighed the 3 year contract, I declared the phone is mine (someone has to pay the monthly bill). But the question is who owns the atoms? Who owns the electrons? Who put them there? And if there were no atoms, what would I own?

Another question I have is who makes the N-type or P-type transistor behave the same way each time a +5 volt (1) or ground (0) is applied to it? Why is it so consistent that when I call home I get home and I don't get your cell phone? Or why the keypad keeps working the same way I press a button? Who is behind the curtain keeping everything consistent? What if that person took a smoke break? What would happen then?

props to How Stuff Works for the pic