4.9 rant...if MAW can do it so can I....

[JAS_Photo]

But casil's point is strong, technology is making people ruder. Some of the techies I know will text, tweet, check the crackberry/iphone - WHILE they are talking to you. That's bloody rude.

Ha! Ha! Sometimes at cocktail receptions two guys will be standing next to each other both on their BB's texting and I always ask them if they are texting each other!

Well, it's not as annoying as having someone talking loudly on their phone and making everyone in the room privy to their convo whether you want to be or not.

[Michaelaw]

My BB has two functions...It's a telephone and an alarm clock. The phone I use for work mostly to get info from people. I answer it because 90% of the time it's a tech booking somewhere. The darned thing has aps coming out the yinyang, I don't use any of them. I got an e-mail from my service proder the other day saying my BB comes with free text messaging and they notice I'm not using the function. The message came with a link to a texting tutorial. I text three words...Yes,no and OK

[Bambi]

the problem with cell phones and e-mail is that everyone expects an instant response. when I go on vacation I can expect over 100 e-mails on my return. I've gotten smarter: when I see an e-mail I then sort by subject so I can see if it has resolved without me. Most of the time that happens.

But since we are on pet peeves this is what happened to me this week while I was walking the dogs:
Someone calls my cell phone and when I answer they demand "Who's this?". so I ask (reasonable question I think) "who are you looking for?" "I'm looking for my son! Don't tell me that this is the wrong number!" "Well I'm not your son and I don't have him" *click*she hangs up. whatever happened to politeness?

there I feel better.

[Greg_Nuspel]

I hate when someone you are talking to answers their cell half way through a conversation. I have and will walk away when it happens. So many people are slaves to their electronic leash. Once a boss figured I should carry a cell phone at all times, so I suggested $15.00 an hour while it's on is only fair, I think it works out to just short of $100,000.00 per year. He didn't think that was fair so I agreed and suggested $20.00 an hour, I won no leash

[Fortytwo]

LOL! I've owned a smartphone all my life. Well, almost. I started out with a huge Nokia 9110 and I've had these things ever since. But I sure as hell didn't let the damn thing take control of my life. I have no problems with letting it ring of beep without looking at it if I don't feel like it. If it's really important, they'll ring again. I bought my phone to entertain ME when I'm bored, not to give other people instant access to my attention. If I don't want to look at the phone, I'm not going to. It's my life...

[casil403]

I dunno...makes me wonder...how did we ever get along for the last 100 years before we had all this stuff.
Also...these things like smart phones that are supposed to make your work life simpler actually can create more stress, anxiety and cause to some people be away from the rest of the world,their lives, and family even moreso....I hate it when I see parents that take their kids to the zoo or on an outing and are busy texting, checking emails or talking away on the phone and ignoring their children...and the children are sometimes doing the same.
It think the world is seriously heading the wrong way and life now is about disconnecting from people rather than connecting.
Maybe I am just old, but I don't get it.

[Wicked Dark]

It is, but it isn't, I'm reading a biograpy of Ben Franklin and he was a great communictor, the only thing is it seemed to have taken forever to get anything mailed. And if it had to go across the sea, more than forever. Franklin seems to have been somewhat frustrated by it and when he became Postmaster General in Philly, he made a lot of improvements and service speeded up. Couldn't do anything about the Atlantic crossings though.

[Mad Aussie]

...I hate it when I see parents that take their kids to the zoo or on an outing and are busy texting, checking emails or talking away on the phone and ignoring their children...

I agree. But I also see the side that allows the person to actually get out there. In about 2 mins we are out the door for a bike ride. Leanne's Iphone will come along. When we finish the ride (starting and ending from a friends place) Leanne will be able to check in to see if her staff are online and working and have any issues she needs to address before and during our drive home again. If we choose to stay at Paul's for a coffee after the ride she can organize business from there. Without this capability she either wouldn't go for her ride, or, it would be shorter and we'd have to be home earlier.

Some of those parents might be trapped in their jobs and the only way they could take their kids to the zoo was because they had this capability.

Just the other side of that coin is all

[Greg_Nuspel]

I think they are a great tool if used properly. Too many times they are the tail that wags the dog.

How about 3 teens walking down the street and they are all on their cellphones, maybe they are talking to each other

[casil403]

I had 2 people bash into me this morning on my way to the train. I was walking against the flow of an emptying train and had nowhere to go. Neither one had their head up looking where they were going. After #2 I snarled...."For cripes sakes walk with your head UP and look where you are going Gawdammit!"