Hey Dickface . . . nice Bluetooth earpiece

[Roboto]

I see you there with your Robocop-ish hearing aid . . . that flashing blue light sure does make you look important. And I can tell how much you enjoy the confusion you cause by speaking on the phone without holding a phone to your ear. Everyone around you thinks you're trying to talk to them, but you're not . . . you're just extremely important and you ARE talking on the phone, only with super special technology that only super special people should use.

Now your hands are free to kick your own ass for being such a dickface/douchebag. Nice work. Next time I see you, we'll see if the earpiece will stay in position even after you are slapped really hard in the face . . .

[D_Odds]

I like my bluetooth headset. I like having both my hands available for typing, taking notes, carrying items, etc. when I'm talking on the phone. Granted, I loathe talking on the phone, so do it as little as possible, and I hate for others to overhear my conversations, so it evens out. It's very convenient when driving, more so than the wired headsets, IMO.

[Kalhoun]

I think they're great when you're actually multitasking. But when I see a guy Bluetoothing while walking down the street or on a train, I want to slap 'em. You no longer look like Mr. Busy Guy. You look a lot more like Mr. Pretentious Dude.

[Lightnin']

I think they're great when you're actually multitasking. But when I see a guy Bluetoothing while walking down the street or on a train, I want to slap 'em. You no longer look like Mr. Busy Guy. You look a lot more like Mr. Pretentious Dude.

Get used to it. Before too long we'll have implanted phones, and everyone will walk around talking to themselves. There's no way to stop it.

[aclubs]

It's particularly annoying because the bluetooth earpiece is so small, you can't see it from the opposite side of the head. So it quite literally looks like Mr Bluetooth is talking to himself or to you.

[Antinor01]

I would agree that they are very handy. The people that look stupid and pretentious are the ones that wear the earpiece all the time.

[TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW]

I did the end-all, be-all thread on this subject a year ago. (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=342450&highlight=douche+earpiece)

[Jackmannii]

Before too long we'll have implanted phones, and everyone will walk around talking to themselves. Hell, they do it now.

I can see how implanting phones would catch on in a big way. Once they're small enough you could do it in newborns, while at the same time sticking in ID chips and a homing device in case the kid is ever lost or abducted.

[hajario]

I love my blue tooth. You can get one for like $80 so it's not like they're only for the super rich. I use it when driving or when I am walking the dog or in the house. I don't use it when I am around others and I sure as hell don't wear the thing when I am not using it like a few of my co-workers do. Still, I do love my blue tooth.

[Gangster Octopus]

I find it annoying that folks appear to be talking to themselves or to you when they are on the phone. But while I feel these folks have a lack of social politeness, I never got the impression that these folks were snobs or pretentious or self-important or whatever. Where does that idea come from?

[Antinor01]

I find it annoying that folks appear to be talking to themselves or to you when they are on the phone. But while I feel these folks have a lack of social politeness, I never got the impression that these folks were snobs or pretentious or self-important or whatever. Where does that idea come from?

For me it comes from them wearing it constantly when they are not on the phone. It gives the appearance that an urgent phone call could come in at ANY SECOND and they MUST be available to answer it right that instant. That's the pretention, that they are so important that they have to be available all the time and they want you to know it.

[Syntropy]

Um...just about every phone that you upgrade to now is bluetooth compatible. It isn't super-special technology. It's normal. And I like being able to have both hands on the wheel, thankyewverymuch.

Get used to it. Before too long we'll have implanted phones, and everyone will walk around talking to themselves. There's no way to stop it.
Somebody besides me watches Dr. Who.

[Omegaman]

I see you there with your Robocop-ish hearing aid . . . that flashing blue light sure does make you look important. And I can tell how much you enjoy the confusion you cause by speaking on the phone without holding a phone to your ear. Everyone around you thinks you're trying to talk to them, but you're not . . . you're just extremely important and you ARE talking on the phone, only with super special technology that only super special people should use.

Now your hands are free to kick your own ass for being such a dickface/douchebag. Nice work. Next time I see you, we'll see if the earpiece will stay in position even after you are slapped really hard in the face . . .

I only use mine in the car as it's the only place when I need to use both

hands for something else . I've got to admit though , you sound reaally scary

with that slapping someone really hard in the face thing . :D

[drachillix]

For me it comes from them wearing it constantly when they are not on the phone. It gives the appearance that an urgent phone call could come in at ANY SECOND and they MUST be available to answer it right that instant. That's the pretention, that they are so important that they have to be available all the time and they want you to know it.

Well since I am self employed and my business phones are routed to my cell 90% of the time, yes I DO have to be available all the time. I have only recieved a handful of messages requesting service in the last 15 months, the rest of the time, they hang up. So fuck you and your presumed pretention, for me its called paying the bills. Since I am an onsite PC tech being able to use a screwdriver or type and the phone are huge bonues.

[D_Odds]

For me it comes from them wearing it constantly when they are not on the phone. I do that in the car, or if I'm actually waiting for a phone call. Otherwise, I usually just sit it on my desk on top of my phone, with the annoying, flashing blue light facing down.

[Antinor01]

I do that in the car, or if I'm actually waiting for a phone call. Otherwise, I usually just sit it on my desk on top of my phone, with the annoying, flashing blue light facing down.

On behalf of those of us that are sick of seeing the damn things everywhere, thank you. :)

[Antinor01]

Well since I am self employed and my business phones are routed to my cell 90% of the time, yes I DO have to be available all the time. I have only recieved a handful of messages requesting service in the last 15 months, the rest of the time, they hang up. So fuck you and your presumed pretention, for me its called paying the bills. Since I am an onsite PC tech being able to use a screwdriver or type and the phone are huge bonues.

Entirely different thing. You're actively at work, not strolling down the sidewalk. Or like one girl I know, having lunch with friends. Or like several other people I know who make it a point to mention how important their phone calls are when I know damn good and well they aren't.

Your having your hands free to type or use a screwdriver on a PC hardly qualifies under what I mentioned.

[Onomatopoeia]

A couple of you folks really need to get over yourselves. You want to physically assault someone because they're out in public, minding their b-i-bidness, speaking on their own phone via an unobtrusive convenience device designed specifically for such use? Really? This is what annoys you?

If witnessing a bluetoother engulfed in a seeming schizophrenic fugue actually impacts your life in any meaningful way then I'd say you have a few pressing personal issues to look into?

[duffer]

I do that in the car, or if I'm actually waiting for a phone call. Otherwise, I usually just sit it on my desk on top of my phone, with the annoying, flashing blue light facing down.


Well at least I know who you aren't. Good Lord, we had a Supervisor that would wear the damn thing even though personal cell phones weren't allowed to be used while on the clock. Going for coffee? Wearing it. Bathroom? Wearing it. Headed for a conference? Wearing it. All the while the phone is off and in his desk drawer.

Pretentious douche. We loved laughing at him.

Good to know you use it when needed and pretty much leave it at that. kinda refreshing

[Miller]

I'm not feeling the outrage on this one. It's a more convenient phone. So what? People wear it on their ear all the time. Well, if it's comfortable, maybe that's just the most convenient place to keep it. People are trying to look more important by projecting the image that they could get an important call at any minute. Aside from specific cases like the guy duffer works with, how do you know they aren't? And anyway, how is that different from just owning a cell phone?

Meh. In ten years, you'll all be wearing them, too.

[Fat Chance]

Well since I am self employed and my business phones are routed to my cell 90% of the time, yes I DO have to be available all the time. I have only recieved a handful of messages requesting service in the last 15 months, the rest of the time, they hang up. So fuck you and your presumed pretention, for me its called paying the bills. Since I am an onsite PC tech being able to use a screwdriver or type and the phone are huge bonues.

So, the phone rings and you answer and put the headpiece in. Nobody says you can't be available by cell phone at all time, but to wear the flashing fucking blue light 24 hours a day (all real things I've seen):
- Out to dinner with your wife
- While bench pressing at the gym
- While grocery shopping
- While using a urinal in a public bathroom
- While working your job at the gas station counter

Is a sign that you are a self-important asshole.

If you really walk around all day wherever you go (like alot of people) waiting for that call, then you are just showing off.

[Vinyl Turnip]

If witnessing a bluetoother engulfed in a seeming schizophrenic fugue actually impacts your life in any meaningful way then I'd say you have a few pressing personal issues to look into?

What's more disturbing to me (and this has happened to me at least twice on mass transit) is that now I assume a person sitting alone, babbling to him/herself, is having a cell conversation----until I notice that neither ear features an earpiece, and the "conversation" consists of jumbled words that, while recognizably English, make absolutely no sense whatsoever.

So yeah, in the one case it's fucking annoying, and in the other, startling and a bit scary. Neither one especially desirable.

[Patty O'Furniture]

Meh. In ten years, you'll all be wearing them, too.

Prepare to be assimilated!

I've always thought they made people look somewhat Borg-like. In fact one of the first people I ever saw wearing one as though it was a piece of jewelry was a nasty robotic slave driver team leader where I used to work. One day I took special notice of it and remarked to her "You know, Borg actually works on you!"

I don't think she understood the reference.

[Vinyl Turnip]

Oh, and for full disclosure: my wife recently bought one of these goddamned things, and has been wearing it around the house, while we eat, or watch movies, et cetera. Claims it doesn't bother her to have the cyborg apparatus hanging from her lobe. I haven't looked for a divorce lawyer yet, but I do foresee some heated negotiations in our immediate future.

[Kimstu]

What's more disturbing to me (and this has happened to me at least twice on mass transit) is that now I assume a person sitting alone, babbling to him/herself, is having a cell conversation----until I notice that neither ear features an earpiece, and the "conversation" consists of jumbled words that, while recognizably English, make absolutely no sense whatsoever.

That's why I like those earpiece thingies, although I have no plans to get one myself, and I certainly don't think that if I did have one I'd want to keep it on all the time. But they give us talkers-to-ourselves-on-mass-transit a convenient momentary camouflage of normality. So I'm rooting for everybody else to get one. :)

[Fat Chance]

Oh, and for full disclosure: my wife recently bought one of these goddamned things, and has been wearing it around the house, while we eat, or watch movies, et cetera. Claims it doesn't bother her to have the cyborg apparatus hanging from her lobe. I haven't looked for a divorce lawyer yet, but I do foresee some heated negotiations in our immediate future.

That is exactly what I am talking about. If you are actually talking on the phone, fine, use the earpiece.

But to sit around with it attached to your head tells me 2 things: 1) I am showing off my supposed coolness, and 2) any concievable possible random phone call is more important than you, even though are sitting right in front of me.

[hajario]

But to sit around with it attached to your head tells me 2 things: 1) I am showing off my supposed coolness, and 2) any concievable possible random phone call is more important than you, even though are sitting right in front of me.

How about 3) They forgot that they had it on. I've done that a few times.

[Freudian Push Up Bra]

Bluetooth pieces don't irritate me that much - if you want to wear it, I'm not exactly in a position to get angry about it. What irritated me is when I can hear someone's conversation loud and clear...and we're not even in the same room. I was having my sleep in this morning and when I woke up, I realised I could here someone talking outside.

A woman was on her mobile phone and I could hear every single word she was saying and she was in the next building. She was sitting on her balcony, having a cuppa while on the phone to a family member, judging by the conversation (I really could hear everything) and I could still hear her when I closed the window. She wasn't yelling, but her voice was just really loud.

Some people don't have personal volume controls and when that's combined with cell-phones, Bluetooth or not, it's pretty damn irritating for everyone around them. So I'd be more inclined to pit an asshole who is screaming at his subordinates out in public over the phone, rather than someone with a borg-like attachment that is only there for show. That said, I'd be pretty damned annoyed if someone always wore it, like Vinyl Turnip's wife.

[Hippy Hollow]

How about 3) They forgot that they had it on. I've done that a few times.
Not only that, they're small buggers with no cord - easy to lose or drop between the cushions, or get smashed by your keys. They are quite unobtrusive so why not leave it on?

I agree it is exceedingly unprofessional to wear in a meeting or when you're talking to someone for an extended period of time. But if they're not interacting with you directly, why the fuck would you care? Loudness is because of the weird feeling of talking into... nothing. We're so used to having a microphone to speak into, when we don't see it we assume we need to talk louder. In a few years we'll have adapted to the sensation.

People with bad breath, those who slurp their coffee, and those whose iPods can be heard by those nearby are just as annoying, but I can't be arsed to pit them.

The blue light annoys even me, the user. They could come up with a more subtle indicator, I agree.

[OttoDaFe]

Somebody besides me watches Dr. Who.Or The President's Analyst (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062153/).

[mhendo]

I thought about getting a bluetooth headset and walking around with it all day.

Then i decided it would probably be cheaper and easier to get "Total Wanker" tattooed on my forehead. It's permanent, won't fall off or wash off, and does just as good a job as the headset of conveying my persona to the world.






Note: like others in this thread, i'm not objecting to the technology per se; only to those who wear it like it's a piece of jewelry, whether or not they're actually using it.

[OneCentStamp]

It's about like people in 1982 wearing one of those toaster-sized pagers on their belt and glancing at it every two minutes so that people would go, "Whoa, he must be a doctor!" :rolleyes:

[Nanoda]

The only person I know who has one is my boss... I've got to let that slide for him, 'cause he's in and out of the office quite often, and has to talk to way more people than I'd ever want to in a day.

It's fairly easy to tell if he's talking to you (it's different speaking to a programmer as opposed to a rig manager), but it is annoying going in to his office to speak to him. You sorta sidle in making those "are you on the phone, 'cause if you aren't I'd like a moment" hand gestures, all the while staring at the flashing blue light, which seems to flash at random intervals whether the user is on the phone or not.

I'd forgotten until I read the other thread though; we could do without incidents such as:
I was in the bathroom at a bar last week, when the guy next to me taking a wizz started yakking. At first I thought he was overly friendly, then crazy, but then he turned around and had one of those things on.

[Loopydude]

I must be getting old. It's taking me way too long to catch on. I still find myself looking at the guy having an animated conversation with apparently nobody and thinking "Aw, man, that's really sad. Whose brilliant idea was mainstreaming, anyway?"

Only then do I remember it's just a cell phone. Gets me every time.

(This of course only happens when I can't see the headset.)

[CanvasShoes]

I don't have a dog in this fight, I don't own a Bluetooth. I do have a semi-funny story about answering a guy who was only talking on his bluetooth (or Razr, isn't that another brand that has the earpiece thingie?).

My coworker and I got into the elevator one morning heading out to do some fieldwork. The guy who was already in the elevator said loudly and cheerfully "hey! How're YOU doing?".

My coworker and I both turned to him and said "Hi!, great! how're you?". The guy gives us the FUNNIEST look and then says "yeah, I'm in the elevator, I'm on my way to meet you, blah blah blah.....".

We both just cracked up. But the earpiece guy wasn't amused. Okay so he WAS a little pretentious, or more likely clueless.

But otherwise, for most earpiece users?

IMHO, likely leaving it on, especially if one is moving about a lot, is more convenient and comfortable than ...

....getting a phone call, digging it out of the pocket and putting it on, hanging up, putting it back in the pocket to avoid appearing as if you are "important", getting another phone call, digging it back out of your pocket, putting it on, hanging up, putting it back in the pocket to avoid appearing important....and so on.

I think there are some people in this thread getting way too overwrought and making some pretty big assumptions (that they are worn in order to look important). I'll bet a steak dinner that most people simply leave them there in the same way one leaves a set of sunglasses on top of one's head. Because it's convenient, comfortable and most folks forget they are there after a very short time.

As long as they're reasonably quiet and don't do the shouting into the phone thing (that IS rude, clueless, OH so "look at me I'm important, and deserves all the ridicule a person can through at it), otherwise, so what?

[Onomatopoeia]

Note: like others in this thread, i'm not objecting to the technology per se; only to those who wear it like it's a piece of jewelry, whether or not they're actually using it.What I truly don't understand is why this would bother anyone. Who the heck cares if these people are being pretentious? Your being annoyed to the point of seeming to take personal offense strikes me as sticking one's nose where it definitely doesn't belong. Perhaps the bluetoother is an insecure, attention-seeking, over-compensatory muttonhead. So what? Let him/her live a delusion if it makes them feel better about themselves.

[MovieMogul]

What depresses me is how many people in this thread have mentioned using it while driving, as if by having both hands free to talk automatically stops you from being a menace on the road for the rest of us.

[Baldwin]

Sometimes I'm behind people at the checkout who are blathering away on their phone (sometimes having what really should be private discussions) and ignoring the human being standing behind the counter. Why does somebody on the other end of an electronic connection become more important than the person standing two feet away from you?

But what really bothers me in this thread is the number of people who apparently have a habit of talking on the phone while driving. Don't do this, because I don't want you running into me because you ran a red light while yakking on the phone. You might as well have a couple of drinks while you're at it.

[CanvasShoes]

What depresses me is how many people in this thread have mentioned using it while driving, as if by having both hands free to talk automatically stops you from being a menace on the road for the rest of us.

Slight hijack...

How is talking handsfree on the phone any different than being in a conversation with your passenger(s), or listening to an amusing or interesting radio program?

Millions of drivers manage to do those things without being a menace and they pose the same risks of distraction to the driver (however large or small those risks might actually be).

With that type of logic, it seems that some people think drivers should sit motionless, stare straight ahead, no radio, no comments from or to passengers allowed, no looking at anything but the road and vehicles in front and in the mirrors and only complete and utter silence and dedication to the cause of driving.

[Gala Matrix Fire]

If you're going to wear such a thing and carry on phone conversations in public, don't then interrupt your phone conversation to ask me a question. I'm going to assume you are talking to your phone friend and ignore you. Don't get mad at me.

[Sherwin Nuland]

If the phone was implanted, how could I know that the person had the newest model and not the one that came out six months ago? I like being able to tell who has the best technology and who is not worth my time.

Its like if you go over to someone's house and they have a regular DVD player. You know it is time to excuss yourself and never talk to that person until they get a Blu-Ray.

[Revenant Threshold]

Blast you, attentive mods. I was just setting up a Pit thread for him.

[Clothahump]

I see you there with your Robocop-ish hearing aid . . . that flashing blue light sure does make you look important.

Hey, lighten up. It's not their fault.

The Borg tried to assimilate them, but ran out of parts before they could finish the job.




:D

[MovieMogul]

Slight hijack...

How is talking handsfree on the phone any different than being in a conversation with your passenger(s),Fellow passengers are usually aware of unusual or hazardous driving conditions and generally understand how they might act as distractions. Someone on the phone is not going to be cognizant of this and will treat the conversation differently.or listening to an amusing or interesting radio program?Amusing radio programs are not interactive. But don't just take my word for it: (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/12/051209113320.htm)Lien said the study can be applied to the real world, especially to drivers who talk on cell phones. On the surface, she said, it appears that drivers are trying to accomplish just two tasks – driving and conversing. But each task is complicated and multi-faceted, greatly increasing the "cost" of switching. The result: inattention and slow reaction times.

"A lot of people think talking on the cell phone while driving is natural, but each time someone asks a question or changes the subject, it's like taking on a new task," Lien said. "It requires a certain amount of thought and preparation. It's actually quite different than listening to the radio, where you don't need to respond.

"And it's also different from talking to a passenger in the vehicle," she added. "In most cases, a passenger can observe when there is a dangerous traffic situation and keep quiet. But someone calling you on a cell phone won't have a clue."Millions of drivers manage to do those things without being a menace and they pose the same risks of distraction to the driver (however large or small those risks might actually be).Oh really--the same risks? I'm going to need a cite.With that type of logic, it seems that some people think drivers should sit motionless, stare straight ahead, no radio, no comments from or to passengers allowed, no looking at anything but the road and vehicles in front and in the mirrors and only complete and utter silence and dedication to the cause of drivingReeeaaally nice straw man. Nobody is asserting any such thing. :rolleyes: But some activities are proven to be more inherently dangerous than others. Sure, someone could allow themselves to be distracted by music or eating and cause an accident. But cell phones (not just "talking") are still in another category.More (http://www.engadget.com/2005/07/12/new-study-says-headsets-dont-make-cellphone-driving-safer/) Cites (http://www.iii.org/media/hottopics/insurance/cellphones/) to (http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health/feeds/hscout/2006/06/29/hscout533489.html) peruse (http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/discoveries/2006-08-13-cell-car_x.htm):Motorists who use cell phones while driving are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves, according to a study of drivers in Perth, Australia, conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The results, published in July, 2005, suggest that banning hand-held phone use won't necessarily improve safety if drivers simply switch to hand-free phones. The study found that injury crash risk didn't vary with type of phone.

Many studies have shown that using hand-held cell phones while driving can constitute a hazardous distraction. However, the theory that hands-free sets are safer has been challenged by the findings of several studies. A study from researchers at the University of Utah, published in the summer 2006 issue of Human Factors, the quarterly journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, concludes that talking on a cell phone while driving is as dangerous as driving drunk, even if the phone is a hands-free model. An earlier study by researchers at the university found that motorists who talked on hands-free cell phones were 18 percent slower in braking and took 17 percent longer to regain the speed they lost when they braked.
.A new Australian study has confirmed what many anecdotal reports have said for years: driving when talking on a cellphone is dangerous, even if you're using a headset. The study — the first to cross-reference actual crash data with call logs — found that "there is no safety advantage associated with switching to the types of hands-free devices that are commonly in use." The results are likely to add fuel to the ongoing debate about banning cellphone usage by drivers; "[legislators are] most convinced by the tombstone count," one expert told The New York Times." Given the number of drivers we still see using handheld phones in states where it's already illegal to do so, we somehow don't think changing the law will make much of a difference"We found an increased accident rate when people were conversing on the cell phone," Drews said. Drivers on cell phones were 5.36 times more likely to get in an accident than non-distracted drivers, the researchers found. The phone users fared even worse than the inebriated, the Utah team found....

"We have seen again and again that there is no difference between hands-free and hand-held devices," Drews said. "The problem is the conversation," he added...

Tyson pointed out that talking on the phone is very different than talking to the person in the passenger seat. "If you are engaged in a conversation with a passenger, the passenger has some situational awareness, whereas a person on the phone has no idea what you are dealing with on the road," he said.Talking on a cellphone while driving sharply reduces brain activity needed to keep track of road conditions and leads drivers to gaze at things without their brains actually seeing them, according to a psychologist at the University of Utah.
Hands-free phones pose the same safety hazards as handheld phones, says psychologist David Strayer, who presented his findings Thursday at the American Psychological Association meeting in New Orleans. His findings were based on lab studies using driving machines with about 500 adults. Among the key findings:

• Conversations with passengers reduce a driver's attention, but they aren't as unsafe as talking on a phone. "Passengers tend to help the driver if they see something hazardous. They might point it out or at least stop talking," Strayer says.

• Studies show that talking on a cellphone cuts a driver's brain activity in half in a key area of the brain needed for noticing traffic conditions.

• Eye-tracking studies show that when drivers eyeball objects on a road, they're much less likely to recall seeing something if they're on the phone at the same time. "They're as blind to dumpsters along the road as to a child running across the street," Strayer says.

The brain has a limited capacity for attention, so whatever is siphoned off by a phone conversation is subtracted from attention for driving, he says.

[RogueRacer]

I don't have a dog in this fight, I don't own a Bluetooth. I do have a semi-funny story about answering a guy who was only talking on his bluetooth (or Razr, isn't that another brand that has the earpiece thingie?).
Just a little clarification. Bluetooth is a wireless technology. A Motorola RAZR is a phone that has Bluetooth capability.

[Cluricaun]

Sometimes I'm behind people at the checkout who are blathering away on their phone (sometimes having what really should be private discussions) and ignoring the human being standing behind the counter.

I've invented a device for use in this exact situation. It consists of an 18" hickory wood handle, with a metal head on it, one side ending in a flat knob, and the other ending in a rounded knob. I've heard some people say it reminds them of a ball peen hammer. I call it the "Commerce Accelerator".

[Otto]

Or The President's Analyst (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062153/).
Or Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

[DoctorJ]

My boss just got one of these infernal things, and he wears it almost all the time around the office. (In his defense, he gets several dozen phone calls every day.)

The problem is that I never know if he's on the phone or not. Sometimes I'll start talking to him only to realize he's mid-conversation with somebody.

[lissener]

I skip over people in line if they come to the register talking on the phone. I'll help the next person. It's fucking rude.

[madmonk28]

I just have to ask all the people who say they like the things so they can have both hands on the wheel: why do you need to talk to anyone while you drive. Are you in contact with the control tower? Are you still unsure how to drive and need to call tech support? The only time I need to talk on the phone and drive is when I get lost (maybe once a year).

[drachillix]

I just have to ask all the people who say they like the things so they can have both hands on the wheel: why do you need to talk to anyone while you drive.

Also applies to my post. I am self employed and I answer my own phones. It is way easier to talk on bluetooth than try to juggle a phone while you drive.

[JillGat]

My anger/annoyance is probably a bit out of proportion to the crime, but I do really hate the bluetooth and cellphone thing. REALLY hate them.

And no, you do NOT need to talk on the phone while you are driving a car. That is ridiculous.

[Martini Enfield]

And no, you do NOT need to talk on the phone while you are driving a car. That is ridiculous.

Oh? And why not?

[Lissa]

Can I make one request that I hope we can all agree on?

Please take it off when going class.

[madmonk28]

Oh? And why not?
uh, there's evidence it makes you more likely to crash and kill people (look upthread)?

[handmelder]

I'm Self-employed and I use a Cel phone as my one and only phone.I also have a slight hearing loss so my bluetooth comes in really handy as the regular handset is worthless. And I'm really grateful I don't have to contend with some snarled piece if wire with a slug of plastic on the end of it to forever adjust so I can hear the client speaking. I really don't understand why bluetooth found it necessarary to put the freakin' blue light in the thing, although I suspect it's for a better headshot! I hate having an electronic tether but I find the greatest assault on a persons space is to have to hear your asinine ringtone of of the moments fleeting cool jingle. I NEVER have an audible ringer on my phone,if i'm receiving an incoming call I hear a tone from my bluetooth and I answer when convenient or If it's important they leave a message, If not I call back and politely introduce myself and ask if I may help them. the earpiece is comfortable and I never have to hunt for it,I don't suffer from such low self-esteem that a gadget can elevate me above the great unwashed, I take care of that by doing esteemable acts and practicing some basic mental hygene ( like not telling myself somebody's better than I am because they use a tool I don't have) please , try to at least go rent a life if you can't build one for yourself.

[duffer]

Can I make one request that I hope we can all agree on?

Please take it off when going class.

Are you out of your mind?!? Who the hell are you to dictate to the rest of us where you can and cannot wear the thing? Those people wearing it "need" it just as much as the other people that NEED it! (Definitions may vary and will be posted once we figure out the mileage attained from any given model.) Sorry, had to do it. :)

For some people it's a great convenience (evidenced in this thread) with practical uses, for others it's a fashion statement equal to a nose or eyebrow ring.

One is tolerable (opinion, whatever), one is just annoying.

Lissa, I am disappointed in you. I thought you were more open-minded than this. How can you possibly segregate Bluetooth users from your exclusionary little world? They are people, too! Stop spreading the hate and embrace the diversity of self-important douchebags.

Hell, you haven't banned me, right?*



















*Um, right? :D

[Martini Enfield]

uh, there's evidence it makes you more likely to crash and kill people (look upthread)?

So does drinking even one alcoholic drink and driving, but that's not illegal for most people.

I can think of many reasons why I might want to make a phone call in the car, FWIW. Most of them should be fairly self evident to anyone with a cellphone and/or a driver's licence.

[madmonk28]

So does drinking even one alcoholic drink and driving, but that's not illegal for most people.

I can think of many reasons why I might want to make a phone call in the car, FWIW. Most of them should be fairly self evident to anyone with a cellphone and/or a driver's licence.
I didn't say anything about making it illegal. Something doesn't have to be illegal to be a bad idea (and many good ideas are illegal for that matter).

I have a driver's license and a cell phone and other than being lost and calling for directions(which I already mentioned), I don't know why you need to talk and drive. In fact I remember driving before cell phones and it seemed to be work out just fine. If someone is lost so often that they need constant verbal directions to get from A to B maybe they shouldn't be driving.

[Epimetheus]

How is talking on a cell phone with a hands free unit any worse than having a conversation with your passenger? I never see people pitting those that talk to their passenger while driving. What a double standard.

I think people that bitch about what others do because they don't ever do it, or can't understand why others would is ridiculous and inconsiderate to boot.

[Epimetheus]

In fact I remember driving before cell phones and it seemed to be work out just fine.

Ah, I remember years before the internet and message boards, and it seemed to work out just fine. Perhaps you should give it up. I don't see why you have to sit and post messages.

[Mama Tiger]

My husband has employees working 24/7 running computers at a hospital, and it doesn't matter what time of the day or night it is, he gets calls on his cell phone when there's a problem -- the label printer in the inpatient pharmacy crashes, the stat lab connection goes wonky, etc., etc. And although he often works 12-hour days already, he still gets calls to and from other work folks, and often nonstop for an hour or two after he comes home, because hospitals don't just stop running at 3:00.

So yes, he wears a bluetooth headset in the car. And yes, he needs to take the calls. If he stayed at work to answer all the calls, he'd be putting in 15-hour days every day, or sometimes might as well just move in his office and stay there. Frankly, the only way to even try to have a life most weekdays is to put on the headset and hit the car and get out in the godawful traffic. Or on weekends, or in the middle of the night -- he even gets calls occasionally when he's on vacation because there's a crisis and the person who's supposed to be on call isn't answering their phone. And yes, the on-call person gets in trouble later, but in the meantime there's still a problem that the hospital needs solved sooner rather than later, and if he's the only one available, so be it. (And no, they don't pay him enough for the aggravation!)

Just because you only need to use the phone in the car to get directions doesn't mean no one else has any important reason to be contacted just because they're between locations.

[madmonk28]

Ah, I remember years before the internet and message boards, and it seemed to work out just fine. Perhaps you should give it up. I don't see why you have to sit and post messages.

What an odd and pointless comment.

[Canadjun]

How is talking on a cell phone with a hands free unit any worse than having a conversation with your passenger? I never see people pitting those that talk to their passenger while driving. What a double standard.
Scroll back to post #44 of this thread.
I think people that bitch about what others do because they don't ever do it, or can't understand why others would is ridiculous and inconsiderate to boot.
People bitch because they see so many people paying more attention to their cell phone conversations than they are to their driving. There might be a few cases as some have suggested where someone's work life is so hectic that they need to use a cell phone while driving, but if only those people were guilty of it I doubt there would be many complaints. Will the world really come to an end if you let someone calling you leave a message on voice-mail and you take 5 minutes to pull over and call them back?

[Epimetheus]

Scroll back to post #44 of this thread.

People bitch because they see so many people paying more attention to their cell phone conversations than they are to their driving. There might be a few cases as some have suggested where someone's work life is so hectic that they need to use a cell phone while driving, but if only those people were guilty of it I doubt there would be many complaints. Will the world really come to an end if you let someone calling you leave a message on voice-mail and you take 5 minutes to pull over and call them back?

Yes, because pulling over on a highway in a non-emergency situation in my state can get you a ticket. Driving on said highway while talking to somebody that called me, doesn't have that risk.

And I don't do things just because I NEED to. I do them because I want to, or like to. This world is a faster moving world than the one you may be used to. People like convenience and they like to stay connected.

All of you bitching pretty are pretty much doing what the older generation have alway done, be it the damn younger generations walk-mans, new fangled cars with stereos, MP3 players, or whatever new thing you aren't used to.

Personally I am tired of hearing people bitch about cell phones in general. Some have a legitimate complaint, like those standing in line chatting. Driving down a highway talking on your cell phone isn't the end of the world. People have different priorities, and staying connected to people while out and about is one for many people, no matter how recent the trend is. FWIW, I am only sick of it, because my Dad is one of those that bitch and complain anytime he sees somebody talking on a cell phone, no matter where. He has a cell phone, and occasionally uses it, but to him, OTHER people using a cell phone is bad. :rolleyes:


What an odd and pointless comment.


Exactly, and your comment was no less odd or pointless. Just because you have gotten by without something in the past, is no reason to assume it should be done without in the present. If you can't see that the two are similar, then you need to re-evaluate your opinion.

[Epimetheus]

Just because you only need to use the phone in the car to get directions doesn't mean no one else has any important reason to be contacted just because they're between locations.

See, I think this is the problems with many of the people in this thread. They are selfish, self-centered people that seem to think how and why they do things a certain way is the way everybody should. They either lack imagination or empathy, and can't see past their own little box of a life and consider that other people may have legitimate reasons (even aside from work) for talking on a cell phone (or doing any number of other things).

How the hell do you know that the person talking on their cell phone while driving down the road isn't talking to somebody that is having an emergency, a relative in a hospital, or that they were driving to work and a friend called and said they had a flat tire.

Why pull over on the side of the road to answer the cell phone, when with a bluetooth ear piece, you don't have to cause traffic problems or be late wherever you are going?

Also, sometimes a 4 hour drive on a highway is made much more fun by calling a friend and chatting for a couple hours. And most highway driving doesn't take so much concentration you can't have a phone conversation.

[Canadjun]

Yes, because pulling over on a highway in a non-emergency situation in my state can get you a ticket. Driving on said highway while talking to somebody that called me, doesn't have that risk.
And not pulling over can get people killed. OK - So maybe your caller would need to wait 15 minutes rather than the 5 I suggested to you can get stop in a safe and non-ticketable area. As I said, read post 44 of this thread.

[Epimetheus]

And not pulling over can get people killed. OK - So maybe your caller would need to wait 15 minutes rather than the 5 I suggested to you can get stop in a safe and non-ticketable area. As I said, read post 44 of this thread.

It has no more risk of getting you killed than talking to your passenger. Probably less of a risk, since when you are talking on a phone you aren't looking over at them constantly.

Yet how many people do you see bitching about people having conversations with their passenger? I have never seen such a thing. Yet it is obviously more dangerous than a cell phone (much more dangerous than a cell phone with a hands free earpiece).

Now, I realize that dialing and talking on a cell phone without a hands free unit is dangerous and stupid. But that isn't what this is about. You are apparently saying a bluetooth earpiece is as dangerous as not having one, which is bullshit. And it is even less dangerous if you have voice activated dialing.

[Canadjun]

Did you read post 44 on this thread?

[Omegaman]

I just have to ask all the people who say they like the things so they can have both hands on the wheel: why do you need to talk to anyone while you drive. Are you in contact with the control tower? Are you still unsure how to drive and need to call tech support? The only time I need to talk on the phone and drive is when I get lost (maybe once a year).


I guess that it's because my Lovely and Wonderful Wife feels the need to make

sure I'm not banging one of her friends like a screen door in a hurricane . If it

was just my passenger side paw , we would all know what I'm doing :D

[Epimetheus]

For some reason I had missed post 44, probably because of a habit of skipping a post that hast a whole lot of quoted text with no comments underneath. A bad habit I admit.

However, I'm not convinced by it.

Especially this tidbit:


"And it's also different from talking to a passenger in the vehicle," she added. "In most cases, a passenger can observe when there is a dangerous traffic situation and keep quiet. But someone calling you on a cell phone won't have a clue."


Not so. SOME passengers may observe if there is a dangerous traffic situation, but rarely is this ever the case. At least in my experience. Most passengers barely even pay attention to traffic situations, let alone stop talking unless there is something serious going on, like sudden sharp breaking.

And even so, talking on the phone is not always a two way thing. Sometimes talking on the phone is listening to the other person. Also, there is the adaption of conversation styles with the advent of the cell phone. People used to sit around chatting and focusing on the conversation, but newer conversations tend to be disjointed and often repeated.

Now some people may be irresponsible and keep talking and thinking about what they are doing, but I, and many people I now, are fully capable of stopping talking mid-sentence and forgetting whatever was going on that second. We also are responsible for prioritizing our thoughts and attention. When I am talking on a cell phone, most of my attention is on the road, and the conversation comes secondary.


At any rate, none of the studies are taken seriously that legislation is taken against driving and talking on the cell phone, and that speaks volumes. If it were as dangerous as many old curmudgeons such as yourself say it is, there would be such legislation in effect.

Personally I despise people that bitch about it as much as you apparently despise people that talk and drive. I don't personally have a bluetooth piece, nor do I talk and drive (except on a non-busy highway during a long trip, and when I do, I still pay attention, even if it annoys the other person that I am not responsive to their conversation), but I do get tired of hearing old fuddy duddies bitch and moan about how the younger generation talks on the cell phones, and bitch about how dependent on computers they are, or why they walk around with MP3 players plugged in all the time.

If there is any reasons 70 years as a lifespan is good enough, this should be the main reason. Just to stop hearing about how some stupid 50 year old drives should be the only way. Good, keep bitching, in 20 years you will be gone, and it will be the norm. No matter how much you bitch, it ain't going to stop.

[jsgoddess]

One of the first things many shy people have to learn when it comes to overcoming their shyness is that other people aren't thinking about them that much, aren't judging them, aren't paying that much attention.

And then threads like this prove the exact opposite.

[CanvasShoes]

With that type of logic, it seems that some people think drivers should sit motionless, stare straight ahead, no radio, no comments from or to passengers allowed, no looking at anything but the road and vehicles in front and in the mirrors and only complete and utter silence and dedication to the cause of driving

Reeeaaally nice straw man. Nobody is asserting any such thing.
I didn't say they were. I said "seems that some think that".

[quote]But some activities are proven to be more inherently dangerous than others. Sure, someone could allow themselves to be distracted by music or eating and cause an accident. But cell phones (not just "talking") are still in another category.
Other sites read and noted. I would be interested in seeing studies that compared drivers who had other distractions in the vehicle (driver eating and drinking lunch, screaming children, arguing spouses, coworkers talking project and business, etc) other than cell phones and then seeing what the actual percentage was. Your cites didn't say what the control (if any) consisted of.

IOW, if the control drivers were my aforementioned totally silent drivers alone in the vehicle. If they did in fact compare drivers involved in other distractions, what were they? And what were the percentages there?

[CanvasShoes]

Somehow the first half of my replies to you were eaten....sorry if I miss part of what you asked....
How is talking handsfree on the phone any different than being in a conversation with your passenger(s),
Fellow passengers are usually aware of unusual or hazardous driving conditions and generally understand how they might act as distractions. Someone on the phone is not going to be cognizant of this and will treat the conversation differently.
So? This is where the driver says "hang on", or "call back".

or listening to an amusing or interesting radio program?

Amusing radio programs are not interactive. But don't just take my word for it:
Hmm, then the people in Lien's study don't listen to talk radio the way most of the people I know do. I'm half joking here.

"A lot of people think talking on the cell phone while driving is natural, but each time someone asks a question or changes the subject, it's like taking on a new task," Lien said. "It requires a certain amount of thought and preparation. It's actually quite different than listening to the radio, where you don't need to respond.
She/he doesn't address my earlier question. How is this different from an intense conversation with a passenger? Not that I'm saying that sort of distraction is okay, I just don't see the difference. And Lien doesn't address that part, just the part that states that the caller isn't aware of what's going on (of course not, that's why you communicate to him/her what is going on!).

"And it's also different from talking to a passenger in the vehicle," she added. "In most cases, a passenger can observe when there is a dangerous traffic situation and keep quiet. But someone calling you on a cell phone won't have a clue."This is pretty much the same thing quoted above, and again, this is where the driver tells the caller what is going on in a dangerous traffic situation.

Why, if you can tell a passenger to be quiet a moment, wouldn't a person do the same to the caller?

[Antinor01]

At any rate, none of the studies are taken seriously that legislation is taken against driving and talking on the cell phone, and that speaks volumes. If it were as dangerous as many old curmudgeons such as yourself say it is, there would be such legislation in effect.

Personally I despise people that bitch about it as much as you apparently despise people that talk and drive. I don't personally have a bluetooth piece, nor do I talk and drive (except on a non-busy highway during a long trip, and when I do, I still pay attention, even if it annoys the other person that I am not responsive to their conversation), but I do get tired of hearing old fuddy duddies bitch and moan about how the younger generation talks on the cell phones, and bitch about how dependent on computers they are, or why they walk around with MP3 players plugged in all the time.

(quoted post snipped)

Do you mean like this list (http://www.cellular-news.com/car_bans/) of countries and states in the US with laws banning cell phone use while driving?

[Kimstu]

With that type of logic, it seems that some people think drivers should sit motionless, stare straight ahead, no radio, no comments from or to passengers allowed, no looking at anything but the road and vehicles in front and in the mirrors and only complete and utter silence and dedication to the cause of driving

While I wouldn't go that far, I definitely think that more drivers should make more of an effort to avoid unnecessary distractions and multitasking. Driving is an inherently dangerous activity and inattentive/distracted drivers kill lots of people.

Sure, some compromises have to be made for accomodating other activities when necessary. But I don't like the fact that the default attitude generally seems to be "There's no reason I shouldn't do this other distracting activity while driving if I feel I can handle it" rather than "I should minimize other distracting activities while driving as much as I can."

How is talking handsfree on the phone any different than being in a conversation with your passenger(s),

That was addressed in the last quote in post#44, from a study that found that "Conversations with passengers reduce a driver's attention, but they aren't as unsafe as talking on a phone." So yeah, conversations with passengers are also distracting, but less so than phone conversations.

(One reason for this might be that the pace of live conversations tends to be more tolerant of pauses or silences. If you don't respond for ten or fifteen seconds during a phone conversation, the other person is more likely to drag your attention back with queries like "Hello? Are you there? Did we get cut off?")

or listening to an amusing or interesting radio program?

Again, the big difference is that a radio program isn't interactive. This was addressed in the same post.

Again, the point isn't that other activities like listening to the radio or talking to a passenger don't have some distracting effect. The point is that, according to several studies, they don't have as much distracting effect as talking on the phone, handsfree or otherwise. Either find a cite that refutes this evidence, or stop claiming that there's no difference in the effects of these activities.

[...] I, and many people I now, are fully capable of stopping talking mid-sentence and forgetting whatever was going on that second. [...] When I am talking on a cell phone, most of my attention is on the road, and the conversation comes secondary.

Maybe so. But drivers are notoriously poor judges of their abilities, as evidenced by the studies that show that large majorities of drivers think they have above-average driving skills. Given the choice between your subjective opinion that you and lots of people you know aren't significantly distracted by talking on the phone while driving, and quantitative studies showing evidence that most people are significantly distracted by talking on the phone while driving, I think I'd be inclined to trust the studies' conclusions over yours.

At any rate, none of the studies are taken seriously that legislation is taken against driving and talking on the cell phone, and that speaks volumes. If it were as dangerous as many old curmudgeons such as yourself say it is, there would be such legislation in effect.

Really? You have a touching faith in the government's ability always to do what's best for its citizens without being pressured or prompted.

[Mama Tiger]

Do you mean like this list (http://www.cellular-news.com/car_bans/) of countries and states in the US with laws banning cell phone use while driving?

You forgot the fine print at the top of that list:

This page lists those countries that have banned the use of a cell phone when driving unless used with some form of hands-free kit.

In other words, a bluetooth headset is just fine in ALL those countries.

Want to try another argument?

[Kimstu]

In other words, a bluetooth headset is just fine in ALL those countries.

Not in all parts of all of them, as you'll see from the notes on the individual countries. Moreover, some countries where handsfree phone use during driving isn't actually banned still impose special penalties (pdf file) (http://www.swov.nl/rapport/factsheets/fs_mobile_phones.pdf) on drivers who get into accidents while using them.

[Princhester]

I remember the same rant (not on this board for obvious reasons) about cell phones about 10-15 years ago. I guess you get over it.

[Klaatu]

Originally Posted by Epimetheus:

"I think people that bitch about what others do because they don't ever do it, or can't understand why others would is ridiculous and inconsiderate to boot."

What is ridiculous and inconsiderate are rude fucks who are yapping away, see that their exit is a quarter mile away, and suddenly blast over 3 or 4 lanes without warning.

What is ridiculous and inconsiderate is the cellphone moron going 50 in the fast lane, blissfully unaware of anything happening outside of the car.

What is ridiculous and inconsiderate is the yapping asshole who sits through a left turn light.

What is ridiculous and inconsiderate is the stupid yapping fuck who tries to change lanes and cuts somebody off because he didn't notice the car was right fucking beside him.

What is ridiculous and inconsiderate is the yapping dipshit who locks up his brakes because he didn't notice the car in front of him signal and slow down to make a turn.

I could go on and on.

I see this bullshit every goddamn day, and you are a fucking idiot if you think that even with a hands-free, you can focus your full attention on the fucking road. You haven't had an accident, so fucking what. I wonder how many times you have fucked other drivers around, and not even noticed?

[Klaatu]

And also, if yapdriving (my new word for this phenomenom :cool: ), is so totally safe, why are these studies even occurring, and why are more and more jurisdictions even considering banning yapdriving much less doing it?

Oh yeah, I get it, these studies are all flawed worldwide, the eeeviiil Powers That Be just want to curtail your freedoms, and by golly, you are just such a good driver that you could never have an attention lapse while yapdriving. :rolleyes:

[kinoons]

Sometimes I'm behind people at the checkout who are blathering away on their phone (sometimes having what really should be private discussions) and ignoring the human being standing behind the counter. Why does somebody on the other end of an electronic connection become more important than the person standing two feet away from you?

But what really bothers me in this thread is the number of people who apparently have a habit of talking on the phone while driving. Don't do this, because I don't want you running into me because you ran a red light while yakking on the phone. You might as well have a couple of drinks while you're at it.


my wife drives me crazy with this. When I come up to a line to order or check out I tell her I'll call her back, and she gives me crap every time. I keep telling her I think it is rude but she doesn't seem to get it. Its funny because beyond this she is a very considerate person.

[Martini Enfield]

I have a driver's license and a cell phone and other than being lost and calling for directions(which I already mentioned), I don't know why you need to talk and drive.

Let me give you an example: As the assistant manager at my store, the staff need to be able to get hold of me if a situation arises and the manager isn't at the store/can't resolve the situation (say, it's in relation to a sale or deal worked out with a customer). If I'm driving and they call me, I can answer the phone, deal with the situation (Which usually just involves something as simple as "Yes, I said I'd throw in a free laptop bag if they took the warranty as well" or "The paperwork for Head Office is in a manila folder sitting on top of the box of spare parts next to the fax machine"), and we can move on with our day.

If I don't answer my phone while I'm driving, things start to fall apart. Colleague has to leave a message on my voicemail, which I then don't get until I reach my destination. In the meantime, there's a frustrated, angry customer who can't get an answer to a simple question, Head office on the phone wanting to know why the paperwork hasn't been faxed to them, and several stressed out staff who feel they've got no backup to help them with a problem. Then I try and call back, and the store is busy and they can't answer the phone, which leads to frustration on my part.

Or I could answer the phone in my car with a handsfree kit, and avoid all these unpleasant problems.

I'm sure pretty much everyone else who runs their own business, works in management, is a project/team leader, or has kids can also think of a million different reasons why they might need to talk on a cellphone and drive at the same time.


If someone is lost so often that they need constant verbal directions to get from A to B maybe they shouldn't be driving.

I'm guessing you think GPS Navigation devices should be banned too, then?

[Canadjun]

Take a look at Employees Embrace Cell Phone Ban (http://content.monster.ca/11004_en-CA_p1.asp)

[Missy2U]

Originally Posted by Epimetheus:

"I think people that bitch about what others do because they don't ever do it, or can't understand why others would is ridiculous and inconsiderate to boot."

What is ridiculous and inconsiderate are rude fucks who are yapping away, see that their exit is a quarter mile away, and suddenly blast over 3 or 4 lanes without warning.

What is ridiculous and inconsiderate is the cellphone moron going 50 in the fast lane, blissfully unaware of anything happening outside of the car.

What is ridiculous and inconsiderate is the yapping asshole who sits through a left turn light.

What is ridiculous and inconsiderate is the stupid yapping fuck who tries to change lanes and cuts somebody off because he didn't notice the car was right fucking beside him.

What is ridiculous and inconsiderate is the yapping dipshit who locks up his brakes because he didn't notice the car in front of him signal and slow down to make a turn.

I could go on and on.

I see this bullshit every goddamn day, and you are a fucking idiot if you think that even with a hands-free, you can focus your full attention on the fucking road. You haven't had an accident, so fucking what. I wonder how many times you have fucked other drivers around, and not even noticed?

BRAVO!!!

[Ludovic]

And also, if yapdriving (my new word for this phenomenom :cool: ), is so totally safe, why are these studies even occurring, and why are more and more jurisdictions even considering banning yapdriving much less doing it?

Oh yeah, I get it, these studies are all flawed worldwide, the eeeviiil Powers That Be just want to curtail your freedoms, and by golly, you are just such a good driver that you could never have an attention lapse while yapdriving. :rolleyes:If God didn't exist, why do so many people believe in Him?

[Antinor01]

You forgot the fine print at the top of that list:



In other words, a bluetooth headset is just fine in ALL those countries.

Want to try another argument?

You forgot to actually read the document, several of those also ban hands free usage.

[Cartooniverse]

That is exactly what I am talking about. If you are actually talking on the phone, fine, use the earpiece.

But to sit around with it attached to your head tells me 2 things: 1) I am showing off my supposed coolness, and 2) any concievable possible random phone call is more important than you, even though are sitting right in front of me.


Then why use one at all? If your phone rings in BlueTooth mode you only hear the ringing in the device, in your ear. If you have to keep the device in your pocket to avoid a serious bitch-slapping by our OP'er, you will both A) Not hear the phone ring and B) Not be in a position to use the phone at all hands-free, which is the point of the device.

I use mine in the car. Considering the fact that when driving at 70 mph I watch women apply eye liner and other make-up, I watch folks read the newspaper, each breakfast, drink beverages and lean over to adjust things on the dashboard, I cannot see using a BlueTooth to be any more annoying and it's a shitload less dangerous.

Unless, of course, I get clocked in the face for using it. :)

Cartooniverse

[Kimstu]

I use mine in the car. Considering the fact that when driving at 70 mph I watch women apply eye liner and other make-up, I watch folks read the newspaper, each breakfast, drink beverages and lean over to adjust things on the dashboard, I cannot see using a BlueTooth to be any more annoying and it's a shitload less dangerous.

"Other people are doing stuff that's worse than what I'm doing" isn't actually a valid justification for a particular activity, though.

Yes, I agree that responsible and attentive drivers who are carefully using a handsfree phone are probably less dangerous to themselves and those around them than reckless drivers obliviously putting on eyeliner or reading newspapers. But that doesn't mean than handsfree phones are necessarily a negligible safety risk.

Personally, I wish there were stricter laws and stricter enforcement for inattentive driving in general, whether it involves phone use, reading, eating, putting on makeup, or any other form of excessive multitasking while driving. I think legislatures are starting to lean in this direction, but in the meantime an awful lot of people are getting killed and injured by overconfident people who think that they can handle multiple activities without getting dangerously distracted from their responsibilities as a driver.

And it's not that I don't have sympathy for time-stressed drivers, who are spending more time than ever on the road due to longer commutes, more sprawly communities, tougher work schedules, etc. I know that many people feel that they just don't have time to do stuff they need to do except while they're driving. But that doesn't mean it's safe.

[Cat Whisperer]

My husband is a Construction Safety Officer, and he has been researching cellphone use (including handsfree sets) while driving for some while now, and he is starting to think that it is part of his due diligence to recommend to his company that they ban cellphone use while driving, including handsfree cellphones.

Those of you who make it sound like a bad thing that you should just drive, and do nothing else - why not? Driving is the most dangerous thing most of us do all day, and we do it a couple times every day. Why wouldn't you want to make that experience as safe as you possibly can for yourself and those around you? Do you know how many serious accidents were preventable? Damned near all of them. How many people have been crippled or lost body parts (or their lives) due to some other person's inattention? And yes, eating while driving, driving under the influence of a baby or toddler, and many other distracting things are also bad, but that's not what we're discussing in this thread.

Oh, as for why the governments haven't banned handsfree use while driving yet - because they're chicken. They're not going to do that until some trucker in a gas tanker takes out an entire school bus full of kids because he was yakking on a handsfree (no offense intended to truckers - just an example for illustrative purposes). The governments know it's bad; it takes very little research to find out that handsfree makes no difference. They just haven't been forced to make that decision yet.

[Martini Enfield]

Originally Posted by Epimetheus:

What is ridiculous and inconsiderate are rude fucks who are yapping away, see that their exit is a quarter mile away, and suddenly blast over 3 or 4 lanes without warning.

People do that anyway, even if the aren't talking on a Cellphone. They might be listening to the cricket on their favourite song on the radio, or talking to a passenger, and then realise that their exit is 300m away and they need to change lanes. It's not confined to cellphone users.

What is ridiculous and inconsiderate is the cellphone moron going 50 in the fast lane, blissfully unaware of anything happening outside of the car.

I've never noticed anyone doing this on a motorway here.

What is ridiculous and inconsiderate is the yapping asshole who sits through a left turn light.

Never seen that happening here either- if someone looks like they may not have noticed the right-turn arrow after a few seconds, the car behind them will usually blip the horn to let them know anyway.

What is ridiculous and inconsiderate is the stupid yapping fuck who tries to change lanes and cuts somebody off because he didn't notice the car was right fucking beside him.

People do this anyway, without using a Cellphone.

What is ridiculous and inconsiderate is the yapping dipshit who locks up his brakes because he didn't notice the car in front of him signal and slow down to make a turn.

That would have more to do with not following the 2 Second Rule (leaving a decent following distance between the car in front) than using a Cellphone.

I see this bullshit every goddamn day

I'm glad I don't live where you are, then- I almost never see the denounced behaviour you have so much venom for around here.

[Cisco]

I live in a metro area of ~3 million people and I have never once seen anybody wearing one of these outside of my office.

[Klaatu]

Martini Enfield, enough with this "People do this anyway" bullshit, the thread is about cellphones/handsfree devices. People do all kinds of shit "anyway". That's not the fucking point and you know it. :rolleyes:

I actually see this shit everyday on the freeways here and it happens everywhere.
When I see some dipshit fucking up in traffic, I make a point to look at the driver, and many times I see them on a handset, or wearing a handsfree device. It's easy to see.

Sure, eating, putting on makeup, whatever causes inattention, but the fucking thread is about cellphones.

If you don't notice this shit, then perhaps you should pay more attention or hang up and fucking drive. This is a real issue, and it's damned irritating to hear people shine it on.

[Cat Whisperer]

That is my experience, too, in a city of a million people. When I see someone doing something extra specially bad while driving, chances are excellent that they are talking on a cellphone while trying to drive. You don't have to read the studies to know how it is; you can see it in the other drivers. The way they gradually slow down and don't keep up with the flow of traffic, the way they start up at the lights much slower than other people, the way they weave back and forth in their lanes, the way they make last minute decisions almost missing turns, etc. - these are classic signs of someone whose attention is not on their driving.

If this is not your experience, lucky you. It is klaatu's, and it is mine. It makes me feel terrible to know that I can be the best driver in the world, and I can still get taken out by somebody else who thinks it's more important to know what to make for dinner than it is to drive safely.

[Klaatu]

featherlou, right on. I guess we should both move though, because apparently this only happens in Albuquerque and Calgary.

Email me your cell number and we can discuss this some more. A good time for me is around 5:00 pm Mountain Time. Not doing anything then except tooling down the freeway during rush hour. I'm up for a nice leisurely conversation. ;)

[Martini Enfield]

Martini Enfield, enough with this "People do this anyway" bullshit, the thread is about cellphones/handsfree devices. People do all kinds of shit "anyway". That's not the fucking point and you know it. :rolleyes:

But is is the point- you insist that the only reason people are doing these things is because they're on the phone (handsfree or otherwise). I disagree with your assertion, and posit that people are undertaking these activities anyway, regardless of the presence of a cellphone- in otherwords, the mere usage of a cellphone does not automatically make

I actually see this shit everyday on the freeways here and it happens everywhere.

Evidently not, as I've already pointed out I've never experienced it on the motorways here or in NZ.

When I see some dipshit fucking up in traffic, I make a point to look at the driver, and many times I see them on a handset, or wearing a handsfree device. It's easy to see.

So, if you're looking at the driver of the other car, you're not watching the road- which means you're just as bad as them, if not worse.

Also, you say "Many times"- not "Every Time", which further lends weight to the idea that perhaps some people are just bad drivers, regardless of whether or not they have a cellphone.

Sure, eating, putting on makeup, whatever causes inattention, but the fucking thread is about cellphones.

I never said it wasn't.

If you don't notice this shit, then perhaps you should pay more attention or hang up and fucking drive. This is a real issue, and it's damned irritating to hear people shine it on.

Or maybe I live somewhere that it isn't an issue? We don't all live in the USA, and our experiences of any given event may differ greatly for cultural or other reasons. If it's an issue where you are, that's terrible, and I'm glad I don't live there. But it's not an issue where I am, and I'll thank you to remember that before flying off the handle.

[Martini Enfield]

That should be "... the mere presence of a cellphone does not automatically make someone a bad driver".

Mutters about lack of edit function in posts...

[Klaatu]

Martini, I really enjoy your posts in the gun threads and am not personally attacking you here, I just don't think you and many others in this thread notice how often these yapdrivers screw other drivers over.

Also, when I glance at some moron talking and driving as I pass them, that isn't taking my attention away. And I never insisted cellphones were the only reason.

But I am not lying when I say that in the last few years, 90% of the fuckups I see on the roads are yapdriving. I literally SEE these people yacking away, and not paying attention.

The mere prescence doesn't make them a bad driver, but the second they start talking while driving, they become an inattentive driver, which will quite often lead to bad driving. Just because they aren't always causing wrecks doesn't mean they aren't inconsiderate, rude, unsafe assholes.

[Rigamarole]

I'm so self-important that I've gone the other way. I don't even answer my phone 90% of the time. If I really want to talk to somebody, I call them back.

Being too available = not cool

Being unavailable, hard to reach = cool

[Cisco]

I'm so self-important that I've gone the other way. I don't even answer my phone 90% of the time. If I really want to talk to somebody, I call them back.

Being too available = not cool

Being unavailable, hard to reach = cool
That reminds me of that Drew Carey joke: "My dick is so big it doesn't return Speilberg's calls."

[Talon Karrde]

Age has nothing to do with it. I'm 20 and I mostly agree with those who don't much like cellphones.
I think that banning cellphones while driving is less important than making sure people are educated about the dangers of talking on the phone while driving and that they should limit it as much as possible. I think there are legitimate reasons for wanting to talk on the phone while driving, but people should know why they should avoid it during certain situations and keep it to a minimum.
Just banning cellphones while driving would be stupid, and just forcing people to use cellphones hands-free while driving instills a false sense of security.

I've never actually seen the bluetooth headpieces, but from the thread I don't like them. For some people, I think they're a good thing, but I still dislike them in general. It's just one more thing that separates us from the people around us.

That should be "... the mere presence of a cellphone does not automatically make someone a bad driver".
Maybe not always, but it makes everyone a worse driver.

[CanvasShoes]

With that type of logic, it seems that some people think drivers should sit motionless, stare straight ahead, no radio, no comments from or to passengers allowed, no looking at anything but the road and vehicles in front and in the mirrors and only complete and utter silence and dedication to the cause of driving

While I wouldn't go that far, I definitely think that more drivers should make more of an effort to avoid unnecessary distractions and multitasking. Driving is an inherently dangerous activity and inattentive/distracted drivers kill lots of people.I agree. And again, I don't think anyone has suggested that we do do that, but some of those ranting against cellphones while driving seem to have, or at least exhibit the attitude, of that sort of blatantly "all or nothing" mentality.

Sure, some compromises have to be made for accomodating other activities when necessary. But I don't like the fact that the default attitude generally seems to be "There's no reason I shouldn't do this other distracting activity while driving if I feel I can handle it" rather than "I should minimize other distracting activities while driving as much as I can."
Again, I agree. What I was trying to say with my very badly written first post was basically "why this?". People reading a city map book on the steering wheel (actually happened to me) or parents trying to turn around to scold fighting kids (Mooo HOOOOM, she's TOUUUUCHING MEEE HEEE) aren't being any safer than the guy talking on his cell phone from what I've seen.

How is talking handsfree on the phone any different than being in a conversation with your passenger(s),

That was addressed in the last quote in post#44
I know, post # 44 was in answer to my first post, which is where I actually asked that question. :) Did I copy and post it again?

, from a study that found that "Conversations with passengers reduce a driver's attention, but they aren't as unsafe as talking on a phone." So yeah, conversations with passengers are also distracting, but less so than phone conversations.Did the study you read differentiate between hand held and hands free phones? And did it run actual field studies with a reliable number of participants?

That is, were there a number of drivers negotiating a course while being distracted by different things (cell phone use, fighting siblings, coworker discussing and asking questions about a project, spouse who just told you he was having an affair and leaving you...etc) and then compared to a control group of people with zero distractions?

(One reason for this might be that the pace of live conversations tends to be more tolerant of pauses or silences. If you don't respond for ten or fifteen seconds during a phone conversation, the other person is more likely to drag your attention back with queries like "Hello? Are you there? Did we get cut off?")
Really? Then they've never met my coworker Rich, or my former boyfriend. Both of whom stop talking for several seconds while they mull.

or listening to an amusing or interesting radio program?

Again, the big difference is that a radio program isn't interactive. This was addressed in the same post.:) I know, because that post is the one that answered when I originally asked this question. If I reposted it after that, I apologize, I really do suck at coding.

Again, the point isn't that other activities like listening to the radio or talking to a passenger don't have some distracting effect. The point is that, according to several studies, they don't have as much distracting effect as talking on the phone, handsfree or otherwise. Either find a cite that refutes this evidence, or stop claiming that there's no difference in the effects of these activities.
I didn't claim that there was no difference. I asked what IS the difference. That has been answered.

I can't say that the quotes and "studies" provided have given a satisfactory answer, or proof, but I can see that there is some validity to the reasons given.

Originally Posted by Epimetheus
[...] I, and many people I now, are fully capable of stopping talking mid-sentence and forgetting whatever was going on that second. [...] When I am talking on a cell phone, most of my attention is on the road, and the conversation comes secondary.

Maybe so. But drivers are notoriously poor judges of their abilities, as evidenced by the studies that show that large majorities of drivers think they have above-average driving skills. Given the choice between your subjective opinion that you and lots of people you know aren't significantly distracted by talking on the phone while driving, and quantitative studies showing evidence that most people are significantly distracted by talking on the phone while driving, I think I'd be inclined to trust the studies' conclusions over yours.
I'd have to agree, but again, I'd like to see exactly how those studies came to their conclusions. From what I can see, many drivers have poor abilities, cell phones or no.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Epimetheus
At any rate, none of the studies are taken seriously that legislation is taken against driving and talking on the cell phone, and that speaks volumes. If it were as dangerous as many old curmudgeons such as yourself say it is, there would be such legislation in effect.

Really? You have a touching faith in the government's ability always to do what's best for its citizens without being pressured or prompted.
As much as I have doubts regarding the studies (and only until I see what they actually entail as far as data rather than some psychologists' suppositions), I have to agree, that is, with your cites regarding cell phone laws.

The military base at which I do most of my field work just made handheld phones off limits while driving, but handsfree are still allowed.

I had been meaning to get some sort of earpiece type phone for working on base, but then I ran over my phone (and no, I wasn't driving and talking, the phone had slipped out of my pocket without me seeing it, and got itself smashed when I left the jobsite :D), and had to replace it that day, so I didn't have any time to research the technology and such.

[CanvasShoes]

While I don't agree with Epimetheus' "you old farts don't know nothin'" stance. And I agree that cellphones while driving pose a distraction, I'm just not yet convinced of its severity.

The following reply to him is just silly.

Originally Posted by Epimetheus:

"I think people that bitch about what others do because they don't ever do it, or can't understand why others would is ridiculous and inconsiderate to boot."

What is ridiculous and inconsiderate are rude fucks who are yapping away, see that their exit is a quarter mile away, and suddenly blast over 3 or 4 lanes without warning.
People in New Orleans do this, CONSTANTLY, without the benefit of either being on the cellphone, or being distracted by a passenger. That's just the way they drive. Don't decide what they're doing, or where they're going until the last damned minute. (what's really weird, is that once you're off of the highways and into the neighborhoods, it's all southern charm and "oh no, after you").

What is ridiculous and inconsiderate is the cellphone moron going 50 in the fast lane, blissfully unaware of anything happening outside of the car.
Doesn't need a cellphone for some moron to be going 50 in the fast lane oblivious to anything outside of the car. They do it all the time just because they're morons who go 50 in the fast lane.

What is ridiculous and inconsiderate is the yapping asshole who sits through a left turn light.
Or the asshole reading the newspaper and fixing his coffee, so that only HE gets through the light, but everyone else doesn't...

What is ridiculous and inconsiderate is the stupid yapping fuck who tries to change lanes and cuts somebody off because he didn't notice the car was right fucking beside him.And no one ever cuts anyone off unless they are first talking on a cellphone?


Or because he was leaning over to change the station, or grab something off of the floor...

[quote]I could go on and on.You have.

I see this bullshit every goddamn day, and you are a fucking idiot if you think that even with a hands-free, you can focus your full attention on the fucking road. You haven't had an accident, so fucking what. I wonder how many times you have fucked other drivers around, and not even noticed?
Yes, because no danger or inconvenience ever happens while driving unless a person talking on a cellphone is involved.

[Klaatu]

Sweet fucking Og. CanvasShoes, I never said that cellphones were the only things that cause driver inattention. However, since the thread is about CELLPHONES, I am restricting my comments to CELLPHONES. Why is this so fucking hard to understand?

I have posted numerous anecdotes about stupid morons fucking up while yapping and driving, fucking period.

Feel free to start a thread titled "Reasons for inattentive driving besides talking on cellphones" if it fires your rocket.

[Tibby or Not Tibby]

Everyone around you thinks you're trying to talk to them, but you're not . . . you're just extremely important and you ARE talking on the phone, only with super special technology that only super special people should use.
<snip>
Funny, I have just the opposite problem. I walk around talking to myself all the time and people think I must have a Bluetooth earpiece.

Paranoid schizophrenics now look pretentious. :cool:

[Klaatu]

Well, you could get the fake one and blend right in....

[CanvasShoes]

Sweet fucking Og. CanvasShoes, I never said that cellphones were the only things that cause driver inattention. However, since the thread is about CELLPHONES, I am restricting my comments to CELLPHONES. Why is this so fucking hard to understand?

I have posted numerous anecdotes about stupid morons fucking up while yapping and driving, fucking period.

Feel free to start a thread titled "Reasons for inattentive driving besides talking on cellphones" if it fires your rocket.
I understand that. And as I said in earlier posts, I can see that some of what has been posted is valid.

However, cellphone ranters (not you, or just this thread), in general seem to go on and on and on and use actions that seemingly only cellphone users do as a justification as to why they're so bad.

They may not mean to sound that way, but that's how it comes off, as if only a person using a cellphone could ever possibly cause problems on the road. So far, I haven't seen a single act that could specifically cellphone related.

That is why I said what I did in an earlier post. That is, why don't we outlaw ALL acts that are inconsiderate, inattentive, too slow, rude or potentially dangerous?

And yes, I KNOW no one has suggested that, but when you look at the complaints against cellphone use, every one of them, even where their use poses potential hazards, can be applied to a myriad of other actions by humans.

[CanvasShoes]

...a single act that could specifically cellphone related.

That should read could only be specifically cellphone related.

[CanvasShoes]

I have posted numerous anecdotes about stupid morons fucking up while yapping and driving, fucking period.

bolding mine.

Really? That would have been...errr .. interesting. :)

[Klaatu]

Yeah, I really fucking need to stop saying fucking so fucking much.

[MovieMogul]

And yes, I KNOW no one has suggested that, but when you look at the complaints against cellphone use, every one of them, even where their use poses potential hazards, can be applied to a myriad of other actions by humans.There's no question about that. The problem is that incidents of reckless behavior have jumped astronomically since the introduction of cell phones into daily life.

I think every driver takes calculated risks. "How bad would it be if I applied my make-up on now?" "How can I negotiate this burger and soda while steering?" "Oooohh! I love this song! Time to play air drummer!"

But I think most drivers who engage in this behavior engage in it sporadically. They take this calculated risk, but it's usually circumstantial ("I'm late", "I'm hungry", "This song!"). It's not pervasive.

Sure, there are some drivers who are horrible at driving in general and are a menace no matter what they do. Cel phones don't make these drivers worse because they really couldn't be.

The problems with cel phones is that people who use them while driving don't consider them a calculated risk. The reader, the eater, the make-up applier all have logistical challenges that make it self-evident that what they're doing is not the safest way of getting around.

But there are no observable "challenges" to talking on a cel phone, so the cel phone user/driver does it all the time. You can drive for two hours but you won't be applying your make-up or eating for the entire two hours. But cel phone users/drivers will be talking the whole time. Under all conditions. No matter what their driving environment is like.

That's why I rail against cel phones--because it has increased inconsiderate/reckless/dangerous behavior exponentially, but since most people don't see what the "big deal" is ("I can talk and drive! I can converse and pay attention to the road"), they don't even rationalize their behavior the way an eater or make-up applier might. They honestly don't think they're doing anything wrong, they think they're still being good drivers, and they often appear to have no willingness to admit that something so "simple" and "harmless" is as dangerous (if not more so) than all these other behaviors that are so much more obviously "reckless".

[slaphead]

Evidently not, as I've already pointed out I've never experienced it on the motorways here or in NZ.

I wouldn't have any idea since I don't drive at all, but most people I know who have driven in the US and in Europe are of the opinion that in the US a chimp could get a driving licence, and that many have. This may be a possible explanation.

Personally bluetooth headsets are well down on my list of mobile-phone related annoyances. LOUD TALKERS, fuckwit ringtones, 'must-use-all-5000-free minutes-by-talking-incessantly' teenagers, and the latest craze of using your phone as a miniature boombox to play crappy tinny MP3s on loudspeaker for half an hour at a time. Thank god for sound isolating headphones.

[JillGat]

Exactly, ArchiveGuy.

Cell phone-using drivers are more dangerous because they are talking to someone who is not there. So the driver is not really there, either. I find that I am often not completely there either when I'm driving a car; I'm making a grocery list in my mind, practicing lies to tell my boss about why I'm late, thinking about where I came from or where I want to be, but I'm not HERE: in the car, in the traffic, on the road. I realized this when I started riding a motorcycle, because I am always Here Now when I'm riding my motorcycle. And I am acutely aware, when I'm on a bike, which drivers around me are yakking on cell phones.

I'm thinking about carrying a can of spray paint with me and pulling up alongside these idiots at stop lights and quietly writing "Hang the Fuck Up When You're Driving" on the sides of their SUVs.

[MrFloppy]

I have one and wear it in the car. It absolutely comes off my ear as soon as I step out of the car.

I was in a reasonable good restaurant a while ago. Dude walks in with wife and kids and sits down. He has an earpiece on and kept it on all through his meal.

Did he get any calls? No. I felt like calling him a douche but I had my family with me.

Someone tell these fuckers how stupid they look.

[Merkwurdigliebe]

Don't worry, It will simply be a passing annoyance. Just wait until Cingular comes out with it's new telepathic bluetooth headset, then we won't have to hear everyone's annoying conversations again. But the intervening years will be difficult.

[Merkwurdigliebe]

Just to reiterate, I'm not really opposed to the handset in general. I'm just freaked out when I see people walking down the street talking to themselves. When living in New York (where I lived for a while) it's the sign of a fucking crazy. And living in New York, we are all forced to share the sidewalks, which would be a bit alien to all of you in California and other car-dominated cultures. The point is this, the fact that you are putting others on guard by your stupid idea that you can't lift your god-damned phone to your face is a bit inconsiderate. We have to deal with enough crazies as it is to be bothered by these idiots. Living in the city sucks sometimes, especially when you think about how you have to be on guard the whole time. It just pisses you off when you think, "Oh great, another fucking crackhead...wait, it's just some self-important doucebag talking about laundry to his wife." This is why I'm very much opposed to cellphone coverage in the subway for non-emergency purposes. I am all for it for 911, etc...But if I have to sit on the train with these assholes? Not a chance.

Secondly, I disagree from a stylistic point of view. Maybe if you happened to look cool, then I'd oblige. But your normal borg wannabe is looks like he is taking fashion cues from the best buy employee handbook. Also overweight.

[MovieMogul]

I'm thinking about carrying a can of spray paint with me and pulling up alongside these idiots at stop lights and quietly writing "Hang the Fuck Up When You're Driving" on the sides of their SUVs.You'll probably want to create a stencil for that. :p

[Cubsfan]

I agree 100% with the OP. I cringe when I see dirty fat old men standing in line at the grocery store to buy a twelver of PBR with the dumb fucking things in their ears or the kid in line at Gamestop who has it on while sifting thru the used Gameboy Color games or the G'd up homie with the baseball cap with the tag on it and a jersey 10 sizes too big has it on while wandering around the mall like its so much bling or the teenage boy in line at Hardees or pumping gas with it in. These people all look ridiculous. Take them out and if you get a call from your mom, homeboy, grannie, or whomever and cant (don't want to) hold your phone to your ear then take the piece out of your pocket at that point and put it on. It takes about .02 seconds to do and will keep you from looking too much like an assnugget.

Oh, and those headsets sound like shit too. We know when you are on them even if we don't tell you when we are talking.

[Cubsfan]

Also, to the people in here justifying why they need a headset, none of us are saying that they are not useful. We are just saying that it is unnecessary for you to wear it everywhere you go because unless you are a...hell, I can't even think of a single job where not being able to talk on your phone handsfree before the first ring even comes through would put peoples lives in danger.

You are NOT that important. Hell, the President doesn't even wear a damn headpiece!

[Spectre of Pithecanthropus]

The OP reminds me of what people used to think about cell phones. A stock portrayal of yuppie ostentation was someone leaning against a pay phone and preferring to use their cell phone, even though it would be much more expensive.

Then cell phones got cheap.

Then most of the pay phones went away.

And before any of that...there were "car phones", and people said the same thing about those. There was even an ironic song on KROQ about it in the 80s: He's got a bitchen car phone /He thinks he owns the road....

Notwithstanding all that, Blueteeth always seem to make people look like corporate drone beings. I never seem to see anyone wearing one that doesn't have that clean-cut, clean shaven corporate look.

[chowder]

Just got back from more Christmas squandering.

Outside the entrance to the shopping mall there is this guy talking on a bluetooth and with arms outstretched is showing whoever he's talking to the size of something.

Honestly!

[OpalCat]

This is why I'm very much opposed to cellphone coverage in the subway for non-emergency purposes. I am all for it for 911, etc...But if I have to sit on the train with these assholes? Not a chance.
Attitudes like this confuse me. I'm sorry, but the subway is boring as hell. It isn't dangerous to talk on the phone so why should you care if I do? It's not like you need to preserve the library silence on the subway or something. Honestly some people are so easily offended and disturbed by other people daring to have their own lives...

[Hippy Hollow]

I can't figure out why people are so preoccupied by what OTHER people are doing. If someone was obnoxiously talking on the phone right freakin' next to me, maybe that would annoy me. Or as someone mentioned upthread, at a place like a restaurant where I expect reasonable quiet. (Although, if I remember correctly, the guy was just wearing an earpiece, not using it. Looks tacky, but if he isn't yelling into it, who cares?)

But in the great outdoors? Or walking down the street? Or in the supermarket? What freakin' business is it of yours if someone is picking their nose, counting their steps, or talking into a Bluetooth headpiece?

I get mildly irked by a number of things my fellow humans do. Mouth breathing in closed spaces, questionable body odor, sneezing without covering their noses, loud talking (not on the phone, but with a living human being - tends to be the exclusive domain of teenagers)... but these are all part of the experience of, you know, interacting with the human race. Excepting the sneezing bit, which is freakin' disgusting, I suck it up and realize I'm probably viewed as a jackass for something I'm doing/have done, and catalog it in my mental Rolodex of Weird Things People Are Doing Around Me.

Remember in the 80s when people were carrying around boomboxes next to their heads? That was a trend worthy of pitting. People using the latest technology that's much less intrusive? Again, if I'm not interacting with that person, I really don't give a flying fuck what they're doing if they're not littering or hurting anyone. Methinks if someone minding their own business using a Bluetooth apparatus is so annoying, you should invest in a bubble with tinted windows where no-one can bother you. Or stay at home.

[jsgoddess]

I can't figure out why people are so preoccupied by what OTHER people are doing.

And why people are so certain that the other people are trying to impress them. It would never occur to me that someone using some bit of technology was trying to impress me. I'm not that important.

[Shirley Ujest]

For me it comes from them wearing it constantly when they are not on the phone. It gives the appearance that an urgent phone call could come in at ANY SECOND and they MUST be available to answer it right that instant. That's the pretention, that they are so important that they have to be available all the time and they want you to know it.


Exactly.

[Quiddity Glomfuster]

Honestly some people are so easily offended and disturbed

Couldn't agree more. It seems that it's become a national pastime to find things to be offended about. Why not spend most of your day angry and hostile?
Sigh.

[OpalCat]

A lot of my clothing doesn't have pockets. If I were to use a headset, depending on how comfortable it was, I might wear it sometimes even if I wasn't talking at the moment, depending on the situation, just to keep from having to dig the thing out of my purse to answer the phone. Would I wear it every waking moment? No. Do I care if others do? Not really.

[Hippy Hollow]

For me it comes from them wearing it constantly when they are not on the phone. It gives the appearance that an urgent phone call could come in at ANY SECOND and they MUST be available to answer it right that instant. That's the pretention, that they are so important that they have to be available all the time and they want you to know it.
Well... that's a hell of an assumption that the point of wearing the earpiece is to make YOU feel less important, but okay, let's say it is. So what?

People buy fancy cars and fancy clothes for the same effect. Or go to the gym, or wear lots of makeup. It only works if you let it get to you. IMO, this is much more likely to be a tactic employed by people who actually know you and give a shit what you think. If you don't know this person from Adam, why do you think they are trying to impress you? That's pretty arrogant if you ask me. Most likely, they're living their life, perhaps being toolish to an extent, but when I encounter people who appear to be attention-whoring, I ignore 'em. Problem solved for me, they're out of my hair, and they're deprived of finding a thin-skinned victim of their vanity.

If that's what's really going on.