I’ve said it before here and I’ll say it again: I’d like to find out who invented the cell phone and kick his ass.
I’ll pass on that, as someone who has been stranded in the middle of the desert, with few passing cars, and an exploded tire. Also as someone who has been in a bad car accident that lead to internal bleeding and I had to call 911.
But yeah, fuck cell phones! They serve not a single good purpose and just serve as a way for assholes to annoy others!
Oh, however did we ever deal without them? Everyone knows that flat tires can only be successfully handled if one has a cellphone! Good thing their invention coincided exactly with the invention of the car.
:rolleyes:
No one is saying cellphones serve no purpose. They are, however, expanding outside the uses for which they make sense and into the realms of every fucking minute of waking life. If you can’t understand why that’s aggravating, then I’d bet you’re one of the people who goes into anaphylactic shock without one in her ear every second.
There are times I would like to create a few! My director just finally let me put the "no cell phones signs up in the library. I couldn't be happier.
The catalast was an incident where a young "lady" was on the public internet terminal and was narating herself, click by click, into her phone. Several other patrons complained, and she started into the "it's none of your business what I am doing on my phone" rant. Sorry dear, but a loud conversation in a public place is far from "private." :rolleyes:What an opportune rant. This morning at a 4-way stop, I watched an SUV owner blast through the stop sign, phone clamped to his ear, mouth moving the whole time. He didn’t even try to stop. He was behind the wheel of a 2-ton behemoth and completely ignorant of everything but his phone.
Did you manage to read what Subterraneanus said, which she quoted, and then responded to? I didn’t get the impression her comments were aimed at everyone in this thread, and I’m not sure why you would have, either.
Subterraneanus made a remark that implied, intended or not, that the inventor of the device was somehow responsible for all the people who manage to use cell phones in an impolite manner. Diosa’s response was to point out that the inventor has actually provided some benefits to society that affected her personally.
Chill.
Maybe I’m just dumb about cell phone etiquette, but I do have a question.
I have a friend in Rhode Island, one of my best, who I call about once a month or two. We don’t get to talk often so these conversations will last hours; thank God for free Sprint-to-Sprint. Anyway, often, during the conversation, I’ll walk over to the convenience store near me to buy a soda or something. I will continue to talk to her while I’m shopping and when I walk up to the cash register I’ll tell her to hold on. I set the cell phone down and interact with the clerk normally.
Is this polite or impolite? I do it because I know that when I worked in customer service, I hated it when people ignored me and just talked on their cell phones. Should I end the call as soon as I enter the store, or is what I’m doing acceptable?
Genuine question, I’m not being snarky. Educate me, please. 
On edit: I thought I should mention that as she works in customer service, she does not have a single problem with waiting while I finish my transaction with the clerk.
~Tasha
There should be a succinct term. Perhaps… Cellholes?
I wouldn’t want cellphones banned or not invented or whatever; I love having a cellphone and using it occasionally to make my life more convenient. I think we just need, as a society, to figure out the rules and etiquette, and inform others when they are stepping over the lines. Like telling people when they are talking too loudly, clerks and cashiers demanding proper respect while dealing with cellphone-using public, people demanding others use courtesy around them with the phones in meetings, at movies, etc. It’s a new thing, and the rules are still in flux.
hopefully, she’s not at work when you call.
lieu “cellhole” works for me.
Aside from the rude ringing, I hate it when the person next to me in the theater is screwing around texting their buddy. It glares in the corner of my eye and is just as distracting to me. You might as well call your idiot pal and tell him in a whisper the stupid tidbit you couldn’t wait to share until the movie was over.
Sincerely,
Asshole with Mario Bros ring tone
This is polite. As the cashier in question, I appreciate it when you interrupt your call to deal with me, not least because I occasionally need to give you important information–"Sorry, I just got a “Do Not Accept’ on your card”–and I really resent the outraged “Hanh?” that you give me because I have not only told you your debit card is empty, but also interrupted your conversation with your friend.
And so then you HAVE to put the phone away, and I am doubly pleased that karma has bitten you twice in the ass: you had to put your phone away, and your debit card is empty. Nyah.
As for walking through the store while talking, it’s no skin off my nose, it’s a free country, except that I’d think you maybe wouldn’t want total strangers listening in on what oughta be a private conversation IMHO, but YMMV, I’m old-fashioned.
Who is your carrier, and how did you do this?
I’d normally think that, too, except that when I go shopping I’m usually saying stupid stuff like “I dunno, Cally, do you think I should get nachos or fun-dip? Coke or Sprite?” and shit like that. I rarely wind up having personal conversations while I’m shopping, and even if I do, it’s the same kind of thing I’d say if she were right here with me, so…meh. Obviously I curtail really personal conversations for private, cell phone or no.
That’s MY personal pet peeve. I don’t need to hear your cell conversation about the dude you banged last night. Thanks.
~Tasha
I’ve seen very attractive guys at clubs where the music is blasting. Then, they turn their heads and now I can see that they’re not cute guys - they’re self indulgent assholes. Their headpieces are still in their little ears although it would be impossible to hold a conversation in a loud nightclub. They look like IDIOTS to me.
One of my former coworkers here used to have open discussions on her cell phone (and her office phone) about upcoming doctor’s appointments and the various things for which she was going to be tested. <gag> She had other issues, though.
so, what you’re saying is that my situation could have been worse? It could have been your former coworker taking the call?
ewww. ok, point taken, but my rant is still valid. 
While I’ve encountered other deaf people who do that, and I can see how you’d be uncomfortable, I’d like to take a moment to take umbrage at your use of ‘deaf mute’.
…
There. Umbrage taken.
It’s an outdated term, to be honest, and is pretty much the social equivalent of calling an African-American ‘colored’ these days. If you’re interested, here’s the wikipedia article with the relevant explanation.
Quite the contrary! Just imagine all the lovely things you might have learned about the person as opposed to just hearing a boring little ring tone. 
On the flip side of the cell phone courtesy issue, I encountered a sad story in the movie theater (Go see “Hot Fuzz”! Do it!) on Saturday. While we were sitting and waiting for the film to start, a gentleman came in with an usher waving a flash light up and down every aisle of seats. When we asked what was going on, he mentioned he’d lost his cell phone (he had seen the prior viewing of the film). Of course, the first question out of everyone’s mouth was, “Did you try calling yourself?” All the guy could do was muster a sheepish grin and say, “Well, I had it turned off because I was watching the movie.” :smack:
My hope is that he was repayed for his thoughtfulness and that someone ultimately turned the phone in to lost-and-found.
Yeah, I read it. She reacted to hyperbole with a hyperbolic irrelevancy. I called her on it. All your scolding doesn’t change that.
I got the impression he was deliberately overstating his annoyance with cellphones and she reacted like he was serious, and gave a rather ingenuous example of how one could be of use. People who are addicted to their cellphones take them very, very seriously and freak out when someone wishes they didn’t exist, citing obvious examples as to why they are necessary to life. I don’t think they are. I still don’t. Useful, yes, but not necessary.
Well, duh. Cellphones have benefits. Brilliantly incisive commentary. Totally beside the point, though.
:rolleyes: I am chill. I just disagree with you and Diosa. But thanks for your concern.