Cell-Phone Junkies
August 26th, 2007 by 
Rory Harper
Tonight, I have three major essays fighting it out in my head. They’re seriously intentioned, and will require more research if I’m going to be honest in talking about them. And there’s the Starship Troopers / Heinlein thing still hanging fire in my brain.
I’m not unwilling to do the work, because the topics interest me a lot, but there’s been talk among us Brainiacs regarding the pros and cons of logorrhea in blogging. It seems that, sometimes, the longer and denser and more complex a post we post, the less commenting. I’m guilty of wanting to slurp up more comments. So I’m going to experiment with brevity, which goes against my nature.
Instead of my usual explorations of wisdom and insight, here are a couple of questions.
Just how much do you despise those people who talk on cell phones while they drive their SUVs over your motorcycle?
How about the ones who talk loudly in the booth behind you while you’re trying to have a quiet meal with meat-space friends.
How about in the bookstore? Or even in the library, which, as we know, is a holy space?
If you could SHUT THEM UP, would you?
Check out the nifty Personal Cell Phone Signal Blocker Device, which is illegal in the
If you could get away with it, would you buy one? Are there limits on how you would use it?
Personally, I think there should be a bounty on cell-phone junkies. Say, $50 a head.
But that’s just me…
:
Posted in Daily Life, Dammit!, Rory, Technology | 
8 Comments »
August 26th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
Both Caroline and Brad have posted long entries recently with multiple comments. It’s the information-density of the posts, not the logorreahic aspect, that inhibits comments. YMMV.
They clearly know they will be selling to people in countries where the device is not allowed. “[I]f you are not sure whether you country allows importing this product, do not use EMS express shipping to avoid problems.” implies that I can and should get it shipped by other methods.
“Pros: Units work good but only if someone is within 10-15 feet away. It will stop a phone from connecting to another cellphone if it’s ringing or if the user is initiating a call. It won’t disable all calls in progress depending on the type of network service or frequency.”
Sounds perfect for personal use, but I wouldn’t want to be caught using it on the boss in a meeting.
August 26th, 2007 at 8:36 pm
I’m personally dreading the impending regulation that will allow people to use their cell phones while in flight. Imagine being seatbelted in just ahead or beside someone who spends the entire flight on the phone. Good thing that sharp implements are not allowed on board!
August 27th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
Sadly, if we banned cell phones from libraries–and part of me would love it at my library–the kids (and increasingly the adults) simply wouldn’t go there. The cell phone has apparently gone from a nice piece of hardware to something that people are unwilling to do without.
August 27th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
My local library bans them, but it’s a small-town place, which might make a difference.
The main place that I hate seeing cell phones used in is the bookstore, which is almost as sacred to me as the library. I tend to go into a book-lovin’ trance when I’m shopping at Borders or B&N and these morons blow that up for me with their loud conversations in a space that needs to be quiet.
I think what I’d really like is a device that would crash cell phone calls for, say, a quarter of a mile radius around me on my bike. I wish there was the political will to enact and enforce a ban on cell conversations while driving. Pull over to the side if it’s that goddam important, or focus on your driving if it’s not.
Every piece of research I’ve seen shows that it’s the behavioral equivalent of driving drunk, even with the speaker versions.
I’m painfully aware, as are all cyclists, that the most likely cause of my death or dismemberment on my bike is somebody blinded by their cell conversation.
If forced to, I can deal with public rudeness by confrontation or by ignoring it.
I can’t ignore an SUV smashing me into splinter-filled jelly.
August 27th, 2007 at 2:38 pm
For me, it’s college. I’m a 42 year-old man, returned to college to turn an A.S. into a more worthwhile B.S., and I get a little freaked by the number of people who lack the courtesy to turn off their cell phones in class. And when an instructor gives them grief about it, pointing out that 1) Cell Phones MUST be Turned Off in Class is the first rule of conduct in the syllabus, 2) he’s said it aloud every single class period, and 3) it’s the university’s policy, and mentioned regularly, including a reminder email at the beginning of the semester, the instrucotr somehow magically becomes a bad guy for “being a dick about it.”
And the number of people who walk out of class and PROMPTLY glue cell phone to ear the moment they are out the door is not merely appalling — it’s a little scary.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:49 pm
“Personally, I think there should be a bounty on cell-phone junkies. Say, $50 a head.”
A bounty would be nice, but I think it would be enough to just make it legal whack an obnoxious cell-phone user. I’d love to be able to pull a cell-phone using driver over and put a bullet through his brain, assuming I could find it.
The last study I read said that cell-phone using drivers actually pay less attention than drunks. It’s the inability to respond that makes drunk drivers more dangerous.
I have heard that cell-phones are second only to drunkenness as a cause of accidents. Is there any truth to that, or is wish-fulfilling urban legend?
September 4th, 2007 at 11:08 am
Am I the only person who’s been bothered by the crazy-person masking effects of cell phones? It used to be that someone talking loudly to themselves in public was clearly crazy.
Then all of a sudden most people talking loudly to themselves in public turn out to be holding cell-phones or wearing headsets. Great.
But I then experienced the next part of the blur. I’m walking down the street and a woman is holding her hand next to her head and engaging in an energetic conversation.
As I pass her she wheels and grabs my arm. She doesn’t have a cell-phone. She was talking into her hand. She looks up at me, angry and hurt, betrayal manifest in her features.
“You have to make your friends stop talking about me,” she said. “They’re telling everyone that I’m prejudiced against Asians and gays.” She has tears streaming down her face at this point. “I’m a lesbian! Why would anyone say I hated gays? You’ve got to make them stop talking about me!”
My heart broke, of course, but still. I found myself resenting cell-phones in an entirely new way. I can hardly wait to see what the future will bring.
September 4th, 2007 at 12:42 pm
[...] Cell-Phone Junkies 7 Sean Craven, Paul Cooper, Christopher Long, Rory Harper, Jess Nevins, nancy u. [...] [...]