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GeekSugar Geek Out: Do You Listen To Others' Cell Phone Conversations? Apr 22, 2009 9:02 AM Today's geek out comes to you courtesy of an anecdote posted by SilverFang9899 in the Cell Phone Rant Group . It wasn't so much the cell phone story itself, about a woman screaming and crying on her cell phone — "It sounded as though her boyfriend were breaking up with her" — but a bit that SilverFang wrote about her own reaction. She wrote : "It didn't really bother me, as I take perverse pleasure into listening to people's phone conversations, but if I were [her], I would have put my window up!" To see what I think of this 'perverse pleasure', just . I have to confess that I totally relate to the perverse pleasure bit. No, I'm not a weirdo eavesdropper, but I'm just sayin': If you're ranting and raving on your cell phone in the aisles of Walgreens or the quiet bus, I'm probably going to listen. Especially if it's interesting. Likewise, I expect that any public cell phone conversation I have is fodder for the unfortunate people near me who have to listen to it, and I try to remember that when my phone rings and I'm not alone. Fess up: do you ever listen in? Source
SilverFang9899 Drama in a parking lot Apr 12, 2009 8:22 PM Just a few months ago, I was sitting in a McDonald's parking lot eating and this woman the next car over was screaming, swearing and crying into her cell phone. It sounded as though her boyfriend were breaking up with her. It didn't really bother me, as I take perverse pleasure into listening to people's phone conversations, but if I were she, I would have put my window up!
GeekSugar Cell Phone Rant: Why Texting Is Just As Bad Dec 3, 2008 12:30 PM I suppose it would be OK to text in certain places that it's not appropriate to be using a cell phone; while you're in a drive-thru , or happily tapping away in the backseat of a taxi cab , but in most scenarios, it is just as rude to be clicking your thumbs through texts as it is to be flapping your lips on your phone. I don't mean to be ageist, but there's a younger demographic that I've encountered that thinks this is OK — I say this because I found myself chewing out my 20-year-old sister several times (I still love you, baby girl) over the long weekend for texting. Yes, I know that younger people (man I sound SO old) text more often than they talk on the phone and maybe starving college students can't afford pricey smartphones to email on — I get the practice, but not the dependence. To see the places I have given my sister the stink eye for texting (including the movies, the most sacred of cell phone abstinence), just . Stink eye delivered: At the dinner table (really?), in a movie theater (come on), and (my fave) while we're having an intent conversation, just the two of us. In an effort to keep our sisterly bond intact, she gamely apologized, but I knew she'd have those texts flowing the minute she was free to, when the old-lady big sister looked the other way. And so I urge you, on behalf of the geezers who don't understand why you are always texting, indulge us and don't text anywhere you would feel weird talking on a cell phone. Got a good cell phone or texting rant? Join the Cell Phone Rant Group ! Source
GeekSugar Cell Phone Rant: Is It OK to Talk in a Taxi? Oct 23, 2008 1:00 PM OK, Cell Phone Rant group members, I've got a sticky subject on cell phone etiquette. It's pretty cut and dry where not to be on your cell phone, lest you're judged as rude or worse, icky — the drive-thru , ordering food , and yes, the bathroom — but are there places where you're receiving a service that it's OK? I'm talking specifically about taxi cabs. Live in a city, and you're bound to take a few rides. The thought came to me the other night, when I got in a cab alone and had to let my boyfriend know that I was safely on my way home. I kept it short because I wasn't alone inside the car, but besides being physically there to drive me, the driver didn't try to engage me in conversation. Our only exchanges were when I got in the car, to tell him where I needed to go, and at the end, to thank him when I paid. To see what I think, just . So I'm conflicted. While I would never want to discount anyone's importance by talking on my cell phone as if they weren't there, it's not as if I'm ignoring him or making him wait for my instructions or payment. But on the other hand, I'm still uncomfortable having longer than a quick, informative call. However, I know many people who use the time in the back of a cab to use their phone to catch up on returning calls or pass the time. So, tell me what you think . . . is talking on your phone in a taxi cab kosher, or just as rude as anywhere else? (P.S. Got a good gem to rant about? Join the Cell Phone Rant group now!) Source
Foofie Movie Theater Cellphone Rage Oct 11, 2008 5:36 PM I consider the movie theater to be my church. It's my sanctuary, where I go to get a little peace and quiet and enjoy me a good movie. So you can imagine that I get a big crazy whenever I see cellphone users a) talking on their cells during the movie or b) texting during the movie. I would like to say that texting is a big no-no as well. That screen can light up the theater like a Christmas tree and it's very distracting and uber annoying. So if you're like me and this drives you batty here is a way I found to deal with this problem: If I tell the cellphone user to put it away and they don't, I simply go to the usher and tell them that I saw that person trying to record the movie with their cellphone and I get them booted out. Yes, it's not very nice but I feel justified in my doing so.