I'm rethinking my absolute opposition to the death penalty. I'm pretty sure that anyone walking around with one of these should be shot. Preferably on sight.
I actually think what they look is entirely geeky. Which in my book is really quite amusing, especially in people who tend to be the big movers and shakers in business and politics. They think they look so powerful, whereas they really look like they should be wearing a Star Trek costume.
Okay, they might look dorky, but those Bluetooth headsets sure are nice. The wire from the other kind inevitably gets tangled up and jerked out of your ear. Ouch, that hurts.
I don't care how they look (although they look ridiculous), just how they think they're the only person on Earth when they're wearing one. My new thing is, when on line behind one of these people, or even when passing one on the sidewalk, I tell them exactly how I feel about them, right in their ear. Oh, don't worry, they don't hear anything but what's coming through their stupid headset. But it allows me to get my hostilities toward them out of my system without any actual violence being done. Very liberating. (I recommend "your baby's ugly!" Try it!) By the way, and this might not apply depending on where you live, but I don't know who I feel more sorry for: The people getting nailed by strollers on the sidewalk because the hipster mom on her way to the gym isn't paying attention because she's on the phone, OR the baby IN the stroller whose mother cares more about constantly talking to someone else on the phone than actually paying attention to the kid. I'm glad to know when I was a baby, my mom's main concern was me and not her fucking myspace page.
It says, "I'm so dependent on other people I have to be constantly talking to someone or my life has no value..."
Or, "I'm responsible for hardware managing millions of dollars of transactions and get called onto six-hour-long conference calls at all hours, and I really don't want to have to hold my hand to my ear for that long," as is the case with my SO.
They may not be a fashion statement, but they are actually useful.
but I don't know who I feel more sorry for: The people getting nailed by strollers on the sidewalk because the hipster mom on her way to the gym isn't paying attention because she's on the phone, OR the baby IN the stroller whose mother cares more about constantly talking to someone else on the phone than actually paying attention to the kid.
No contest, the kid.
But I knew plenty of moms and dads - even back when I was a kid, in the dark ages before cell phones - who paid no attention to their kids, even when they were supposedly spending time with them. Sadly, that part's not new.
Everyone managed to get all their business done before they existed - and without necessarily holding a handset, either.
Yeah, but back then you had large staffs with job security, too. :)
Though in some of her pre-Blackberry jobs, Lori did end up holding a phone to her ear for several hours at a stretch. That gets really uncomfortable.
And I'm not even going to attempt calling tech support without a hands-free. Though mine is on a wire.
James, your SO sounds like a very important person. I'll be sure to clear the sidewalk when I see them coming with their ear thing.
That's not that likely to happen. More likely she'll be playing World of Warcraft while waiting for someone to say something useful on the conference call.
Yeah, but back then you had large staffs with job security, too. :)
Oy. Too true.
Though in some of her pre-Blackberry jobs, Lori did end up holding a phone to her ear for several hours at a stretch. That gets really uncomfortable.
Also true. That's why I posted my little disclaimer about using those things at work. If that little gadget makes Lori's life easier, her life will be spared. :-)
Re death penalty - that happens automatically if people wearing these don't watch their surroundings and get run over by a truck. You don't need to lift a finger. - Darwin's law works just fine.
But I think I should stand up for geekdom here, argue for the other side. Or just throw in some random data points. Also, couldn't this be taken as an interesting piece of avant garde jewellry designed by Salvador Dali or Picasso if you didn't know what it was?
Anyway, at the minimum, you should be introduced to one of the notable genuises/ eccentrics/ inventors in Toronto, Steve Mann, engineering prof at the U of T who wears much much more than an earphone - he also started what may be considered the very first blog.
After you see the pictures, you will immediately realize that earphones are really dated, so last century.
Steve Mann is a self-described cyborg as well as professor, a performance artist, inventor of tools to help people in wheelchairs, environmentalist, musician, etc.
I saw him once at a U of T lecture where he talked about the myriad advantages of wearable computers - trivial example, he can go grocery shopping, and consult via video with his wife at home over what to buy.
You can find many more links than these below, of course.
USA Today story about Mann and helping people with Alzheimer's, giving the handicapped more control, personal safety devices, wearable medical monitors, unfortunately US military uses, etc. The ultimate wearable computer
Photos here - and note the 2002 security incident where he was strip-searched, and some electronic implants forcibly ripped out - Steve Mann - Wikipedia
Re death penalty - that happens automatically if people wearing these don't watch their surroundings and get run over by a truck.
:-)
Also, couldn't this be taken as an interesting piece of avant garde jewellry designed by Salvador Dali or Picasso if you didn't know what it was?
I didn't know what they were when I first saw one, and I didn't mistake it for art. But hey, each to her own. :)
I'm familiar with Steve Mann and wearable computers. What can I say, I find the idea pretty sickening.
I'm very involved in disability issues, as you may know, and I know what a boon computers can be to independent living. But in general, I've found that attitudinal and social changes are at least equally important as technology in improving lives. I find the emphasis on technological solutions a bit misplaced.
I'm sure she does a fine job, but there seemed to be an implication that someone responsible for lots of money is somehow more important than the rest of us. Maybe James didn't mean it to sound like that but it did, to me. I can't be the only one.
I don't care if you're the only one. You're the only one who made the snotty statement, which has no place on this blog. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
I think I ran into one of the worst offenders ever on an early June weekday.
My wife and I took time off to go to Canada's Wonderland just for kicks and, while there, repeatedly encoutered a man who was dragging his son and daughter around the park and talking in his bluetooth handset the *entire time*. Literally the *entire time*. I don't think he said a word to them once.
We were there 8 hours... ran into him at least 15 times over that time. Always talking.
We were there 8 hours... ran into him at least 15 times over that time. Always talking.
Geez. That's like something out of a TV movie.
And he probably thinks he was so efficient, killing two birds, so to speak - never leaving work but fulfilling some obligation to the kids at the same time.
"I don't care if you're the only one. You're the only one who made the snotty statement, which has no place on this blog."
You were the one who told her she looked like an idiot!
A snotty statement is saying, "Well, I need this device because I'M responsible for a lot of important shit, and I can't be holding my arm up to my ear." I was just calling them out on it.
My statement about looking like an idiot was not directed at a specific reader of this blog. Your sarcastic statement (re very important person) was.
I see a difference.
You may not, but that is irrelevant, since this is not your blog.
I don't think there was anything wrong with James's comment. As I read it, he wasn't saying anything about the relative importance of anyone based on their job. I think he was merely explaining why someone might find such a device helpful.
You obviously feel otherwise, which is up to you. However, you are not free to "call them out on it" on this blog. Sorry.
Please stop arguing about this. The case is closed as far as this thread is concerned.
I thought of this post this morning L-girl when I noticed one of my classmates has one. Who's she talking to @ 8am?! Obviously the she is THE go-to nursing student--can't miss a call. Not co-incidentally she is a self-proven hoser. I get it if you need it for work, but not merely to maintain social butterfly status. Jen
p.s. she did take it off for class then MSN'd on her laptop through the lecture.
I'm sure she does a fine job, but there seemed to be an implication that someone responsible for lots of money is somehow more important than the rest of us.
Hell no! The implication was that if you're responsible for a lot of money and you *don't* show up for the six hour conference call, you can find yourself out of a job.
"Well, I need this device because I'M responsible for a lot of important shit, and I can't be holding my arm up to my ear."
It's not a matter of "can't be holding my arm to my ear", it's "if I hold my hand to my ear for six hours, it will become very painful until I loose all feeling in it -- and then it will be very painful when the feeling finally returns." Thanks to the cancer surgery, she can't avoid this by switching off hands -- her right arm becomes fatigued very quickly.
Okayyyy, I may be totally out to lunch here, but what the hell is that thing?!? Haven't seen one around "these parts" - but it seems like I should consider myself lucky!!!
they are rampant around here, and I totally agree- they look ridiculous! and yes, I agree with the first comment that it (instead of looking 'powerful') it looks like they should be wearing a Star Trek costume.
and to dogsled Stacie... be glad they haven't reached you there yet! I can only imagine mushers around your parts in the Yukon wearing these as you go off with your dogs pulling you along. Would the person you were talking to be bothered with a loud "gee" or "haw" sprinkled in the conversation in the same way that parents add in the few words to their kids as they continue with the conversation?
The thought of dog mushers wearing these actually makes the whole idea quite amusing. Perhaps it keeps it in perspective too. Who is to say that they don't have 'important' things to do too? they absolutely need to pay attention to their team of dogs in the same way that the parents should be paying attention to their kids!
27 comments:
I actually think what they look is entirely geeky. Which in my book is really quite amusing, especially in people who tend to be the big movers and shakers in business and politics. They think they look so powerful, whereas they really look like they should be wearing a Star Trek costume.
Okay, they might look dorky, but those Bluetooth headsets sure are nice. The wire from the other kind inevitably gets tangled up and jerked out of your ear. Ouch, that hurts.
It says, "I'm so dependent on other people I have to be constantly talking to someone or my life has no value..."
I don't care how they look (although they look ridiculous), just how they think they're the only person on Earth when they're wearing one. My new thing is, when on line behind one of these people, or even when passing one on the sidewalk, I tell them exactly how I feel about them, right in their ear. Oh, don't worry, they don't hear anything but what's coming through their stupid headset. But it allows me to get my hostilities toward them out of my system without any actual violence being done. Very liberating. (I recommend "your baby's ugly!" Try it!) By the way, and this might not apply depending on where you live, but I don't know who I feel more sorry for: The people getting nailed by strollers on the sidewalk because the hipster mom on her way to the gym isn't paying attention because she's on the phone, OR the baby IN the stroller whose mother cares more about constantly talking to someone else on the phone than actually paying attention to the kid. I'm glad to know when I was a baby, my mom's main concern was me and not her fucking myspace page.
It says, "I'm so dependent on other people I have to be constantly talking to someone or my life has no value..."
Or, "I'm responsible for hardware managing millions of dollars of transactions and get called onto six-hour-long conference calls at all hours, and I really don't want to have to hold my hand to my ear for that long," as is the case with my SO.
They may not be a fashion statement, but they are actually useful.
They may not be a fashion statement, but they are actually useful.
Everyone managed to get all their business done before they existed - and without necessarily holding a handset, either.
At least in Lori's case, her long hair would mask it. With short hair, it's just hideous.
Star Trek costume indeed. :)
but I don't know who I feel more sorry for: The people getting nailed by strollers on the sidewalk because the hipster mom on her way to the gym isn't paying attention because she's on the phone, OR the baby IN the stroller whose mother cares more about constantly talking to someone else on the phone than actually paying attention to the kid.
No contest, the kid.
But I knew plenty of moms and dads - even back when I was a kid, in the dark ages before cell phones - who paid no attention to their kids, even when they were supposedly spending time with them. Sadly, that part's not new.
Oh by the way, I wouldn't advocate the death penalty for someone who used these things at work, like James is saying about his partner.
It's the guys who walk down the street or around the mall with them in their ears that need to be eliminated.
James, your SO sounds like a very important person. I'll be sure to clear the sidewalk when I see them coming with their ear thing.
Everyone managed to get all their business done before they existed - and without necessarily holding a handset, either.
Yeah, but back then you had large staffs with job security, too. :)
Though in some of her pre-Blackberry jobs, Lori did end up holding a phone to her ear for several hours at a stretch. That gets really uncomfortable.
And I'm not even going to attempt calling tech support without a hands-free. Though mine is on a wire.
James, your SO sounds like a very important person. I'll be sure to clear the sidewalk when I see them coming with their ear thing.
That's not that likely to happen. More likely she'll be playing World of Warcraft while waiting for someone to say something useful on the conference call.
James, your SO sounds like a very important person.
She's a very nice person, with a very stressful job, and she's very good at what she does.
Please play nice.
Yeah, but back then you had large staffs with job security, too. :)
Oy. Too true.
Though in some of her pre-Blackberry jobs, Lori did end up holding a phone to her ear for several hours at a stretch. That gets really uncomfortable.
Also true. That's why I posted my little disclaimer about using those things at work. If that little gadget makes Lori's life easier, her life will be spared. :-)
Re death penalty - that happens automatically if people wearing these don't watch their surroundings and get run over by a truck. You don't need to lift a finger. - Darwin's law works just fine.
But I think I should stand up for geekdom here, argue for the other side. Or just throw in some random data points. Also, couldn't this be taken as an interesting piece of avant garde jewellry designed by Salvador Dali or Picasso if you didn't know what it was?
Anyway, at the minimum, you should be introduced to one of the notable genuises/ eccentrics/ inventors in Toronto, Steve Mann, engineering prof at the U of T who wears much much more than an earphone - he also started what may be considered the very first blog.
After you see the pictures, you will immediately realize that earphones are really dated, so last century.
Steve Mann is a self-described cyborg as well as professor, a performance artist, inventor of tools to help people in wheelchairs, environmentalist, musician, etc.
I saw him once at a U of T lecture where he talked about the myriad advantages of wearable computers - trivial example, he can go grocery shopping, and consult via video with his wife at home over what to buy.
You can find many more links than these below, of course.
USA Today story about Mann and helping people with Alzheimer's, giving the handicapped more control, personal safety devices, wearable medical monitors, unfortunately US military uses, etc.
The ultimate wearable computer
Photos here - and note the 2002 security incident where he was strip-searched, and some electronic implants forcibly ripped out -
Steve Mann - Wikipedia
More photos
Steve Mann - web page at U of Toronto
The comment "I'm glad to know when I was a baby, my mom's main concern was me and not her fucking myspace page." is classic.
Re death penalty - that happens automatically if people wearing these don't watch their surroundings and get run over by a truck.
:-)
Also, couldn't this be taken as an interesting piece of avant garde jewellry designed by Salvador Dali or Picasso if you didn't know what it was?
I didn't know what they were when I first saw one, and I didn't mistake it for art. But hey, each to her own. :)
I'm familiar with Steve Mann and wearable computers. What can I say, I find the idea pretty sickening.
I'm very involved in disability issues, as you may know, and I know what a boon computers can be to independent living. But in general, I've found that attitudinal and social changes are at least equally important as technology in improving lives. I find the emphasis on technological solutions a bit misplaced.
"Please play nice."
I'm sure she does a fine job, but there seemed to be an implication that someone responsible for lots of money is somehow more important than the rest of us. Maybe James didn't mean it to sound like that but it did, to me. I can't be the only one.
Alex, thanks.
I don't care if you're the only one. You're the only one who made the snotty statement, which has no place on this blog. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
I think I ran into one of the worst offenders ever on an early June weekday.
My wife and I took time off to go to Canada's Wonderland just for kicks and, while there, repeatedly encoutered a man who was dragging his son and daughter around the park and talking in his bluetooth handset the *entire time*. Literally the *entire time*. I don't think he said a word to them once.
We were there 8 hours... ran into him at least 15 times over that time. Always talking.
Quality time with the kids.
We were there 8 hours... ran into him at least 15 times over that time. Always talking.
Geez. That's like something out of a TV movie.
And he probably thinks he was so efficient, killing two birds, so to speak - never leaving work but fulfilling some obligation to the kids at the same time.
"I don't care if you're the only one. You're the only one who made the snotty statement, which has no place on this blog."
You were the one who told her she looked like an idiot!
A snotty statement is saying, "Well, I need this device because I'M responsible for a lot of important shit, and I can't be holding my arm up to my ear." I was just calling them out on it.
My statement about looking like an idiot was not directed at a specific reader of this blog. Your sarcastic statement (re very important person) was.
I see a difference.
You may not, but that is irrelevant, since this is not your blog.
I don't think there was anything wrong with James's comment. As I read it, he wasn't saying anything about the relative importance of anyone based on their job. I think he was merely explaining why someone might find such a device helpful.
You obviously feel otherwise, which is up to you. However, you are not free to "call them out on it" on this blog. Sorry.
Please stop arguing about this. The case is closed as far as this thread is concerned.
I thought of this post this morning L-girl when I noticed one of my classmates has one. Who's she talking to @ 8am?! Obviously the she is THE go-to nursing student--can't miss a call. Not co-incidentally she is a self-proven hoser. I get it if you need it for work, but not merely to maintain social butterfly status. Jen
p.s. she did take it off for class then MSN'd on her laptop through the lecture.
JJJP, I'm glad to know wmtc readers are thinking about this blog while they go about their day. :)
I'm sure she does a fine job, but there seemed to be an implication that someone responsible for lots of money is somehow more important than the rest of us.
Hell no! The implication was that if you're responsible for a lot of money and you *don't* show up for the six hour conference call, you can find yourself out of a job.
"Well, I need this device because I'M responsible for a lot of important shit, and I can't be holding my arm up to my ear."
It's not a matter of "can't be holding my arm to my ear", it's "if I hold my hand to my ear for six hours, it will become very painful until I loose all feeling in it -- and then it will be very painful when the feeling finally returns." Thanks to the cancer surgery, she can't avoid this by switching off hands -- her right arm becomes fatigued very quickly.
Okayyyy, I may be totally out to lunch here, but what the hell is that thing?!? Haven't seen one around "these parts" - but it seems like I should consider myself lucky!!!
Every time I see one of those, I shudder. But then, I hate anything IN the ear, only padded earphones will do.
they are rampant around here, and I totally agree- they look ridiculous! and yes, I agree with the first comment that it (instead of looking 'powerful') it looks like they should be wearing a Star Trek costume.
and to dogsled Stacie... be glad they haven't reached you there yet! I can only imagine mushers around your parts in the Yukon wearing these as you go off with your dogs pulling you along. Would the person you were talking to be bothered with a loud "gee" or "haw" sprinkled in the conversation in the same way that parents add in the few words to their kids as they continue with the conversation?
The thought of dog mushers wearing these actually makes the whole idea quite amusing. Perhaps it keeps it in perspective too. Who is to say that they don't have 'important' things to do too? they absolutely need to pay attention to their team of dogs in the same way that the parents should be paying attention to their kids!
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