May 4th/Afternoon sometime...
Layin' Down the Law on Cell Phones.
1: Thou shalt not subject defenseless onlookers
to cell phone conversations. When people cannot escape the banality
of your conversation--on a plan, on a train, on a bus, in a cab,
or at the dinner table--spare them.
2: Thou shalt not set thy ringer to play
"La Cucaracha" every time thy phone rings. Or Beethoven's Fifth,
or the Bee Gees, or any other annoying melody. Is it not enough
that phones go off every other second?
3: Thou shalt turn thy cell phone off during
public performances. I'm not even sure this one needs saying, but
given the repeated violations of this heretofore unwritten law,
I felt compelled to include it.
4: Thou shalt not wear more than two wireless
devices on thy belt. This hasn't become a big problem yet. But with
plenty of technojockeys sporting pagers and phones, Batman-esque
utility belts are sure to follow. Let's nip this one in the bud.
5: Thou shalt not dial while driving. In
all seriousness, this madness has to stop. There are enough people
in the world who have problems mastering vehicles and phones individually.
And Furthermore...
6: Thou shalt not wear thy earpiece in the
presence of thy friends. This is not unlike being on the phone and
carrying on another conversation with someone who is physically
in your presence. No one knows if you're here or there.
7: Thou shalt not speak louder on thy cell
phone than thou would on any other phone. These things have incredibly
sensitive microphones, and it's gotten to the point where I can
tell if someone is calling me from a cell because of the way they
are talking, not how it sounds. If your signal cuts out, speaking
louder won't help, unless the person is actually within earshot.
8: Thou shalt not grow too attached to thy
cell phone. For obvious reasons, a dependency on constant communication
is not healthy. At work, go nuts. At home, give it a rest.
9: Thou shalt not attempt to impress with
thy cell phone. Not only is using a cell phone no longer impressive
in any way (unless it's one of those really cool new phones with
the space-age design), when it is used for that reason, said user
can be immediately identified as a neophyte and a poseur.
10: Thou shalt not slam thy cell phone down
on a restaurant table just in case it rings. This is not the Old
West, and you are not a gunslinger sitting down to a game of poker
in the saloon. Could you please be a little less conspicuous? If
it rings, you'll hear it just as well if it's in your coat pocket
or clipped on your belt.
|