# I'm going to alienate all my contemporaries by saying this, but...



## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

I am in my mid-20s and I am sick and tired of seeing this disturbing trend from other people my age.

I don't understand why someone can't be away from Facebook, can't stop text messaging, and can't stop checking their email for just a FEW GODDAMN HOURS when they go somewhere. Turn off your phone. You have a night out. Enjoy it in the company of REAL PEOPLE.

This happens _all the time_ at plays here even when they clearly tell you to turn off your phones and not to text during the performance. For Christ's sake, there are real actors there! It's not a movie. Acquaintances also do this _all the time_ when out for dinner with me and some friends. The worst was when someone I hadn't caught up with in two years kept pulling out her phone and texting every single minute in the middle of our conversation. It's not hard to figure out that these things are annoying, distracting, and most of all RUDE to the other people present.

Common sense is all I ask here.


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## camorristi (May 9, 2010)

Jovan said:


> I am in my mid-20s and I am sick and tired of seeing this disturbing trend from other people my age.
> 
> I don't understand why someone can't be away from Facebook, can't stop text messaging, and can't stop checking their email for just a FEW GODDAMN HOURS when they go somewhere. Turn off your phone. You have a night out. Enjoy it in the company of REAL PEOPLE.
> 
> ...


The issue is bigger than that. I stopped using FB completely after my girlfriend discovered my relationship status was still single :crazy:, and I don't text at all. The question is, who should we point the finger at? I think most of today's youth are influenced with lower end external influences like Domino's pizza, Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga, MTV & VHS, CN, and all that crap. I think it all started as soon as people stopped wearing suits everyday and everywhere, which conseqeuntly led to all the other horrible things today's trashy youth are accustomed to. In one word, the solution I propose to this growing problem would be dressing up as if you were in the 60's, driving classic cars, watching classic TV shows, and listening to classic music. And worse than someone using their phone while you're talking, is when have stupid ring tones and they answer their phones after they've heard the entire song.


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## Pentheos (Jun 30, 2008)

I blame Domino's pizza too.


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## hmmurdock (May 12, 2010)

I think you'll find that this trend of electronic distraction has crept into the workplace as well. I cannot begin to count the times while out at a client location I've come across one of my staff people typing on instant messenger or sending text messages. For me the larger issue with people in their early to mid-twenties is a complete lack of personal communication. With each new crop of fresh out of college first year staff I work with, their lack of personal communication gets more and more pronounced. They have grown so used to electronic communication that they would rather send an email with a request rather than walking ten feet down the hall to ask in person. Frankly it makes me wonder how they managed to interview for the job in the first place.


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

Jovan said:


> I am in my mid-20s and I am sick and tired of seeing this disturbing trend from other people my age.
> 
> I don't understand why someone can't be away from Facebook, can't stop text messaging, and can't stop checking their email for just a FEW GODDAMN HOURS when they go somewhere. Turn off your phone. You have a night out. Enjoy it in the company of REAL PEOPLE.


There is still hope for you yet!!


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## Howard (Dec 7, 2004)

I think in this day and age everyone's involved with their electronic gadgets,not like the 80's when people were listening to their Sony walkmans.


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## MikeDT (Aug 22, 2009)

Never really saw the point of Facebook. Sure I can live without Farmville. Same goes for Twitter.


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## phyrpowr (Aug 30, 2009)

While I don't know the deep true inner etc. reason for this (see it all the time myself) I suspect it's the "grass is always greener" syndrome: something *way cool *could be happening elsewhere, and if they're not connected, how can they know? And the egotists can insert themselves onstage in more than one place?

In any case, it's rather insulting to the person they're actually with, as it says "you are less interesting than anything else that *might *be happening anywhere else." I'm with you 100%


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## ZachGranstrom (Mar 11, 2010)

Jovan said:


> I am in my mid-20s and I am sick and tired of seeing this disturbing trend from other people my age.
> 
> I don't understand why someone can't be away from Facebook, can't stop text messaging, and can't stop checking their email for just a FEW GODDAMN HOURS when they go somewhere. Turn off your phone. You have a night out. Enjoy it in the company of REAL PEOPLE.
> 
> ...


You're not alone. I'm 19, and it annoys the hell out of me when someone stops me mid-conversation just to update there FB status. Oh, and when it comes to Plays or Movie theaters,... well , I've been known to throw a milkdud or two and/or say very colorful words.



hmmurdock said:


> I think you'll find that this trend of electronic distraction has crept into the workplace as well. I cannot begin to count the times while out at a client location I've come across one of my staff people typing on instant messenger or sending text messages.* For me the larger issue with people in their early to mid-twenties is a complete lack of personal communication. With each new crop of fresh out of college first year staff I work with, their lack of personal communication gets more and more pronounced.* They have grown so used to electronic communication that they would rather send an email with a request rather than walking ten feet down the hall to ask in person. Frankly it makes me wonder how they managed to interview for the job in the first place.


 +1


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## JJR512 (May 18, 2010)

Damn you guys... Now I want a pizza from Domino's. Thanks a lot!


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## ZachGranstrom (Mar 11, 2010)

JJR512 said:


> Damn you guys... Now I want a pizza from Domino's. Thanks a lot!


Mmmm!!!! A Domino's pizza does look very good right now.


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## camorristi (May 9, 2010)

JJR512 said:


> Damn you guys... Now I want a pizza from Domino's. Thanks a lot!


 Well, it'll make you text while talking to someone..so..word to the wise :icon_smile_big:


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

I should clarify in light of what ZG said. I actually hate it during movies too. Distracting. But it's far worse when the actors are actually there and not projected onto a screen. Insulting. Like phyrpowr said, it's as if they couldn't care less about what you're doing. Granted, some plays or actors can be bad and maybe the student is only there to write a paper on it, but that's why we have a little thing called _manners_. As an actor this especially tends to rub me wrong.

camorristi: I don't believe in this supposed golden age of manners and refinement in the 20th century. Penn and Teller agree with me.





 (Warning: Language and nudity... sorta. Apparently YouTube has gotten rid of the Mature Content thing entirely and now you have to cover up boobs or get banned. Billycock, I say.)


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## Howard (Dec 7, 2004)

Facebook And Twitter are the new interests of the 21st century.


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## Kingstonian (Dec 23, 2007)

JJR512 said:


> Damn you guys... Now I want a pizza from Domino's. Thanks a lot!


Not with pepperoni on it. Where did pepperoni come from? Does it exist outside of the world of pizzas?


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## beherethen (Jun 6, 2009)

It's going to get worse before it gets better. As smart phones offer more features and cost less we are going to be in constant communication with the WWW. Gotta go-see I have an incoming email.


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## camorristi (May 9, 2010)

Jovan said:


> I should clarify in light of what ZG said. I actually hate it during movies too. Distracting. But it's far worse when the actors are actually there and not projected onto a screen. Insulting. Like phyrpowr said, it's as if they couldn't care less about what you're doing. Granted, some plays or actors can be bad and maybe the student is only there to write a paper on it, but that's why we have a little thing called _manners_. As an actor this especially tends to rub me wrong.
> 
> camorristi: I don't believe in this supposed golden age of manners and refinement in the 20th century. Penn and Teller agree with me.
> 
> ...


I really hope you're joking..otherwise enjoy your Domino's pizza and Lady Gaga..how do you explain the fact that people were rude back in the day like they are today?


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

I really hope _you_ are joking. Your posts are slowly becoming more and more trollish.


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## camorristi (May 9, 2010)

ZachGranstrom said:


> Mmmm!!!! A Domino's pizza does look very good right now.


Disgusting and greasy, no wonder we're the fattest country in the world, and 9 out of 10 people have hypertension :crazy:. Below, is an example of what pizza should be:


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## camorristi (May 9, 2010)

Jovan said:


> I really hope _you_ are joking. Your posts are slowly becoming more and more trollish.


Well, I'm certainly not joking.


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

camorristi said:


> ..how do you explain the fact that people were rude back in the day like they are today?


It isn't that people weren't rude.

It's that people are becoming more rude more frequently in newer ways as technology becomes more affordable.

BTW~Your pizza judgment is much more acute!!


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## TMMKC (Aug 2, 2007)

Western Civilization started on its downard spiral when we let California have its own pizza.


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## camorristi (May 9, 2010)

WouldaShoulda said:


> It isn't that people weren't rude.
> 
> It's that people are becoming more rude more frequently in newer ways as technology becomes more affordable.
> 
> BTW~Your pizza judgment is much more acute!!


Thank you :icon_smile_wink:


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## ZachGranstrom (Mar 11, 2010)

camorristi said:


> Disgusting and greasy, no wonder we're the fattest country in the world, and 9 out of 10 people have hypertension :crazy:. Below, is an example of what pizza should be:


I beg to differ. I think there pizza is great. Anyways, I understand you not liking greasy pizza, but I like it simply for the fact that it is fattening and greasy. (my only binge food every once in awhile since I started to exercise and eat better)


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## ajo (Oct 22, 2007)

TMMKC said:


> Western Civilization started on its downard spiral when we let California have its own pizza.


I thought it was when men stopped wearing hats on a daily basis.

The girls school my wife works at is apoplectic over FB tweets and mobile phones. The amount of problems its generating with cyber bullying harassment is out of all proportion to the events.

I am total agreement with Jovans initial post its just plain bad manners to leave a phone on in the theatre. Isn't there a cyber etiquette guide? Or are people just plain ignorant? As for manners and general rudeness maybe its because most people are in constant state of stress due to take your pick, work, money, mortgage, teenagers the list goes on but still its no excuse.


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## 10gallonhat (Dec 13, 2009)

I have my phone out almost all the time. I get a lottttttttttt of business-related texts and emails and I know this makes me sound arrogant but my financial security is much more important to me than the comfort of some people I don't know. Sure, if I'm on a date, or at the gym, or in the middle of a conversation with a close friend, I'll leave the phone alone, but if I'm out with a bunch of people and we're just hanging out not doing anything important and no one is in the middle of a sentence, if my phone goes off I'll look at it. And I don't really see anything wrong with doing so.


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

Think about what you just said. Can you _really_ not survive without checking your phone that much? Will it really put your financial security at risk by waiting until you get home? Not five years ago people got along just fine without checking their email, voicemail, and texts every minute. It's also not much effort to tell those people to HOLD THEIR HORSES with the text messages because you're out ENJOYING YOURSELF and NOT WORKING.

So, I'm sorry, but I think your excuse is a pretty feeble one. Half of my concern is how much distance it is putting between people now. You might consider that as well.


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## 10gallonhat (Dec 13, 2009)

Jovan said:


> Think about what you just said. Can you _really_ not survive without checking your phone that much? Will it really put your financial security at risk by waiting until you get home? Not five years ago people got along just fine without checking their email, voicemail, and texts every minute. It's also not much effort to tell those people to HOLD THEIR HORSES with the text messages because you're out ENJOYING YOURSELF and NOT WORKING.
> 
> So, I'm sorry, but I think your excuse is a pretty feeble one. Half of my concern is how much distance it is putting between people now. You might consider that as well.


No, I agree with you, everyone talks via text and Facebook messages that a lot of people are incredibly boring to actually be around in real life. And yeah, I'd still have money if I waited a few hours until I got home, but I'd have less, so I choose to do it.

But yeah, it annoys me too when people are so obsessed with talking to their boyfriends that they have to reply to every single text. At least I only reply to important ones, lol. I actually know a girl who complains about how she barely gets any sleep because people are always texting her at night (to which she wakes up and replies), as if it's completely unfathomable to put a phone on silent.


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## JerseyJohn (Oct 26, 2007)

a!!!!1 said:


> I have my phone out almost all the time. I get a lottttttttttt of business-related texts and emails and I know this makes me sound arrogant but my financial security is much more important to me than the comfort of some people I don't know. Sure, if I'm on a date, or at the gym, or in the middle of a conversation with a close friend, I'll leave the phone alone, but if I'm out with a bunch of people and we're just hanging out not doing anything important and no one is in the middle of a sentence, if my phone goes off I'll look at it. And I don't really see anything wrong with doing so.


The message you're sending to the people you're with is "you're a 5 ... Uh-oh, I just got a message - maybe he's an 8 ... Oops, no ... just a 3; OK, I'll condescend to pay attention to you 5's again. But if an 8 calls, f*** you; I'm dealing with him first."

Is that the message you want to send to the people you're "just hanging out not doing anything important"? If so, I'd suggest you don't hang out with any _real _friends (or have any).


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## 10gallonhat (Dec 13, 2009)

JerseyJohn said:


> The message you're sending to the people you're with is "you're a 5 ... Uh-oh, I just got a message - maybe he's an 8 ... Oops, no ... just a 3; OK, I'll condescend to pay attention to you 5's again. But if an 8 calls, f*** you; I'm dealing with him first."
> 
> Is that the message you want to send to the people you're "just hanging out not doing anything important"? If so, I'd suggest you don't hang out with any _real _friends (or have any).


Apparently you're bitter because some girl probably ignored you to text another guy while you were on a date with her, yet in your rush to attempt to engage me in an e-argument you skipped over the phrase "business-related texts and emails" in my post. But now that you've turned this thread into a high school drama-fest, I'm unsubscribing, so don't bother replying or you'll just be talking to yourself.


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## camorristi (May 9, 2010)

JerseyJohn said:


> The message you're sending to the people you're with is "you're a 5 ... Uh-oh, I just got a message - maybe he's an 8 ... Oops, no ... just a 3; OK, I'll condescend to pay attention to you 5's again. But if an 8 calls, f*** you; I'm dealing with him first."
> 
> Is that the message you want to send to the people you're "just hanging out not doing anything important"? If so, I'd suggest you don't hang out with any _real _friends (or have any).


I totally agree with you. The fact that some people won't really mind if you text in front of them, does not make texing not rude. If a girl is texting someone while on a date with me, she's paying her half of the bill for sure :icon_smile_big:. By the way I grew up in Trenton/Wayne/Newark, so I know how "nice & polite" we really are :icon_smile_wink:.


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## JerseyJohn (Oct 26, 2007)

a!!!!1 said:


> Apparently you're bitter because some girl probably ignored you to text another guy while you were on a date with her, yet in your rush to attempt to engage me in an e-argument you skipped over the phrase "business-related texts and emails" in my post. But now that you've turned this thread into a high school drama-fest, I'm unsubscribing, so don't bother replying or you'll just be talking to yourself.


I'm not the least bitter - I'm just giving you one man's opinion about how I'd feel if you did this. Take it or leave it.


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## phyrpowr (Aug 30, 2009)

a!!!!1 said:


> I have my phone out almost all the time. I get a lottttttttttt of business-related texts and emails and I know this makes me sound arrogant but my financial security is much more important to me than the comfort of some people I don't know. Sure, if I'm on a date, or at the gym, or in the middle of a conversation with a close friend, I'll leave the phone alone, but if I'm out with a bunch of people and we're just hanging out not doing anything important and no one is in the middle of a sentence, if my phone goes off I'll look at it. And I don't really see anything wrong with doing so.


I would certainly hope that you *explain *to those present that you expect business messages that you need to check, rather than just appearing to be Mr. Important. I wouldn't particularly mind if someone told me that, and at least said "sorry, a deal is in progress" or some such when it happened. And from your initial statement, I'm assuming that you don't conduct busy-ness in plays, at dinner, etc.


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

I think he explained that he didn't -- at least that's what I understood.

A friend that I don't see every once in a while now has the decency to keep his phone away when I do get to see him. Being in the Navy, he can afford one of those smartphones. It doesn't dominate his life, however. The last time we were out to dinner with our significant others he never took it out once. The only time was afterward and he _asked_ first -- just to see what movies were playing so we could all go. He's younger than me. A lot of people could learn from him.


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## ajo (Oct 22, 2007)

^ Yes etiquette still exists. I only have my phone on during business hours and on the weekend to be contact with my son (if required). And if I do pull it out during working hours while speaking with a live person and not a virtual one. I say 'excuse me I have to take this call.'


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## StevenRocks (May 24, 2005)

This smart phone addiction is getting out of...wait...my phone's ringing.


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## Cruiser (Jul 21, 2006)

Jovan said:


> Being in the Navy, he can afford one of those smartphones.


Dang, when I was in the Navy I made $98 a month. Maybe it's a good thing there weren't any smartphones around back then because I sure couldn't have afforded one. About all I could afford was the dime for the pay phone. :icon_smile_big:

Cruiser


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## Kurt N (Feb 11, 2009)

ajo said:


> I am total agreement with Jovans initial post its just plain bad manners to leave a phone on in the theatre.


I once attended a play where the star's own cellphone went off in his pocket during the middle of his big speech! It was a comedy set during Shakespeare's time, so he gamely reached into his pocket, pulled the thing out and stared at it quizzically, and said, "I didn't think these had been invented yet!"


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

One strategy I have started to use that works really well is this. If someone in a group answers a mobile phone without excusing themselves first and/or moving away, I simply start talking louder or isnging so they can't hear the phone; because you know what happens everyone else suddnely feels compelled to go quiet when someone answers a mobile and it kills the atmosphere and is totally wrong.

The other thing I do is if someone starts using a computer or texting or playing around with any other such device while I'm talking to them I simply stop mid-flow and say, in a work situation, "Oh I see your busy, I'll come back later". In a social situation, usually something surreal like, "Water on Venus proves God" to see if they're paying attention and to see how they respond, the 2 opposite responses are obvious and of course determine what I do and say next.

The other one I do at work is if someone answers a phone while I'm in a discussion/meeting with them without first saying something like "excuse me I must take this" or "sorry I thought I'd turned it off" I just get up and walk out. Because I find it very rude. I like the Japanese approach that it is socially unacceptable to use a mobile phone in public places, buses, restaurants, trains and so on.


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## camorristi (May 9, 2010)

Earl of Ormonde said:


> One strategy I have started to use that works really well is this. If someone in a group answers a mobile phone without excusing themselves first and/or moving away, I simply start talking louder or isnging so they can't hear the phone; because you know what happens everyone else suddnely feels compelled to go quiet when someone answers a mobile and it kills the atmosphere and is totally wrong.
> 
> The other thing I do is if someone starts using a computer or texting or playing around with any other such device while I'm talking to them I simply stop mid-flow and say, in a work situation, "Oh I see your busy, I'll come back later". In a social situation, usually something surreal like, "Water on Venus proves God" to see if they're paying attention and to see how they respond, the 2 opposite responses are obvious and of course determine what I do and say next.
> 
> The other one I do at work is if someone answers a phone while I'm in a discussion/meeting with them without first saying something like "excuse me I must take this" or "sorry I thought I'd turned it off" I just get up and walk out. Because I find it very rude. I like the Japanese approach that it is socially unacceptable to use a mobile phone in public places, buses, restaurants, trains and so on.


haha I'll try doing that from now on..by the way did you know the silent mode is called manner mode in Japan


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

Kurt N said:


> I once attended a play where the star's own cellphone went off in his pocket during the middle of his big speech! It was a comedy set during Shakespeare's time, so he gamely reached into his pocket, pulled the thing out and stared at it quizzically, and said, "I didn't think these had been invented yet!"


 Idiot. That would have ruined the play for me. Phones are to stay IN THE DRESSING ROOM and be turned to silent. I thought that was common sense!


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## JJR512 (May 18, 2010)

Kingstonian said:


> Not with pepperoni on it. Where did pepperoni come from? Does it exist outside of the world of pizzas?


Pepperoni is an American variation of southern-Italian spicy salami. It is also commonly found in sub shops; Subway has it, for example.


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## Howard (Dec 7, 2004)

I text once in a while and I always email a few people but I'm not much of a techie.


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## Apatheticviews (Mar 21, 2010)

Any means of communication will be used as a means of communication.
-USMC C4I adage.

We're social creatures. We need it. We crave it. Unfortunately, some people don't know how to _moderate_ the instinct.

For years I never carried a cell phone. I see them as a matter of convenience, and in some cases necessity, but that doesn't mean I like them. Call a duck a duck. They're a "digital leash."


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

LOL. Wouldn't it be nice if they would take away all these "digital leashes" and just give us back our old rotary dial phones? Am I the sole remaining member of these fora, who still has a rotary dial phone?


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## Howard (Dec 7, 2004)

eagle2250 said:


> LOL. Wouldn't it be nice if they would take away all these "digital leashes" and just give us back our old rotary dial phones? Am I the sole remaining member of these fora, who still has a rotary dial phone?


Wow Eagle,The 80's were so cool,rotary dial phones and Sony Walkmans were the biggest things during that era.


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## De-Boj (Jul 5, 2009)

I have interpreted all of the texting I see as part of the larger tendency for people to want to be part of the group, and not want to miss out on anything affecting the group.

Here is an example: When I was at U of Del I hung out with the same circle of friends every Friday and Saturday night. We partied alot without much drama, but every once in a while one of my friends would get in a fight, or hook up with a (hot/ugly) member of the opposite sex, or disappear to be found later out cold in the neighbors yard. When this happened it was discussed for weeks, and recalled in conversations for years. After a while the weekends got less fun as we got stuck in a rut of doing the same thing with the same people. I realized that I was still doing the same thing because I didn't want to loose touch with my group. Being a member of that great group of guys and gals was part of how I identified myself. We didn't have these smart phones then, so I just stayed close to my friends. In hindsight maybe I missed out on some other things I could have been doing, maybe I wasted alot of weekends because I didn't want to loose the connection with my friends...

I don't think the technology has changed the way people think, it has just made it easy to maintain your connections while not being in the same room. I would define taking a call without excusing yourself or texting while in a social situation as rude, and an improper use of the technology. These devices make it easier to keep in touch with our friends, but we should not let them detatch us from the people we are physically in the room with.


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## Kurt N (Feb 11, 2009)

eagle2250 said:


> LOL. Wouldn't it be nice if they would take away all these "digital leashes" and just give us back our old rotary dial phones? Am I the sole remaining member of these fora, who still has a rotary dial phone?


I have a phone styled to LOOK like a rotary dial phone, but alas, it's a push-button. I guess that makes me a wanna-be old-timer.

I manage to get by without my cell phone, for the most part. It's a "there if I need it" item.

I do see in my circle of family and friends that various technologies (email, Skype, Facebook) are great for staying in touch. You just have to be selective, and not get too sucked in--like watching a TV program just because it's there. (Speaking of which, we don't have TV in our house, but we do have Netflix.)


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## De-Boj (Jul 5, 2009)

Kurt N said:


> I have a phone styled to LOOK like a rotary dial phone, but alas, it's a push-button. I guess that makes me a wanna-be old-timer.


Here is the Cell phone for you. I wanted it, but my wife said NO!
https://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=287


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## Kurt N (Feb 11, 2009)

Heh! $300 for a cell phone as big as a desktop phone, plus you have to be the sort of person who would want one but ALSO the sort of person who knows about SIM cards (which cuts me out).

"Demand is hard to predict," they say. I'll bet! Still, it looks like a fun gadget--for the right sort of person.


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## De-Boj (Jul 5, 2009)

I have to admit, I know nothing about SIMM cards. Still, it would be pretty cool for about few hours.


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## Howard (Dec 7, 2004)

De-Boj said:


> Here is the Cell phone for you. I wanted it, but my wife said NO!
> https://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=287


A rotary phone that acts like a cell phone,very interesting.


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## JJR512 (May 18, 2010)

Yeah, and here's a good idea that shows how to carry it around with you:


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## JerseyJohn (Oct 26, 2007)

Here's a hint: rotary phones still work on tone networks, and almost all phones nowadays can be set to "tone" or "pulse". My phone company still charges an extra 75¢ a month for "touch-tone service" (50 years later), even though if we all dropped it and set our touch tone phones to "pulse" it would cost them a fortune (the circuit remains open while you're dialing, which is why they gave the most highly-used areas the fastest pulse-dial area codes - e.g., NYC=212, LA=213, Chicago 312, etc.). Anyway, if you buy an antique rotary-dial phone (we're currently looking for a "candlestick" phone with a dial for our turn-of-the-century house - a relative rarity, since candlesticks were discontinued around the same time dials came into use), it will still work on your tone-dial system. In fact, one trick for getting around the old "press one for billing, press two for new orders", etc. is to switch your phone to "pulse" and hit zero. The system will think you have a rotary phone and connect you to a live operator!


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## JJR512 (May 18, 2010)

JerseyJohn said:


> Here's a hint: rotary phones still work on tone networks, and almost all phones nowadays can be set to "tone" or "pulse".


I don't think either fact presented here qualified as news even 20 years ago.



> In fact, one trick for getting around the old "press one for billing, press two for new orders", etc. is to switch your phone to "pulse" and hit zero. The system will think you have a rotary phone and connect you to a live operator!


On most automated menu systems, you don't even have to go to that much trouble. Just stay on the line without doing _anything_ and most systems will assume you have a rotary and forward you to an operator. On many systems, you can bypass the waiting period by pressing 0 from the get-go. This doesn't work for _all_ systems, though, because some companies are wise to the "press 0" trick and they really want you to go through the menu system, so they disable that feature. (And just as with your first point, I didn't realize this was still news to anyone anymore.)


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## Howard (Dec 7, 2004)

JJR512 said:


> Yeah, and here's a good idea that shows how to carry it around with you:


What happens to the cord?


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## JJR512 (May 18, 2010)

Howard said:


> What happens to the cord?


Umm...If it's cellular, it doesn't need a cord. Remember De-Boj's earlier post about a rotary cell phone? Remember your own comment on that: "A rotary phone that acts like a cell phone,very interesting"?


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## Kurt N (Feb 11, 2009)

In Germany, a cell phone is called a "handy." Apparently there's a joke (which over there everyone has heard by now) that the name came about when some hick asked "_Hen di_ ka kabel dran?" Meaning, "Don't it have no cord on it?"

And hey, JJR512, lighten up a bit! *I*, for one, didn't realize (or had forgotten) that I could set my phone to dial pulse.


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## Howard (Dec 7, 2004)

JJR512 said:


> Umm...If it's cellular, it doesn't need a cord. Remember De-Boj's earlier post about a rotary cell phone? Remember your own comment on that: "A rotary phone that acts like a cell phone,very interesting"?


I just thought it was weird seeing a guy that has a rotary phone attached to him.


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