boowebb

OK, if you are one of the however-many-millions using BlueTooth(tm) headsets with your cell phones - stop now!

We get it. You are _SO_ important that someone may call at any moment and you must be able to answer the call at a moment's notice. Nevermind that your phone actually rings 4+ times before you need to answer it and that the time it would take to life a phone to your ear or - heaven forbid! - remove a headset from your pocket and insert it into your ear.

Now what I'm talking about is not opposition to BlueTooth(tm) headsets or headsets in general (we'll get to that in a moment). I am opposed to people that walk around with these things in their ears like they are jewelry.

My favorite was a couple of years ago on a flight. After the "you can now get up and walk around" message was broadcast to the passengers some dude comes walking up the aisle with a BlueTooth(tm) headset in his ear. Really? You going to take an important call mid-flight?

Another fine example is when attending the Tacoma Days festival (yes, I will admit the irony of me passing judgement on people from the Tacoma Days festival) the number of people walking around just "waiting for the call." Clearly I don't get enough phone calls - I just don' get it.

But while we're on the subject - stop talking in elevators and inside public places ESPECIALLY if you are in line. My immediate reaction is to start conversing with this person. After all they clearly are unconcerned with my personal space so why should I be concerned with theirs? And if you are in line at a store is there a more demeaning act than treating the checker like a 2nd class citizen?

This of course makes me long for the days when you actually might not be home when someone called. Don't get me wrong, I would hate to not have my cell phone but this is just swinging too far.

Now onto BlueTooth(tm) itself. First, it's dangerous. My old boss of course got himself all hooked up with the BlueTooth(tm)/BMW integration - a nice feature that hooks your phone into your car's speakers and displays caller ID on your radio display. A nice feature until you happen to be driving around with a date and another girlfriend calls.

Second - what's the point? Yippee, I can have a 5' wireless network around me. I have exactly three cables coming out of my laptop at the moment which somehow are not creating a huge burden for me from a clutter perspective. Last time I checked a wired mouse was about the same size as a wireless mouse. Outside of a wireless headset for my phone I don't feel any more mobile with BlueTooth(tm) in my life.

In a nutshell - I'm impressed. I don't get BlueTooth(tm) at all and yet they've somehow convinced us all that it's the next best thing.

But I digress. Where was I?

Oh yeah - you look stupid with that thing in your ear.