by Rose Laden


Cell phone use is on the rise. Take a look around the next time you’re waiting in line to see one of the 1.2 billion cell phones that were sold throughout the world in 2008. The omnipresent mobile device is here to stay, giving users the power to communicate in ways that, until recently, seemed unimaginable. Multi-tasking has taken on a whole new meaning, as consumers grocery shop while paying bills, conduct business on the train and make appointments while waiting for appointments.

As we navigate our face-paced word, we have the responsibility to use our cell phones in a polite manner, something that is clearly escaping us. According to the Emily Post Institute, “89% of Americans say that they encounter people using cell phones rudely, while only 8% of Americans admit using their cell phones in a loud or annoying fashion.” Here’s a guide to help bridge the divide between what we think we’re doing and what we’re actually doing.

1. Keep your voice down.
Yes, we can hear you! Cell phones have sensitive technology that blocks ambient noise to callers on the other end of the line, so there’s no need to shout in noisy areas. Using a bluetooth device or earpiece will let you hear the amplification of your own voice if you’re having trouble gauging your own volume. Nobody wants to be this guy:

2. Do not take a call in a restaurant or other social situation,
especially if you have company. Like the movie theater, restaurants are beginning to put restrictions on cell phone use. Rebecca R. Hastings, the director of the Information Center at the Society for Human Resource Management was quoted on 20/20 saying "Right now, cellphones are the cigarettes of this decade. It's an addiction. And just like cigarettes are banned from some places, so are cells banned. I think we'll see more organizations take a firmer line." Your first priority should be your present company. If you are expecting an important call, let your companions know this prior to taking the call in question.

3. Administrative and service personnel are people too.
Do use your phone while purchasing items in stores, picking up prescriptions or arriving for checking in for appointments. Not only is it incredibly rude, but using a mobile device significantly hinders the ability of the person with whom you are interacting to do their job effectively.

4. Be considerate of your surroundings when using your phone.
Never use your phone anywhere the lights are turned down or silence is expected. This means movie theaters, shows, public performances, churches and libraries. If you must use your phone, walk to a bathroom or other secluded place and keep the conversation short.

5. Always turn your cell phone to silent for weddings and funerals.
This should be self-explanatory, but needs to be addressed. Many wedding guides now suggest including a line in the program reminding guests to refrain from cell phone use during the ceremony.

6. Avoid using inappropriate language in public places.
If you wouldn’t say it in front of a child, than don’t say it in public space. The last thing a parent needs is their three year old asking about the “ass-less chaps” you were yelling about.

7. Do not text and drive.
There is no text message worth risking your life and the lives of others. A recent study conducted by AAA found that the risk for a car accident increases by 50% for those who text while driving. Just say no.

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... or doesn't realize they don't want it. All the hype surrounding this thing is too much for most people to see through. Lets face it, it's no iPhone for its industry, is cheaply built, is lacking features, and is overpriced.

The Kindle, as most of you have heard by now, is a small tablet like computer for reading books. It's certainly not the first of its kind, but it is the first to have EVDO (Sprint cell phone connection), so you can download and pay for those books wirelessly. (yey)

Ever since Oprah made this one of her favorite things this $359 gift has been selling like mad. So much so that Amazon is reporting a 11 to 13 week backorder! :confused:

No doubt people are thinking 'wow, this will be great for Karen, she loves reading books'. Well, you're probably wrong. Here's why. Karen:

• Likes having an actual copy of a book to hold and bookmark while reading
• Realizes books don't have batteries
• '' an on/off button
• '' backlights
• '' instruction manuals
• '' won't be obsolete in a couple years
• Knows books won't take 3 months to get
• Doesn't want to carry around her laptop, cell phone, iPod and now this
• Knows she will look like a douche reading off the kindle enjoying her latte at Starbucks
• Doesn't have a good Sprint cell phone signal where she lives
• Also knows you could've gotten her 359 books at a garage sale

On the flip side, John, your techie early adapter friend added the Kindle to his wish list. He:

• Likes gadgets
• Hates books that take up space because he lives in a small apartment
• Still owns an original iPod for a keepsake, but has upgraded to an iPhone 3G
• Already has a Kindle he bought last year before Oprah liked it
• Displays his douchiness daily at Starbucks reading off his Kindle, throwing his indoor scarf over his shoulder after sipping his latte and taking a call on his iPhone

The iPod / iPhone weren't the first mp3 players / cell phones but they did it in a way that revolutionized how those gadgets work. Just maybe the Kindle will have the same success in the same respect, but in comparison, people have been trying to make music playing and phoning easier for the last 100 years or so. Reading books hasn't changed in thousands. :smart:

So, in conclusion - wait for the next version and the price to go down on the Kindle if you really want one. Most people that read and own a lot of books probably aren't going to like it anyway.





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I've been seeing a lot of ridiculous things on facebook lately, mainly girls displaying how trashy and whorey they are. It's out of control! So, if you're wondering what qualifies you as 'Facebook trash', here's the Top 11 signs:

1. Your hourly status updates are written in uppercase/lowercase style. "TaNnInG wItH tHe GuRlZ!! TxT mE LoL!1@!"
2. You have applications displaying 'sexy', 'glitter' or a picture of your favorite thong.
3. Your relationship status goes from "Single" - "It's Complicated" - "In a Relationship" - "Engaged" and back again in a few day's time.
4. Instead of declining to answer 'favorite books' when you don't have any, you answer "what's a book?" "i read magazines" or some other clever answer.
5. When someone posts a pic of a nipple/vag slip and tags you in it, you didn't request removal or even untag it.
6. You have 900 friends, 800 of which you've never met or even talked to, 700 are bros that browse your photos for nipple/vag slips and comment accordingly.
7. The ads that are targeted to your profile are for Walmart, morning after pills, and herpes meds - except for the brief moment when you are engaged, then you get wedding rings and dresses.
8. You've tagged photos of yourself pretending to creatively pee in the disgusting toilet sink/guys urinal of the local bars.
9. There are a number of albums you've named after yourself, featuring you, your trash face, and a mirror.
10. After getting married in a hurry and pics are posted of your wedding, clearly showing you're still pregnant, your ex-boyfriend comments on the photos saying that it's his baby
11. You have an album of progressive ultrasound pictures displaying your unborn bastard child - and the latest one is your profile picture. (extra trash points for creepy 3d ultrasound)

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Cell phones have drastically changed the way we communicate. Like the leap from agricultural to industrial, the jump from wired to wireless phones is equally significant. For many of us, the cell phone is an element of our wardrobe. Wireless phones have created social and structural standards that have changed our communication expectations; we now live and work in a global society that operates on a 24-hour schedule. The wireless phone has created an expectation of immediacy; unlike its land line predecessor, this communication takes place anytime, anywhere. Where did these behaviors tied to cell phones originate?

Initially, the shift to instant communication was not well received. The wired telephone was patented in 1876. Quickly, it became apparent that the phone was here to stay. This new technology did not excite everyone. The New York Daily Graphic ran this headline for March 15, 1877: “The Terrors of the Telephone – The Orator of the Future.” The idea of a different method for communication was frightening and unfamiliar to a society so grounded in the written word. It is difficult to imagine what the people of the nineteenth century would think of the over 2 billion cell phones that are in use today.

Marshall McLuhan, an authority in media theory, wrote, “You just start telephoning. Anybody can walk into any manager's office by telephone...the telephone is an irresistible intruder in time and space.” While cell phones didn't exist when McLuhan made this observation in 1964, his words hold true today. This 'intruder' is now distorting time and space to the worldwide audience by helping to create a world where inhabitants demand immediate gratification from almost every aspect of daily life.

McLuhan seemed frustrated that the phone makes it possible to talk to someone without actually being in their physical presence. He would be shocked today to discover that so many people own a wireless communication device that can easily communicate with almost anyone. The phone has moved from a desk to the pockets of its owner.

When using the phone we paint a picture of who we are talking to and the setting they are in. McLuhan says the telephone is “…the extension of ear and voice that is a kind of extra sensory perception.” He theorizes that the telephone becomes a “sixth sense” used to interpret communication. In face-to face interactions, we can use body language to interpret the messages we receive; in a phone conversation, we can’t use these physical cues to understand the speaker. We begin to rely on extra-sensory perception. Our minds must interpret information using auditory cues rather than the visual and special cues that to which we have grown accustomed. Would you trust someone more that you’ve met in person, or someone that you’ve only talked to on the phone? Meeting someone in person allows you to pick up these visual cues and body language. This interaction gives you more information to make an informed decision. Will this behavior change in the future as we use cell phones more?

Some of McLuhan’s theory is no longer as relevant. He goes on to state "The telephone demands complete participation, unlike the written and printed page." He saw a ringing phone as something that required full and immediate attention. After all, your books don’t have ringtones. In a time before caller ID or answering machines, a ringing phone would “demand” to be picked up. Today we have the luxury of ignoring this ring or returning the call at our convenience. Additionally, people multi-task while on the phone much more than they used to now that the restrictions of a corded phone have been lifted. In McLuhan’s time, a phone call was for news exchange rather than the variety of motivations for cell phone use today, including mobile games, texting and web browsing.

McLuhan may have been onto something else. He observed that many people doodle while on a corded phone. He explained this behavior as a replacement for sight in a face-to-face conversation. To be fully engaged, perhaps we must participate on multiple levels. Has our world has become so fast-paced that we 'doodle' (or drive, walk and shop) on the phone to effectively participate in a conversation? Will society reach a point where face-to-face interaction is no longer needed?

In coming years cell phones will become an even more integral part of our daily lives. As smartphones and PDA phones become more common, and cell phone software improves,users will be empowered by the information and features offered by their device. Telephone communication has certainly changed since Marshall Mcluhan’s time. While we are no longer literally tied to our desks, we may now be tied to our cell phones, our "mobile" desks.

When I thought this show couldn't get any worse, pigs flew out David Hasselhoff's ass, and they threw up this monstrosity. At the time of writing this, they're in the semifinals of season 3 (top 40) and the acts are just terrible.



Here's 11 reasons why this season hurts your brain:

1. Acts with people that aren't even from America (Indego, from Romania - Russian bar trio, from Canada)
2. 3 drag queens/transexuals compared to last year's superhero gay guy and Boy Shakira (Shequida Hall, Derrick Barry, Dorae Saunders)
   
3. 2 large guys that can sing well - 1 more than Britan's got talent
4. More akward moments telling kids that they suck
5. Entire shows with just the judges telling people they suck
6. More singing acts that didn't get onto American Idol
7. More dance crews that didn't get on America's best dance crew (Jabbawokee's were on AGT before ABDC existed)
8. Better montage stories with dramatic music and boy band angles and lights
9. Slow motion on live broadcasts
10. Akward foreign dude dancing (Ronny B) - check
11. Annoying blow up animal seizure people that haunt your dreams (ZOOperstars!)
    

It's almost like NBC said "I bet we can put a bag of dog poo on the stage and America will watch it burn while Springer stomps it out" Well, it worked!

At least Sharon is funny.

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I'm sure some of you have seen the recent ads for a new 9/11 commemorative "twenty" dollar bill. This "collectible" is awesome if you like to collect lies and crushed dreams.

The ad leads you to believe you're buying from a US mint, and the thing is actually worth $20. Here are some key points taken directly from the ad:

• It dwarfs all "legal" tender - yeh! suck it regular bills! I'm bigger, and not legal tender!
• "This is the first time ever the two numbers have been used to add up to the twenty dollar face value!" 9 + 11 = 20. Thanks for that - I just got dumber.
• "Struck in .999 Pure Silver Leaf" Oh, so it's coated with silver you can buy at the craft store.
• "The frosted Twin Towers stand out against a mirror-like background, much as they did in the gleaming sunlight of that fateful morning." - you're just fishing for bull**** now. Will the second edition feature the planes crashing into the towers?
• "Don’t miss out on this exclusive, private striking" - this sounds more like an ad for domination than denomination. I'd like to strike the ass that thought this was a good idea.
• "Government Authorized Non-circulating Liberian legal tender" - WTF? So I can spend it in Liberia? After some research it's actually worth a whopping $0.32 in American tender. Also, 'legal' and 'Liberia' should not be in the same sentence.
• "Strict limit of 5 per customer" - unless you're willing to provide them with a bank account that the self-deposed king of Liberia can use to deposit 13 million dollars. Then you can have all the 9/11 dollars you wish.
• 7th anniversary? Apparently The National Collectors Mint doesn't discriminate against non-traditional anniversary years, especially ones that are prime numbers.
• "The National Collectors Mint" has nothing to do with the US government. They self describe as a company that creates collectibles to "evoke an emotional response – whether pain or joy" - in this case, pain. Assholes.

There should be laws against capitalizing from national disasters. This is one of those marketing meetings I would've liked to be a part of when the question was asked 'is it too soon?'. Yes it is, and you're scum. I feel sorry for the people that are tricked by this ad and think they're getting a true collectible.

Click here to see the ad. Be warned, epic fail to follow.

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See more thumbnails below :)

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This is the third time that Moto has revised the Q line - this time they're making it a world phone. It is CDMA but features GSM roaming capabilities. It can also accept GSM sim cards!

Motorola took the liberty of packing in some additional feature this time round as well, like a fingerprint scanner, Windows mobile 6.1, quad band edge, stereo speakers, and wi-fi.

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