Bizarro (9-30)
Antonio E. Gonzalez
<http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/Bizarro.asp?date=20080930>
--
- ReFlex76
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cryptoguy
> I'm just curious about some of those . . . ornaments?:
>
> <http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/Bizarro.asp?date=20080930>
[15 lines of .sig removed from a post with 2 lines of content]
I think he's just riffing on the observation that many otherwise
sensible people are willing to look like dorks by wearing BT
earpieces, and talking loudly to themselves in public places.
Somehow he misses that this is a worldwide phenomenon,
not just a US one.
Peter Trei
J.D. Baldwin
In the previous article, cryptoguy <treif...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I think he's just riffing on the observation that many otherwise
> sensible people are willing to look like dorks by wearing BT
> earpieces, and talking loudly to themselves in public places.
> Somehow he misses that this is a worldwide phenomenon,
> not just a US one.
But he doesn't get nearly as much pleasure out of ridiculing non-US
phenomena. (I can't think offhand of a single contrary instance.) If
that entails focusing on something dumb, so be it. And, I guess, if
it entails simply pretending that only Americans do something weird,
even if nothing could be further from the truth, so be that too.
Personally, I think Bluetooth headsets are just about the greatest
damn telecomm invention *ever*. (I am wearing one right now, though
it's not actually in use.)
--
_+_ From the catapult of |If anyone objects to any statement I make, I am
_|70|___:)=}- J.D. Baldwin |quite prepared not only to retract it, but also
\ / bal...@panix.com|to deny under oath that I ever made it.-T. Lehrer
***~~~~----------------------------------------------------------------------
Beefies
> damn telecomm invention *ever*. (I am wearing one right now, though
> it's not actually in use.)
Whenever I see someone wearing one (which is about fifty times a day now,
including in my own family), I always think back wistfully to a bygone time
when being a Borg was a *bad* thing.
Personally, I'd find it unbearably oppressive to have a job or life in which
I was instantly reachable around the clock. There is nothing in my life that
can't cool its jets for an hour or two. I feel the same way about cell
phones, probably use mine less than five minutes per month, give the number
to no one, and only carry it around for emergencies (and even then, forget
to bring it with me most of the time).
Because I am a misanthropic dinosaur.
Despite my preferences, I don't resent Bluetoothers the way many people
oddly seem to. Never understood that anger. But sometimes I pity them.
Bringing it around to the topic of comics, Bluetooths also present the
occasional awkward problem captured in this xkcd comic: http://xkcd.com/476/
Brian F.
http://brianfies.blogspot.com
J.D. Baldwin
In the previous article, pete...@SPAMnelliebly.org
<racs...@gmail.com> wrote:
> And back off the topic of comics ... On the Media had an interview
> recently about how cell phones have changed movie scripts, because
> of the ease with which people can get help, warnings, new
> information ... you kind of have to show the cell phone being
> damaged or having no signal before you can create a situation in
> which the person is isolated.
I watch way more TCM than is healthy for any non-bedridden individual.
(I suppose it's better than watching "Spike" all day, but still ...)
The changes in telecomm tech, particularly individual-portable devices
like cell phones or even pagers, suggests itself multiple times per
hour. I get a little twinge every time I see someone pick up the
phone and ask the operator to get him a line so he (in NYC) can talk
to some overseas locale (usually London), with the obvious expectation
that getting such a line arranged would take several minutes.
By way of contrast, I have numbers for people in Singapore, Tokyo,
Tashkent and Accra (Ghana, in west Africa) on speed-dial, for both
personal and business reasons. I keep an eye on my home-line usage
for calls to Accra, because it costs about as much per-minute
(inflation-adjusted) as it used to cost me to call Wayzata, Minnesota
from my house in Minneapolis in the 1970s. Wow.
> The great example of the change was the railroad station scene in
> Casablanca. Today, Rick would just whip out his cell and ask her
> where she was.
>
> Yes, he might hear "Hi, this is Ilsa! I can't take your call right
> now ... "
>
> Wouldn't be the same.
It wouldn't be the same at all. A major part of the impact of that
scene is that he HAS to leave, whether she showed or not. Staying
behind, even for her sake, isn't an option. If the story took place
now, the fact that he had no messages or texts from her, as well as
the fact that he could send/leave her messages and get no response, is
itself information that completely changes the character of the
situation.
racs...@gmail.com
And back off the topic of comics ... On the Media had an interview
recently about how cell phones have changed movie scripts, because of
the ease with which people can get help, warnings, new information ...
you kind of have to show the cell phone being damaged or having no
signal before you can create a situation in which the person is
isolated.
The great example of the change was the railroad station scene in
Casablanca. Today, Rick would just whip out his cell and ask her where
she was.
Yes, he might hear "Hi, this is Ilsa! I can't take your call right
now ... "
Wouldn't be the same.
Mike Peterson
http://nellieblogs.blogspot.com
cryptoguy
wrote:
> In the previous article, peter...@SPAMnelliebly.org
Well, she could have texted him the note.
- start -
Rchrd,
I cnt go w u or evr
c u agn.
U mst nt ask y.
Just belv tht I luv u.
Go, my drlng,
& Gd bls u.
- Ilsa
PS: 4 r safety, I've dstryd my SIM crd.
- end -
Peter Trei
cryptoguy
> Despite my preferences, I don't resent Bluetoothers the way many people
> oddly seem to. Never understood that anger. But sometimes I pity them.
There's a couple factors, imho. First, the general social rudness of
cellphone use; because of the lack of audio feedback, people tend
to Talk Very Loudly And Clearly, much more so than if they were
speaking to a person in front of them.
Second, it suggests to prople that they are of much less
importance and interest than others who might contact the
user at any moment. It seems a bit of a putdown.
Of course, this isn't BT headset specific. However, the headset
is much more 'in your face' as a statement that 'there are people
out there I'd rather pay attention to than you, and I'll go to great
lengths to stay in touch with them.'
Peter Trei
racs...@gmail.com
Mike Peterson
http://nellieblogs.blogspot.com
Antonio E. Gonzalez
Hmmm, POTY nominee, I dare say . . .
--
- ReFlex 76
Antonio E. Gonzalez
Take Lost: to compensate for cell phones and GPS, The Island had
to be made into an electromagnetic, time-space shifted, borderline
supernatural. pocket-dimension thing to make the castaways' lack of
contact with the outside world believable . . .
--
- ReFlex 76
- "Let's beat the terrorists with our most powerful weapon . . . hot
aemeijers
towers? And even if GPS worked, how exactly would that help them?
Knowing where you are is useless if you have no way to broadcast a call
for help and don't have any transportation of your own. I gave up on
Lost after about the 3rd episode.
--
aem sends...
Joe Morris
> And back off the topic of comics ... On the Media had an interview
> recently about how cell phones have changed movie scripts, because of
> the ease with which people can get help, warnings, new information ...
> you kind of have to show the cell phone being damaged or having no
> signal before you can create a situation in which the person is
> isolated.
This is exactly why Sue Grafton hasn't moved her alphabet mystery
series past the mid-1980's. Cell phones really screw up a good drama.
BTW, Brian F: I am right there with you, man
--
Joe Morris Atlanta history forums
jol...@gmail.com http://atlhistory.com
J.D. Baldwin
In the previous article, Beefies <brianfi...@comcast.net> wrote:
> > Personally, I think Bluetooth headsets are just about the greatest
> > damn telecomm invention *ever*. (I am wearing one right now, though
> > it's not actually in use.)
>
> Whenever I see someone wearing one (which is about fifty times a day
> now, including in my own family), I always think back wistfully to a
> bygone time when being a Borg was a *bad* thing.
I think the only time I've actually walked around in a public place
with the headset in place was when I was actively working to embarrass
my teen-aged son. (It worked like a champ.) Probably a total of thirty
seconds.
If I'm talking on the phone in a public place, I make a point of
holding the phone up near my face, kind of as if I'm talking to it. I
guess it just looks a little less weird.
There's also the obvious situation of driving, which I believe is a
lot easier and safer with a headset. (Of course, you still have to
pick your traffic situations carefully, exercise basic prudence, etc.)
> Personally, I'd find it unbearably oppressive to have a job or life
> in which I was instantly reachable around the clock.
Except that headsets have nothing to do with it, that's a fair point.
I often consciously leave my phone at home, in the car, off, whatever,
when it doesn't suit *my* purposes to have it with me. (Because of
the nature of my work, I sometimes have to be reachable after hours,
but such situations are arranged in advance, as in "OK, well, if
anything comes up about that, call my cell, I'll keep it on tonight"
or whatever.)
> Because I am a misanthropic dinosaur.
Not that there's anything wrong with that!
Rob Wynne
> In article <gc2suq$hej$1...@reader1.panix.com>,
> J.D. Baldwin <ne...@baldwin.users.panix.com> wrote:
>> There's also the obvious situation of driving, which I believe is a
>> lot easier and safer with a headset. (Of course, you still have to
>> pick your traffic situations carefully, exercise basic prudence, etc.)
>
> a Bluetooth headset. You picked up the phone by pressing the "phone"
> button on the steering wheel, and it muted the stereo and let you just
> talk handsfree while driving, and the other party's voice was heard over
> the stereo.
>
> A very nicely-thought-out wrinkle.
>
My GPS unit (A Garmin StreetPilot c550) has a bluetooth receiver, which is
quite nice for driving. (And it's portable, so it can be moved from one
car to another when needed.)
--
Rob Wynne / The Autographed Cat / d...@america.net
http://www.autographedcat.com/ / http://autographedcat.livejournal.com/
Gafilk 2009: Jan 9-11, 2009 - Atlanta, GA - http://www.gafilk.org/
Aphelion - Original SF&F since 1997 - http://www.aphelion-webzine.com/
cryptoguy
> In article <gc2suq$he...@reader1.panix.com>,
>
> J.D. Baldwin <n...@baldwin.users.panix.com> wrote:
> > There's also the obvious situation of driving, which I believe is a
> > lot easier and safer with a headset. (Of course, you still have to
> > pick your traffic situations carefully, exercise basic prudence, etc.)
>
> a Bluetooth headset. You picked up the phone by pressing the "phone"
> button on the steering wheel, and it muted the stereo and let you just
> talk handsfree while driving, and the other party's voice was heard over
> the stereo.
>
> A very nicely-thought-out wrinkle.
I have that (2007 Altima with Technology Package). You can
even dial without taking your hand off the steering wheel,
since the system has voice recognition - I can state the
number, or for pre-loaded numbers, give the contact
name: "PHONEBOOK HOME" will dial my house, for example.
It's not all joy though. The microphone seems to be situated in
the roof console, and is not sensitive enough - people complain
that they can barely hear me, so I wind up using the handset
if I'm on the highway. In non-highway traffic, I keep my hands
on the wheel, if I use the phone at all (I try to avoid it).
Peter Trei
Mike Marshall
>I encountered something nifty the other day--a car that would turn into
>a Bluetooth headset. You picked up the phone by pressing the "phone"
>button on the steering wheel, and it muted the stereo and let you just
>talk handsfree while driving, and the other party's voice was heard over
>the stereo.
I coulda got that on the Mini, but I'm a strange mix of
luddite and cutting-edge: I didn't know what bluetooth was really,
but I knew it had security implications...
-Mike
Mike Beede
Mike Marshall <hub...@clemson.edu> wrote:
And you sure don't want someone hacking into the car while
you're in traffic and making you drive in circles around
some parking ramp before launching it off the roof. I
saw that with a BMW in a Bond film and it looked like a
real pain in the ass.
Mike Beede
P.S., We are getting one of the hands-free Garmins and I'm
looking forward to seeing how it works. I was quite puzzled
by the idea that a GPS had "hands-free Bluetooth." I had to
download a manual before I realized it functioned as a
"headset" for a phone. I guess I'm officially Old when I
don't grasp the idea from the feature name anymore.
Jim Ellwanger
Mike Beede <be...@visi.com> wrote:
> P.S., We are getting one of the hands-free Garmins and I'm
> looking forward to seeing how it works. I was quite puzzled
> by the idea that a GPS had "hands-free Bluetooth." I had to
> download a manual before I realized it functioned as a
> "headset" for a phone. I guess I'm officially Old when I
> don't grasp the idea from the feature name anymore.
Think of it as a speakerphone, not a headset.
I had a Garmin GPS unit with Bluetooth (until it got stolen) and it
worked great to make calls, but would never "pick up" when someone
called me. However, it's entirely possible that my cell phone was the
problem, not the GPS.
--
Jim Ellwanger <use...@ellwanger.tv>
<http://www.ellwanger.tv> welcomes you daily.
"The days turn into nights; at night, you hear the trains."
Rob Wynne
> In article <beede-FA7D7F....@news.visi.com>,
> Mike Beede <be...@visi.com> wrote:
>
>> P.S., We are getting one of the hands-free Garmins and I'm
>> looking forward to seeing how it works. I was quite puzzled
>> by the idea that a GPS had "hands-free Bluetooth." I had to
>> download a manual before I realized it functioned as a
>> "headset" for a phone. I guess I'm officially Old when I
>> don't grasp the idea from the feature name anymore.
>
> Think of it as a speakerphone, not a headset.
>
> I had a Garmin GPS unit with Bluetooth (until it got stolen) and it
> worked great to make calls, but would never "pick up" when someone
> called me. However, it's entirely possible that my cell phone was the
> problem, not the GPS.
>
My c550 works great for incoming calls. I have it paired with an iPhone 3G.
Rob, datapointing...
Jym Dyer
>> just a US one.
> But he doesn't get nearly as much pleasure out of ridiculing
> non-US phenomena. (I can't think offhand of a single contrary
> instance.)
=v= I muttered "oh brother" under my breath here, but held my
tongue (well, my keyboard). Dan Piraro blogged about this strip
today:
http://bizarrocomic.blogspot.com/2008/10/electronic-orifices.html
| I've been looking forward to blogging about this one because
| a lot of people didn't understand it. I got a small wave of
| emails from readers wondering what it meant, some of them
| trying to attach a political meaning.
=v= He goes on to declare the deep political meanings involved.
HTH, HAND,
<_Jym_>
--
Arugula Bay Steelers for Truth