Thursday, January 11, 2007

resistance...

...(as they say) is fu-ti-le.
California drivers (and all visiting drivers?) who wish to use cell phones in transit - consider yourself forewarned: You will be assimilated.
Assimilation date = July 2008.

Did Arnie sign on the dotted line because of his past affiliation with all-things-cyborg?
Seems he did - moving us into a giant cozy collective with one fell swoop of the gubernatorial pen.

Like it or not, it appears that BlueTooth type apparati will prevail as hands-free cell phone accessories become de rigueur for all California drivers who drive whilst using their cell phones.
I absolutely agree that hands-free is long overdue being enforced by a law. Driving with the fewest distractions is the way to go: keeping your mind on the driving and your hands on the wheel and your snoopy eyes on the road ahead is no joke, but Ai Ya!
It is sometimes necessary to use that cell phone for those quick 'Where am I?' connections. On more than one occasion, Yours Truly has even deemed it necessary. Sad to say, I may succumb to compliance with the new law and find myself choosing a hands-free accessory before long.

Though I am banking on the probability that we won't all be subjected to those horrid Borg-Like Implants.
With the inevitable technological advances quickstepping to the cause, there should be attractive hands-free options aplenty before long. Designs to choose from that are considerably less Borg.

For those of us who face assimilation: let us pledge NOT to wear our hands-free paraphernalia day in and day out. Vow to remove them whilst dining, sleeping, at the movies, swimming, on a date, at a wedding, at a funeral, at the beach, at the kids soccer games et cetera.

To accessorize with hands-free techno gadgets makes a poor fashion statement. Most of us aren't undercover agents. Heck, except for the sunglasses and suits - even the Secret Service isn't so obvious.
As you may recall from my earlier BlueToof post, I become quite irritated at the sight of a grown man (men more so than women, in my view) parading as such. Businessman working on his laptop at the airport whilst waiting for a flight? OK - needs BorgToof for hands-free audio communication with the office.
Average Joe in casual attire sporting a hands-free earpiece whilst shopping for groceries? Ptui! That is so *%$!)*!?##!&@*! pretentious and reeks of a false sense of self-importance.

Let's not forget to mention that it's rude. Have you ever been engaged in conversation with someone wearing a BorgTooth and suddenly in the middle of talking to YOU that person starts talking to....SOMEONE ELSE on his/her earpiece?!? Without so much as an alert or apology to you?!?
Like, uh - 'I'm soooooo in demand that I just can't miss a phone call, and therefore I need not practice any degree of proper social etiquette?!?'.
Cack.

For all us 'regulah folk', lest we become so affected - t'would be wise to begin chanting the mantra now: Only in the car...only in the car...only in the car...

[This is an addendum to my 8/21/06 post: 'Your Toofs is Blue']

3 comments:

Jessamyn Harris said...

Yuck, I hates me those things. The other day AT A WEDDING I was shooting, I had to remind this guy to take his out DURING PORTRAITS of the family. sure, he wasn't the groom, but jeez! Plus, I realized that he probably had had it in all during the ceremony!
how on EARTH can you not know it's there?!

I got myself a nice little wired device (the kind that you put in your ear and the cord hands down to the phone and the mic is on the cord) which still looks ridiculous but helps me with the driving issue and long conversations. And, jeez, I only wear it when I'm on the phone. Not ALL THE TIME like some!

sorry, it really gets to me...

baffle said...

no apology necessary, jessamynit.
I too seem to get an unreasonable heat on (not of desire, but of disgust?) when'ere I spot a BorgToof out of its element.

It's the same feeling I get when I see those pickup trucks with ridiculously oversized tires and all spiffed up with nowhere to go (but a monster truck pull...?). I call those the 'Look, I'm an Asshole!!' trucks.

At any rate....technology works for good but can make for really bad STYLE.

Glad to hear that you're already practicing 'Safe Drive' with your discreet earphone action.
'Only in the car, only in the car, only...'.
;-)

House Dreams said...

Pet Peeves?

1. Spotting a big ole truck with a confederate flag & guns in the gunrack, my sister announced, "Oh, give me a break!! I can never be seen in this town again again!"

2. The ear thingies for driving are better than crashing around, I guess...How many crashes have I almost had? I better get one. Almost doesn't count, right!!


3. WHY DO PARENTS allow teenagers to take ipods and phones to school!?

All the rules in the world won't stop the ripoffs: "Oh, my god, someone stole my camera phone!"

And it won't stop ruining their ears during lectures or texting during tests! Hey! turn off the ipod! If WE HEAR the music! That means it's too LOUD! "huh?"

HEY! No phones in school!
"But , my mom called me...
It's an emergency!
My Aunt is in the hospital...
My sister's having a baby!"

Aren't we creative beings!