Does it freak you out when people "cellphone talk" with bluetooth headsets

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

sitting by themselves at a restaurant or on a park bench or whatever?

It's just strange looking to me.. at least the person holding the phone to their head "signifies" the act of distance communication, without it, they look like strange mumbly street people to me.

I've got one of these headsets but have hardly used it yet just because it doesn't sound that great to me.

[timber84]

1. They look like the "Borg" from Star trek

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

2. It's not so much the hardware, which is often pretty unobtrusive. It's the

"talking into space, to no one" thing.

[blondeatlast]

34. I don't think they know what it looks like to the rest of us.

I told my husband to try it in front of a mirror once; he got the picture, though he still does it.

[Fla Dem]

42. Of course they do. They see others doing it. It's all ego.

It says I'm so important I have to have a earphone in all the time so I don't miss any important calls. I have always felt that those people who constantly walk around in public place holding conversation are doing it to impres the bejesus out of the rest of us.

[Deja Q]

3. You beat me to it!

All those people need are little red lasers coming out of those 'headsets'...

[no name no slogan]

4. I really really hate talking in public on cellphones

I was at the grocery store today, and damn near got run over by a couple people who were so wrapped up in their oh-so-important conversations that they couldn't keep their eyes on steering their carts.

If it's so goddamned important, go find a corner and talk. Nobody needs to hear you shouting into your fucking phone.

[timber84]

5. I told my husband if he ever got one of those I'd divorce him

[no name no slogan]

7. My ex-wife used to talk on hers all the time like that

even while driving. Drove me absolutely apeshit. Just one of the reasons why she's now my EX-wife :P

[timber84]

8. I hate talking on the phone period. Just say what you have to say and get

off. Such a waste of time.

[laheina]

9. Totally.

And I try to remember that nobody wants to hear me talking. I'll either send them to voice-mail or go outside.

Why talk loudly to your mother in the frozen foods section? Really, why do it? :shrug:

[no name no slogan]

13. I once overheard a woman talking to her Dr. at Target

rather loudly, too. Sheesh. People can be so clueless.

[pokerfan]

27. Maybe they were talking to each other :)

I was at the grocery store today, and damn near got run over by a couple people who were so wrapped up in their oh-so-important conversations that they couldn't keep their eyes on steering their carts.

[bertha katzenengel]

6. Yes. It looks so strange -- like they've been assimilated.

:shrug:

[merh]

10. It drives me crazy.

There was a guy that worked in our building that had one. He shared our conference room and he would walk around talking on that thing all the time. It was so annoying.

LOL, I was going to say it reminded me of Star Trek, but not the Next Generation version. It reminds me of the original Star Trek, I just can't spell the name of the lady communications officer that had the thing sticking out of her ear.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

11. Lt. Uhura, LOL.

[merh]

12. Eggsxactly!

That's her! And that is what those damn things reminds me of!

Thank you for the image & spelling! :hi:

[yellowdogintexas]

14. Actually, I think they are sort of pretentious. Like you are supposed

to be extra cool if you have one.

I think people look really wierd with that thing hung on their ear, like some sort of cyborg hearing aid.

The little earphone cord hands free things are bad enough.

I use a headset all day at work since I work in a call center. I don't need a growth on my ear in my off hours.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

15. I hate those fucking things.

And they're ALWAYS used by people who have two hands free. :mad:

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

17. Ya, if you were eating ribs or making pottery or somethin', I'd understand

But then you shouldn't be talking on the phone if you were doing those things!

[swag]

16. No, I don't freak out. But they are still displaying obvious symptoms of

profound mental illness.

[sakabatou]

18. I call those things Scitzo-phones

They creep me out too.

[Buddyblazon]

19. I have one myself....

I call it my "Asshole Badge". ;)

[fleabert]

20. yes. and the dh had to get one for work...

i hate it.

[pinniped]

21. They look like space cadets with a blinking blue LED on their head.

.

[FunkyLeprechaun]

22. When those first came out

I used to think a lot of people were going nuts. Since I'm deaf and I didn't know these had come out, I turned to my sister... "Look at that strange man talking to himself. He's crazy."

"No, he's talking on his phone."

Still I look at people like they've come from outer space when they start talking into space until they turn their heads and that thing's there.

[obxhead]

23. I love my headset....

And I'm tired of people bashing me for it....

I don't have a BT yet, but with my next contract I'm sure I will. I love hands free use though. Many say the phone is impersonal, but when that is all you have to connect you to long distance friends....

[Oeditpus Rex]

24. I always wonder

what "cellies" did before there were cell phones, etc. Did having to wait until they got to a land line really affect them that much?

We let technology dictate our lifestyles. If the technology exists, we apparently must use it.

I don't get that.

Why do people have this need to be constantly accessible? :shrug:

[In_The_Wind]

31. To answer your question:

"Why do people have this need to be constantly accessible :shrug: ?
It beats the heck out of sitting at home waiting for a very special phone call. :P

[blondeatlast]

35. I was working in an upscale dept. store when cell phones were

as big as a small suitcase. This was in the mid-90s when the technology was emerging.

A real-estate agent that was a regular customer came in one day with one and was obviously anxious to "discreetly" show it off.

I casually mentioned that the last thing I'd ever want to do was be accessible to anyone 24/7.

Needless to say, she was offended and I no longer work there. Boo-effin'-hoo for me, I miss that crappy job soooo much... :sarcasm:

[arcos]

47. What did you do before having a computer?

Did typing in a typewriter machine affect you that much?

[Oeditpus Rex]

49. It's not an apt analogy

Typewriters did what they were designed to do very well. If all I wanted to do was type something, a typewriter would work just fine.

Computers are designed for much more than typing.

[arcos]

51. Cell phones are designed to do much more than talking...

Nowadays you can send text messages (not very popular in the US, but huge all around the globe), take pictures, send picture messages, browse the web, listen to music, record audio messages, check your email, etc.

[Oeditpus Rex]

52. But there are other machines for all those

And my original point remains: Is there a need to have the capacity to do all those things no matter where you are? No; the technology created the perception of need.

[arcos]

59. What other machine can you use to send and receive SMS messages?

No one actually NEEDS all of these to survive, but no one actually NEEDS computers to survive either. I understand your point and I agree... however, once we get used to new things you begin to depend on them and yes, we begin to need them. There's nothing wrong with this, it is a fact of civilization and technology.

Is there a NEED to have electricity? Well, stricly speaking no, you can survive without it, but it will sure make your life easier.

[obxhead]

25. Here you all blog....

to little or completely unknown users, yet you bash someone for doing more than one task at a time. Talking to a friend and walking through a mall, store, or driving while using a headset gadget.

yet, you call yourselves progressives. Next time you're with your friend/SO and begin a conversation I demand that you find a corner to have that conversation. How dare you let me hear that nonsense drivel you are conversing.

[blondeatlast]

36. The irony isn't lost on me, but people with the Blutooth thing do look

a little bizaare, and I've told that to my husband on numerous occasions.

When he observed another person conversing with their BT headset, he had to agree with me.

[Oeditpus Rex]

39. Ridiculous analogy

People have been having conversations with those within earshot since humans could communicate. It's an absolutely necessary survival skill, not to mention a social one. But as technology allowed, it's as if we suddenly realized we also need to have conversations with people across town, across country and around the world.

If you can give a satisfactory answer as to why we need to do this when we apparently didn't until about 10 years ago — or at least got along rather well without it — I'll relent.

[Zookeeper]

43. People talking to each other in person...

tend to use a conversational tone and volume that is appropriate to the setting. People talking into cells or bluetooths (not sure that's the right term) tend to use a different, louder tone that doesn't just blend into the background.

I find it very distracting and annoying. And rude.

[justabob]

45. It is annoying

when the 'multi-taskers' are sitting at a table in my station and I am the 'rude' one when I ask what they want to drink or eat. :eyes:

[arcos]

48. Thank you... I'm tired of cell phone bashing here... nt

[NMMNG]

26. Being in the line of work I am, people who talk to themselves don't

unnerve me as they do many other people. And now that so many people have Bluetooths and other hands free cell-phone devices, I tend to assume that anybody who is talking aloud with nobody around is on one of them, rather than talking to him/herself.

[wain]

28. Cell phone that fits in your tooth!

At least you can see the "hummingbird" cell phone perched on a person's ear.

Soon you can get a cell phone to place inside your tooth. Ever talk to someone on the phone while they're eating or chewing gum? Imagine accidentally speed dialing in the middle of doing something you don't want others to hear!

http://www.mercola.com/2002/jul/6/tooth_phone.htm

:crazy:

[Clintmax]

29. What gets me even more than bluetooth headsets...

is the people who use those walkie-talkie phones so everybody can hear their conversation. x( :grr: *bleep bleep* jabber jabber jabber *bleep bleep* Those stupid freakin things are the worst invention EVER!

And since we're talking cell phone pet peeves...another of mine are people who have two or even three cell phones plastered to their hips with a pager included for good measure. x( NOBODY is THAT important. NOBODY.

[UncleSepp]

41. How snotty of you.

I carry two cell phones. One is my own. The other is my work phone, but I am required to be available on that line outside of work hours for support calls pertaining to my specific area of responsibility. At my company, company phones are for company use only, and company calls should be made on company phones. It is likely my work group may get a rotating pager that gets passed from person to person for general support calls. Yes, that would be two phones and a pager. Most of the people where I work have the same arrangement of phones. Some of them also have some kind of pocket PC. Why? Because we're testing different kinds of pocket PCs to see which one is the best multi function device for remote email, messaging, and phone.

It has nothing to do with being important or with showing off. It is fairly common with network admins, database admins, and people in similar IT positions.

[BlueStorm]

55. I have one of those...

and yes they are annoying but can be pretty handy..

Blue

[GaYellowDawg]

30. Resistance is futile.

I agree with the "Borg" comments.

[Call Me Wesley]

32. Slightly.

If I see a person walking towards me talking, I assume to soon hear something like 'The world has come to an end', 'Jesus is your saviour', or 'We're all going to die.' Of course, then I find out it's just someone with a headset.

[blondeatlast]

33. Yes, indeed. My hubby does it and it drives me nuts--not in a good way! n

[Orsino]

37. The difference between a street crazy and a busy professional?

The professionals do what the voices on their heads tell them to.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

38. LOL I'm stealing that!

[Ivan Sputnik]

40. yes

One day, I was on my way to where my car was parked, and I saw a casually dressed guy (shorts, sleeveless T shirt and baseball cap, needed a shave) standing near it and having a loud, animated conversation with...no one. He was going on and on about sitting on a sofa. "If I want to sit by you on the sofa, what's the matter with that?" he kept saying, with variations, over and over, while gesturing wildly with his hands and staring into space. Feeling rather spooked, I decided to approach the car from the opposite side--until I noticed that he had something in his ear, with a thin cord winding down from it into his pocket.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

46. I think that guy was an actual crazy dude who just puts an earpiece there

as "cover" for his crazy craziness. :crazy:

[YellowRubberDuckie]

44. The look like ear vaginas.

They are not attractive. And they do not make you look cool.
Duckie

[long_green]

50. My mailman has one

When he talks to me he YELLS BECAUSE HE CAN'T HEAR ME AND IT'S REALLY ANNOYING AND...WHEN HE NEEDS TO GIVE ME SOMETHING HE BEATS ON THE DOOR FOR THE SAME REASON!!!
I'm about to go over his head about it.

[Roon]

53. Someone on DU posted about this before

He orginally thought the guy was talking to himself until he spotted the phone in his head. He said he liked the guy better when he thought he was talking to himself.......

[BlueStorm]

54. I'm sorry but I don't know what a bluetooth headset looks like.

Can someone show me?

Blue

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

56. Here ya go: (connects wirelessly with cell phone)

(A crude early version)

The key is the user appears to be having an animated conversation with... no one.

[Duckiesplaything]

57. Bring on the implants...

I'm ready to borgify my life...:-)

I love technology, wish we were a lot further along than we are. We should be a lot further along in technological advancement. Not saying that all tech is good tech. But don't hold advancement back because of fear or unfamiliar feelings.B-)

[musiclawyer]

58. Are you still getting microwaves next to your head with BT?

That's the only reason I was considering getting BT.... not to be cool.

[DrGonzoLives]

60. Walk up to one and say

"Yeah, I'll have a quarter pounder with cheese, no pickel, and a Coke."

They did that to one guy that works here during a morning meeting.