Snottiness and Manners: Learn the Difference!

I read the article on PC World's website about so called blunders that people make with their cell phones on the go.  I am all for being tactful when using a mobile device on the go, whether it be a tablet, phone, or multimedia device.  Unfortunately, the author comes off as snotty.  The following is a point by point rebuttal to what they've written.

Texting/Talking in a Checkout Line

 The individual in question refers to this as arrogance and an example of being self absorbed.  I refer to their point as obnoxious and elitist to boot.  Let me explain something, Christina DesMarais.  I work for a major retail company in this country as a cashier.  There have been countless people who have come through my line while texting with their phone or even talking on the phone.  As far as I was concerned, as long as the paid for their items, I was fine.  For others who get irritated, that's life.  That customer was there first.

Furthermore, I have no problem ringing up items while the customer is on their phone.  If I have to ask the customer a question, I simply do so as politely as I can.  If their total is showing, I get their attention.  It's really that simple and not a big deal.

Walking while texting/e-mailing

This one's really entertaining.  I will agree that it's important to have an idea of your own surroundings.  Unfortunately, DesMarais stretches this one a bit further.  She states that the physical world can be interesting if only people would put away their device and pay attention.  Allow me to provide a different perspective on this one.

Texting while driving is a bad thing.  Walking is a different matter entirely.  While there are those who are obviously not so good with multitasking (and will thus walk into a water fountain if they try to walk and text at the same time), there are others who are quite capable of doing so.  Peripheral vision exists for a reason.  Bottom line: if they're not hurting anybody, don't make their so called problem your problem.  Not everyone's going to think like you do.

Having the speakers on in public

In some places, such as a classroom or a library, I would agree that having your device's speakers on while playing a game or a video is not such a good idea.  A family iPad or tablet should come with ground rules so others are taken into consideration.  On a bus, at a cafe, or on the sidewalk... it's another story.  As for the person who can not filter out certain noises of games that they play privately, they're the one with the problem depending on where it happens.  A decent audio player and a set of headphones would solve the problem.

On the John....

Surveys may state that people are disgusted when others use their phone while they are on the toilet.  Allow me to flush this one down so to speak.  First of all, most public restrooms have stalls with doors that close and lock.  So it's not like anybody else in the restroom's going to see what you're doing.  Second of all, it's nobody's business what one is doing while on the toilet.  Finally, the person on the other end of the line is not very likely to find out what you're doing if texting is going on.

Bottom line: mind your own business and leave the device user alone.

Being less than fully present while talking to others

Just because I'm not looking at your face does not mean I'm not listening to what you're saying.  To a degree, I can multitask.  Why do I have to look directly in somebody else's eye while talking to them all the time?  I'm facing that person, right?  They should be able to hear what I'm saying and I should be able to hear what they're saying, right?  Then what's the problem if I'm looking at my phone for the latest news?  The author mentions somebody she doesn't like because of their mobile viewing habits.  In reality, I wouldn't be surprised if she was simply annoyed because the other person was truly capable of multitasking.

Bottom line: Enough with forcing your social views down somebody else's throat.  The world does not revolve around you.

Photos and Tagging

This one I can understand.  It's always important to respect one's privacy, and when they ask that photos not be taken or tagged, it's a good idea to comply with their wishes.  In the example that was given though, the person blowing off the bridal shower should have just told that friend that they were not in the mood for such things instead of hiding the fact that they were simply blowing it off.  Now that wouldn't justify the tagging without permission, but it's also important to remember that alcohol will make anybody forget and do something anyway.

Bottom line: No examples were needed of why a person's privacy should be respected.  That one should go without saying, and people do need to be educated about it.

Being "antisocial" with the phone

There's family time, but there's also different methods of communication.  As an individualist, I don't care what people do at the dinner table so long as no one else is hurt.  This is one example where the author tries to pass something off as antisocial.  No, it's not.  What is going on here is that she finds it unacceptable to her.  If a group of people want to be on their devices, that does not mean they're being antisocial.  Sometimes, they screw around on Facebook and comment on each others' posts.  Other times, they're doing their own thing.  Allow me to expand further on that.

I was the President of a campus group in college.  I learned the hard way that nobody could force a group of geeks and nerds to socialize face to face all the time.  It just doesn't work, especially since face to face is not the only form of communication that exists.  As for the whole argument about a family staying together, not all families were designed to hang out and spend time together all the time.  I'm an excellent example of that.  I get along much better with my sister and my mother because I am not with them every single day.  I prefer going off and doing my own thing.

Bottom line: respect the individual instead of forcing group think on them.

Cell phones in confined spaces

I would hardly consider a department store a confined space, unless it was a very tiny.  DesMarais wanted to rip that phone from the person trying to help somebody else with a personal problem. and stomp on it.  She cites research indicating that conversations on phones can distract the person next to you.  She claims she just couldn't tune it out.

In my view, she just did not want to tune it out.  Here's the thing.  There have been plenty of people who have talked on their phones while they're next to me.  I've been able to cheerfully ignore them.  If I can do it, so can she!  Not everyone is going to consider my presence, and I have come to accept that.  I adjust accordingly.  The reason I can do that is because I recognize that the world does not revolve around me.

Bottom line: The world does not revolve around you.  If a person is on their phone next to you, learn how to shut them out.  Contrary to what you may think, it can be done.  It simply requires effort.

Shushing another person while on the phone

This point is actually quite valid.  I have learned the hard way not to dial numbers that require me to talk to a computer so I can get information on an existing account when there are people nearby talking.    Timing is the key, and unfortunately, people don't always get it right.

On the other hand, it's also a double standard to ask device users to be considerate of others and not show the same courtesy on the sidewalk if the person is clearly on their phone trying to give information to a computer system so they can check their account balance.  Five more seconds is really not that much to ask.

Bottom line: Don't get mad at the person trying to shush you.  Just shrug your shoulders and move on.  There's no need to make an enemy out of that person.  If you want device users to respect you, you need to respect them too.  Consideration is a two way street.

Texting someone within earshot

To a point I can see the point made, but to a point I disagree.  On the one hand, walking that 20 feet to get the person's attention is a better way to communicate... sometimes.  However, what if the other person was in a different room with the door closed?  What if they were sleeping and you didn't want to wake them in the event that their phone was set to vibrate or silent?  What if I wanted to joke that I was right behind someone in good fun?  Each situation is different to be sure, but please don't refer to it as lazy.

Bottom line: Not all instances of texting within earshot means you're lazy.  Each situation is different.

Conclusion

While the PC World article does bring some good points to the table, the majority of it comes off as snobbish as certain social values appear to be pushed upon the reader (at least that's how I felt).  Texting during a college course lecture or while driving would have made for a better discussion.  Instead, the article comes off as propaganda for how things should be as far as socializing is concerned. I won't tell the author how to live their life as long as they don't tell me how to live mine.

Shattering Windows.

On two out of three of my computer systems, I have Windows 7 Pro 64-Bit installed.  Lately, the OS has been having trouble completing startup on the notebook.  This got me thinking about what I should do about the situation.  I'm considering having Ubuntu on all the systems while leaving the spare partitions for other distributions.

Why Virtualization is Not an Option

I initially was going to use Ubuntu for the website while testing other distros in VirtualBox.  However, Slackware gave me problems when starting KDE.  This told me that I should be going bare metal, but I kept asking myself how.  By removing Windows from all machines, I would be able to better test multiple operating systems while still having Ubuntu as the main system.

Backup Solutions

I'm seriously considering a subscription to Ubuntu One, especially with their streaming service.  The price for one year isn't bad at all.  Plus, I would be supporting Canonical.  Before doing that, I better go with phone service that has a better high speed data plan.

I would also be utilizing Dropbox as well.  When more funding comes in, I'll even invest in an external hard drive.

Conclusion

Sometime after Memorial Day, I'll be working on this project.  Some rearranging of the computer lab would also be in order.

More On Internet Media

I'm sitting at McDonalds in Warrensburg and mooching off their free WiFi.  I needed to do some normal Internet stuff, plus think more about what I said in my previous post.  At the end of said post, I briefly mentioned RT.  The site is a 24 hour news site from Russia that has a video channel in English.  Though it would be considered small potatoes compared to corporate entities, it does have a few things going for it.

• They have a global presence enabled by satellite, cable, and hotel partnerships in addition to online streaming.
• They have a social network presence.
• They rely on audio, video, images, and text.

This isn't to say they get everything right.  After all, it is based out of Russia, and it will have a Russian perspective.  However, they don't rely on radio, or the human voice by itself.  They use a variety of mediums blended together to broadcast to the world.  There was once an up and coming network that was aiming to be global in scope, but it never reached enough popularity to do so.  The likes of YouTube and other sites supplanted it before its popularity could explode.

It was called Phaylon, and had there been enough support behind it, it would have exploded.  The founder of that network was going to bypass corporate owned media by creating a multimedia infrastructure embedded inside the backbone of the Internet.  Streaming video and audio along with news articles would have given the people a different perspective on world events.  If a major event unfolded before our very eyes, that network would have covered it without the filter.  With HTML 5's video and audio tags, WebM, and ingenuity, something like that is still possible.

What is needed is an RT that has a global reach while not being anchored by any country or any corporation.

A Word On Internet Media

My apologies for not posting something new a whole lot sooner than I should have. I tend to get distracted, which is what makes Internet media a double edged sword. While new and controversial information and viewpoints are exchanged, it comes at the cost of people having shorter attention spans. This is especially true with Internet radio.

Shoutcast, Live365, and other platforms offer other voices an opportunity to be heard, but the timing has to be right. This year, certain individuals and concepts are popular, so if a network was built at the beginning of the year, it had a chance to get noticed. However, if an individual or concept fades away as the year passes, then that network could be in trouble. I've been more of an observer than participant in all of this, but that perspective is precisely what's needed now.

I hate to break anyone's heart, but Internet talk radio is on the way out. Those who have been established for years on end, whether it's an individual host or an entire network, will be able to hold onto their demographic so long as the younger generations are drawn in. With the Rush Limbaughs and Sean Hannitys, the audience will be on the decline. Can a newly formed network (or one that has been revived) survive? Only if that network can transition itself into something unique. In other words, avoid being a "me too" product. Also, having just streaming audio is too limiting. Internet media does have a future, but it has to be done right.

Those looking for an example should look at RT.com. It is pro-Russian, but it should give you an idea of what will have to be done.