4 ms·

I think the joke is still good, because it's still a bad manner to have your phone ringing and buzzing in many situations (a concert, at the opera etc). I mean,

I think the joke is still good, because it's still a bad manner to have your phone ringing and buzzing in many situations (a concert, at the opera etc). I mean, it's actually an impressive comic, it imagines a possible future tech and correctly identifies some real misuses, 70-80 years before it became reality.

quickthrower2 4y ago
It is great. I think they got there by extrapolating a home phone interrupting dinner table conversations, and similar. The urgency of a ringing phone dominating all else. Like a fire alarm alerting that this is the most important conversation to be had!
- account42 4y ago
  Unlike the home phone, mobile phones can at least be set to vibrate so I guess there is some improvement.
  - lrvick 4y ago
    Most modern DECT wireless home phones can also be set to vibrate.
    - account42 4y ago
      I see, but is that different from a slightly more quiet ring tone? The point of setting mobile phones to vibrate is that (ideally) you can feel it (because you have it in your pocket) without others arround you being interrupted.
      - lrvick 4y ago
        Sure. Many home DECT phones are small enough to pocket or have belt clips. If it is on a desk or nightstand next to you the vibration will be noticed though.
danudey 4y ago
When cell phones were in their infancy, I remember reading an article, some kind of op-ed, about how they were ruining society. His primary example, his primary complaint, was a situation where he was at dinner with his wife and his own cell phone rang. A friend was calling him! On his phone, at dinner! How incredibly, unimaginably rude could someone be? To call someone while he was in a public restaurant, at dinner with his wife! Can you imagine the audacity? I remember thinking what a complete asshole this man must be. A friend called him while he was at a restaurant, the ringer went, it embarrassed him at this nice restaurant, and he went on a tear blaming everyone but himself. Meanwhile, we now have people who get on the bus blaring music from their cell phones or hanging a portable bluetooth speaker from their backpacks while walking down the street, and people miss the idea that hey, the problem isn't the technology, it's that the technology enables inconsiderate, rude people to be inconsiderate and rude in new and exciting ways, as though boom boxes didn't exist before bluetooth speakers.
- PakG1 4y ago
  Seems to me that the Bluetooth speaker is really just the reincarnation of the boombox.
  - mrexroad 4y ago
    To which the Vulcan nerve pinch may still be the solution.
    - dredmorbius 4y ago
      For todays utes: <https://yewtu.be/watch?v=prH9RyFX4SM https://yewtu.be/watch?v=prH9RyFX4SM>
- lrvick 4y ago
  Meanwhile I -still- think anyone who pulls out a cell phone when spending time with other humans is an asshole. Leave it at home or turn it off. You can doom scroll later.
temporallobe 4y ago
I was just in an awkward social situation the other day where someone left their phone on a table at a party and walked away to do something. Some guy was telling an interesting story and we were all trying to politely listen, but suddenly that phone started ringing at full volume. Everyone just kind of ignored it at first but it kept ringing. I was annoyed and wanted to reach over and mute/end the call, but, you don’t touch other people’s phones in polite society. Eventually it stopped ringing. Amazingly, everyone just acted like it wasn’t there. I guess we’ve all become accustomed to such things.
- 1123581321 4y ago
  In my circles, you would mute the disruptive call with the side button and tell them, “sorry, your phone was ringing while you were gone and I muted it.” Or just “your phone rang while you were gone.”
- wnoise 4y ago
  When batteries were removable, removing them was the standard way to make unattended, ringing cell-phones stop.
  - simonblack 4y ago
    They may be making them with non-removable batteries, but they still have ways of turning them off. I've discovered that the fastest way of turning them off is with a mallet.
- lrvick 4y ago
  You are nicer than me. I would have powered it down instantly.
maxbond 4y ago
"A good science fiction story should be able to predict not the automobile but the traffic jam." - Frederick Pohl I've heard this misquoted as, "a good sci-fi predicts the automobile but a great one predicts traffic jams and parking lots," which I also appreciate.

quickthrower2 4y ago

It is great. I think they got there by extrapolating a home phone interrupting dinner table conversations, and similar. The urgency of a ringing phone dominating all else. Like a fire alarm alerting that this is the most important conversation to be had!

account42 4y ago
Unlike the home phone, mobile phones can at least be set to vibrate so I guess there is some improvement.
- lrvick 4y ago
  Most modern DECT wireless home phones can also be set to vibrate.
  - account42 4y ago
    I see, but is that different from a slightly more quiet ring tone? The point of setting mobile phones to vibrate is that (ideally) you can feel it (because you have it in your pocket) without others arround you being interrupted.
    - lrvick 4y ago
      Sure. Many home DECT phones are small enough to pocket or have belt clips. If it is on a desk or nightstand next to you the vibration will be noticed though.

danudey 4y ago

When cell phones were in their infancy, I remember reading an article, some kind of op-ed, about how they were ruining society. His primary example, his primary complaint, was a situation where he was at dinner with his wife and his own cell phone rang. A friend was calling him! On his phone, at dinner! How incredibly, unimaginably rude could someone be? To call someone while he was in a public restaurant, at dinner with his wife! Can you imagine the audacity? I remember thinking what a complete asshole this man must be. A friend called him while he was at a restaurant, the ringer went, it embarrassed him at this nice restaurant, and he went on a tear blaming everyone but himself. Meanwhile, we now have people who get on the bus blaring music from their cell phones or hanging a portable bluetooth speaker from their backpacks while walking down the street, and people miss the idea that hey, the problem isn't the technology, it's that the technology enables inconsiderate, rude people to be inconsiderate and rude in new and exciting ways, as though boom boxes didn't exist before bluetooth speakers.

PakG1 4y ago
Seems to me that the Bluetooth speaker is really just the reincarnation of the boombox.
- mrexroad 4y ago
  To which the Vulcan nerve pinch may still be the solution.
  - dredmorbius 4y ago
    For todays utes: <https://yewtu.be/watch?v=prH9RyFX4SM https://yewtu.be/watch?v=prH9RyFX4SM>
lrvick 4y ago
Meanwhile I -still- think anyone who pulls out a cell phone when spending time with other humans is an asshole. Leave it at home or turn it off. You can doom scroll later.

temporallobe 4y ago

I was just in an awkward social situation the other day where someone left their phone on a table at a party and walked away to do something. Some guy was telling an interesting story and we were all trying to politely listen, but suddenly that phone started ringing at full volume. Everyone just kind of ignored it at first but it kept ringing. I was annoyed and wanted to reach over and mute/end the call, but, you don’t touch other people’s phones in polite society. Eventually it stopped ringing. Amazingly, everyone just acted like it wasn’t there. I guess we’ve all become accustomed to such things.

1123581321 4y ago
In my circles, you would mute the disruptive call with the side button and tell them, “sorry, your phone was ringing while you were gone and I muted it.” Or just “your phone rang while you were gone.”
wnoise 4y ago
When batteries were removable, removing them was the standard way to make unattended, ringing cell-phones stop.
- simonblack 4y ago
  They may be making them with non-removable batteries, but they still have ways of turning them off. I've discovered that the fastest way of turning them off is with a mallet.
lrvick 4y ago
You are nicer than me. I would have powered it down instantly.

maxbond 4y ago

"A good science fiction story should be able to predict not the automobile but the traffic jam." - Frederick Pohl I've heard this misquoted as, "a good sci-fi predicts the automobile but a great one predicts traffic jams and parking lots," which I also appreciate.