Sunday, February 03, 2008

I'm not crazy - honest!

(Image from Pixmania.com)

Yes, I know that George over on Bike Riding Donut Guy said "I'd like to see Bluetooth earpieces outlawed unless your are driving. Let's face it, folks that use them and walk around talking to no one in particular look like assholes." Follow his link. It's hysterical!

But you know what? I got one of these as a Christmas gift, and while it's surely handy while driving, I have to admit that it's kinda fun to walk around in, oh, say the local WalMart talking to myself. Ten or twelve years ago, people felt conspicuous while talking in public on a cellular phone. It's much the same with the Bluetooth devices today. WalMart, of course, is chock-full of crazy people and extraterrestrials anyway, so I fit right in.

Now, I once worked in a psychiatric hospital where a lot of people walked around talking to themselves and this was long before the advent of cellular phones. They talked to everyone, the living and the dead, God, Klingons, and a host of others. Trust me, there's something peculiarly liberating about walking around in public talking to the air especially if you tend to talk with your hands a lot like I do! If it weren't for the Bluetooth device, the guys in the white coats would be coming for me.

I have to wonder if using this on a bike is a good idea, though, because besides the distraction it represents, if I get deeply engaged in a conversation, I'm likely to take my hands off the handlebars in order to make a point. As Phil Liggett would say, I'd probably wind up on the floor.

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4 Comments:

Blogger Da' Square Wheelman, said...

I believe they're referred to as bluetools %-{>

6:03 PM  
Blogger The Donut Guy said...

No! No! ...You're becoming one of them!

Put down the earpiece and no one will get hurt:-)

2:05 PM  
Blogger James T said...

Ed, now you just need a red night vision monocle over your left eye to complete the cyborg look.

I can't imagine wearing one of those things. Of course, I don't even have a cell phone, so I guess a flashing light in my ear wouldn’t do much good.

3:51 PM  
Blogger Ed W said...

I'm thinking it could be fun to go to the grocery or even Wallie World WITHOUT one of these devices, and walk around carrying on a conversation. It would help if someone else went along and watched for other people's reactions.

I have a habit of talking to myself while I'm working. In fact, several of my co-workers do the same, so it's not unusual that I'm walking around muttering to myself.

4:15 PM  

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