On Aug 19, 6:44 pm, "Paul Stevens" bellsouth.net> wrote:

I increasingly find such behavior boring, aside from my assuming such
folks are idiots. (My most recent contender for a Darwin award was of
a guy on a *motorcycle* on the interstate chatting on his cell.)

Regardless of whether or not someone is using an ear bud or not, the
data is coming in (from orthopaedic surgeons, ER docs, etc.) that
folks (including walkers, joggers, bicyclists, etc.) are being injured
while using their cell phone because they are distracted and not
paying close enough attention to what they're doing and they trip,
fall, etc.

Here's what I don't get. Occasionally I forget to turn off my cell
when I don't want to be bothered by it. Or, more exactly, I don't
want others to be bothered. When it sometimes goes off in these
situations, vibrating in my purse, I then apologize to the bystanders,
saying that I forgot to turn it off, but make no move to answer it.
I've had people still stop what they're doing and "invite" me to
answer it, as if a cell phone call is a demand as opposed to an
invitation. I then usually say, "No, thanks - that's what voice mail
is for."

-KD