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[Tanner Lovelace <lovelace AT wayfarer.org>]

On Wed, 2002-06-12 at 14:49, K. Jo Garner wrote:
>
> If you're not doing anything that impinges upon my safety, great. However 
> if you are carrying on a cell phone conversation in rushhour traffic and 
> going 15MPH below what everyone else is doing, or think that finding that 
> number on a tiny-buttoned phone whilst not paying attention in an aisle at 
> a store, then you deserve nothing but disdain (and a smack on the bottom! 
> - unless you like that sort of thing, in which case you *don't* get it). 

Note that I also said as long as I wasn't endangering anything.  
Paying more attention to a phone than rush hour traffic definitely
qualifies as endangering myself, the other drivers, any ducks that
may want to cross the road... etc...  As far as not paying attention
in the aisle of a store, if it's that crowded I'll generally go find
another store.  They obviously don't need extra business at that 
point.
 
> I believe it's mostly people "getting in the way" that bother me, and not 
> paying attention to their surroundings. Is there not enough beauty in a 
> dining companion (or your food, or your beer, or whatever else) to pay 
> attention to it?

People don't need cell phones to "get in the way".  They've been
doing that just fine for years before cell phones came along.
As far as paying attention to dining companions, that's another
matter.  I don't use a cell phone when I'm eating with someone
because, yes, that would be rude.  If I'm with someone, then
they do deserve my attention.  My disagreement was with the people
that want me to pay attention to complete strangers when I
just want to be alone.  That's also why I don't read a book
when I'm dining with someone else, something I *do* do while
dining alone.  If you think that causes me to not pay enough
attention to my food, bear, or whatever else, well then I suggest
you worry more about yourself than me.

Tanner
-- 
Tanner Lovelace | lovelace AT wayfarer.org | http://wtl.wayfarer.org/
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 This would be a very good time to hang out with the Open Source 
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