For as long as they have been out, I have been annoyed by those people walking around with those hands free devices for cell phones. Not as much for the way they seem to intice people to more frequently bring their phones into socially unacceptable situations (quiet restaurant, movie theatre, bathrooms, etc), or for how they make completely normal folks appear insane conversing with bushes, tables, the floor, etc, but for how many times they make you feel like a TOTAL fool when you engage in a conversation with the guy next to you who suddenly starts talking to you (and actually is on a conversation with someone else).
I have managed to avoid them for the longest time but yesterday, I finally had to accept assimilation. Turns out, resistance was futile. I recently got back into the consulting world. I do a ton of driving and more than often am called to participate in conf calls while driving. Since I want to try and NO make my wife a widow with 3 young children, I decided hands-free was the way to go. So I look the ones avalable for my phone (I got a razor). I settle on a sweet little thing from motorola with the little flip arm. It’s got the fancy blue light that ensures I now look like a Borg when I get it hooked into my ear.
So after the 2 hours it takes to charge the first time (probably the shortest time to charge ANY rechargable device I have ever bought), I try it out. I try to call someone who I know will be sure to give it a complete test. So of course, I call my mother. I hook it in, touch the button on the earpice and get a womans voice "Say a command." (I resist the urge to insert a completely cheauvanist comment in here relating to my wife, out of concern for my own health). I tell it "Call Mom". Which it does. So we get talking, she is in Buffalo, which got socked with a nice Oct snowstorm last week so she has a lot to talk about. So we are chatting away.
My 4 year old, walks up next to me. Looks at the floor infront of me, at the chair, puzzles a bit. "umm Daddy?" "Yes dear, what you need?", "Um, who you talking too?….."
Mike's Ravings 