Loud Phones
Over the last week or so I have been studying in the Law Library (as, it seems, have most of the third and fourth-year engineering students). There are a couple of silent levels on which –in true library fashion– you are not allowed to talk, or squeak your chair, or eat crisps. Okay that last one has more to do with the no-food-in-the-library policy, but you see what I’m trying to say.On one of these oh-so-silent floors, there are usually two or three mobile phones that go off every hour. Usually followed by an under-hushed “I’m in the library” or something similar.
These calls are usually over in thirty seconds or so, and everything returns to normal. But not so on this one fateful day.This time the person answered their phone and continued to have a quiet discussion with the caller on the other end. Usually it is the loudness of the person answering the phone that one has to worry about, but this time it was not the case. The person who answered their phone had the volume in their phone up so loud, I could hear what the person was saying, word for word!
That sort of complete disregard for one’s surroundings and the other people with whom you are sharing the space really annoys me. Not only that but the darned conversation went on for about 2 minutes before their friend told them to take it outside.I know, I could have done something about it etc. etc., but I was also somewhat interested in everyone else’s reactions, and was wondering whether anyone else would pipe up and tell them to take it elsewhere. What have mobile phones done to the world!
June 16th, 2007 at 8:16 am
yes! pipe up! make a bigger deal about 2 minutes of your life! scorn them and ask that lousy excuse for human life that studies law to leave their library so you, a great engineering student and clear superior, can claim right to a quiet surrounding… it’s not the people that use their phones, no the people that talk quietly on these quiet floors that are problems, it’s the wankers than police the library by telling everyone off for squeeking their chair… “HOW DARE YOU, THIS IS A QUIET FLOOR!”
what do i think of these fools… if 2 minutes of noise is too much for you to handle, and 2 minutes distraction in your 8 hour study period is too much, then go home…
on the otherhand, people who bring coffee into the library and then spill it all over you books really grinds my gears… as to people that do more strutting than studying and then proceed to get down and nasty with their girlfriends… ha!
June 17th, 2007 at 4:11 pm
It’s really not that bad will…
Early on in the semester when I was lecturing for the fotoholics photography club on the subject of “make how better your photos” a somewhat nasty phone habit appeared.
Now the person in question was sitting 4 rows back in a class of 36 and had their phone on silent. When it rang only those with astute enough hearing picked up on the vibe.
Now in what I imagine to be common knowledge would you not, when presented with a ringing phone in a lecture proceed as such:
Stop the noises,
Asses the importance of the call via the caller ID,
If the Number indicates someone important enough you would carefully extricate oneself from the class and call them back.
Wouldn’t you…
Well mr phone on silent decided that this “carved in silicone” code of conduct clearly didn’t apply to my lecture and that it was perfectly reasonable to have a conversation in the middle of the class. As he answered he dutifully clasped his hand around his mouth and the receiver as if to say “at-least I’m trying to muffle the noise” and had himself a thirty second or so conversation. Whilst we all learnt that he was indeed having chicken for dinner the class sat somewhat stunned. This situation seemed so far removed from being acceptable that no-one knew what to do… so I kept talking (you all know I’m good at that) just that little bit louder.
So maybe a phone in the library is no longer considered so far out that it deserves a post, but the subject of the apparent lack of etiquette that people have concerning the use of mobile phones is most definitely worth discussing.
But not now i have an exam tomorrow, a cold and a bacterial infection in my throat. So for once, I can’t really talk… you can all sleep peacefully tonight.
June 17th, 2007 at 10:08 pm
I think that’s what I was trying to get at mac. It’s not only the fact that they are disturbing me or preventing me from doing work, but the sheer rudeness of it. What have mobile phones done to the everyday application of etiquette and politeness? Perhaps these new technologies are gradually breaking down the very fibre that holds our society together. Or maybe I’m overreacting. Either way, I think perhaps it’s time we went around with an etiquette -schooling-bat and helped some people understand the finer points of etiquette!
June 19th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
While I completely agree that mobile phones do play a dramatic part in the degradation of contemporary society and etiquette, I would like to mention that there is something else that has been disintegrating. Will’s posts. I just spent a few minutes flipping through some of the old ones (thank you Dave) and found them endlessly intriguing and insightful. Can we get to the bottom of this problem, smart kids?
June 19th, 2007 at 5:08 pm
Very perceptive Sach, I was reflecting on something similar recently myself! I’m not sure whether it’s that I’m just not funny anymore, or whether my severe time constraints of late have reduced my ability to write the carefully crafted masterpieces of old. Either way, now that exams are over, I shall endeavour to entertain you all once again. I’m getting more sleep now, which is also a definite bonus!
June 19th, 2007 at 5:11 pm
Wow, there wasn’t even any paragraph formatting in this post! Things are definitely slipping…
June 19th, 2007 at 5:47 pm
“carefully crafted masterpieces of old”
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:29 pm
I’ve got a gigabit network in my house… a 400gig RAID 1 NAS… ftp server and VPN tunnels…
But none of it fixes the loud phone problem.
Also Will the spate of updates seems to have slowed since exams finished… almost as if you no longer need an excuse to laze around and not work.
June 22nd, 2007 at 10:28 pm
I want a gigabit network!
June 25th, 2007 at 11:53 am
Hi folks, here some pics from Will’s EOX. Just a small selection were left on my camera after all the risque ones were deleted.
Will’s EOX
June 27th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
Its been 5 days since anything has happened hear….
WAKE UP EVERYONE!!
Some new pictures on my site, so have a look.
June 27th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
or….
here*
June 27th, 2007 at 11:07 pm
I know Pete, I’m sorry dude. I’ve been under the weather a bit recently, but now I’m back on track you can expect something in the next day or so!
June 28th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
Hey Will, your computer sucks
June 28th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
…and so does Dave’s