The reminder is good. Just like if you need to leave use the back doors. They should add that instead of being scolded if trying to make a run for the front doors. That bathroom is far away ;)

"non_grata
Mar 11, 2013 at 4:21 p.m."
love it!!
sigma- non you dont get it.
If I am at work with a customer and another calls I don't answer it while I have a customer in front of me. They leave a message. RUDE! training 101!!!
If I am at Menards I expect this. and then they also put them on hold.
Seinfeld episode-lol-

GET of the PHONE while driving!!
Saw a lady driving on Milwaukke Street where it meet Milton Ave at that point. She was on South Atwood and going to turn right onto Milton Ave. She was on the phone so didn't see or know about DO NOT TURN ON RED!! Stops briefly, looks to the left- no cars coming - DUH- it is a one way that way. Proceed to turn onto Milton Ave ON RED- RIGHT into traffic that had green light on Milw street. "gee why all the cars coming at me!!!" Then it is my turn to go srtaight and guess what guy flying through red light on Milton Ave. I hate that intersection. I usually look both ways when the light turns green and then I go. Her I do the same and enter the intersection slowly.

Sigma was referring to himself when he implied he had mental problems and was on drugs. He was really getting stressed out yakking away as he usually does. You ought to see how we'll he handles the drive through at McDonalds, ". WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T WANT FRIES WITH THAT ! " .Take a pill Sigma.

Sigma40 just doesn't get it or refuses to understand the concept of common courtesy and being rude. There is a time and place but if the cell phone is more important to you then so be it. You will be one of the first to have one implanted that way you can be in constant contact. The rest of us, we will survive. Our lives DO NOT REVOLVE AROUND THE CELL PHONE!

Well said, SuperDave. I agree with you on all points.
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That being said, people are definitely wired differently. Being in a noisy setting within earshot of 20 conversations going on is like being in a madhouse to me. Can't wait to get away from it. Others take no notice and chat away like magpies.
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I see a cell phone as a tool. When I NEED it, I use it. Gabbing on the phone has never been a main form of recreation for me. Most people you see walking around talking on them in public are engaging in idle chit-chat.

scoobydoo1960 - I didnt say dismiss the past. I said accept the present. People have metal issues (including the ones upset about phones)because all the meds pumped into them. You are right, people are depressed, stressed, angry, ...etc. Meds are not the cure but people seek help for their mental problems and get pumped full of meds. A pill for this, a pill for that. If my blatant honestt offends people or angers them..... that is their issue and their problem and inability to decipher a message without going into an extreme emotional state. I've said it a million times and I'll say it again...people need to learn self discipline. Dont worry about a cell phone rining... hell, it could be a doctor on call recieiving an important update. Cell phones have helped us a ton, sure the side effects are minor, learn to control your hatred towards it and you'll be one step closer to bettering YOUR life. Stress is a major contributor to a lot of medical conditions. No one can cause you to stress out other than yourself. You decipher your life and act accordingly. This also falls under personal accountability. Speaking of people failing at life... this thread is full of them.

Most people have cellphones today, but some of us can distinguish between proper and improper usage. Same can be said for in-person conversation in public. There is such a thing as an inside voice and an outside voice. If you are in public and speaking, whether on the phone or not, and I can hear every word you are saying, than you are too loud. It's rude. But like I said before, those that are rude rarely recognize it, or care. They are the problem but they see those of us that are aware as somehow being in the wrong. That is just sad for everyone.
I'll use litter as an analogy. Some of us value our environment, and appreciate clean yards, streets, parks, etc. Some do not, so they throw their trash on the ground, then they wonder why other people don't like it. They actually prefer to live in filth because in their small minds, it it somehow easier. Well the same applies to speaking. Some prefer to live in pointless, rude noise. The rest of us prefer decorum - peace and quiet if you will. And that notion is no more old-fashioned or quaint than preferring to drink clean water over polluted water. A no-brainer, really.

I get a kick out of Sigma 40 comparing those that don't care for cell phones to cavemen. I guess I just prefer actual face to face communication. It's funny how with all of this great technology more people are screwed up and stressed out than ever before. Tons on meds for mental issues, look at the shelves in any store for acid blockers and stomach issues. Emptied out! How relaxing is it to go out somewhere to have a nice dinner or just out sightseeing and have the phone ringing. People in this country have become a bunch of self absorbed narcissists. Rude as all get out. How often do you actually see neighborhoods where people stop to visit and really get to know each other. Most are too busy texting and playing with their technology to even know what the heck is going on around them. The neighborhood I lived in actually had people that would help each other and socialize. Call it being like a caveman, but I would much rather have lived years ago than in this hell hole we are in now. I saw the good times when I was a kid in the 60's. I feel very sorry for the younger people never getting to experience a simpler more enjoyable time. Not a time when everyone is racing around like a hamster in a wheel poking at their cell phones, playing with their I Pads etc.

"But you have stupid people everywhere....its the idiots amongst us." -Sigma40 @9:12am

Yes, you are correct.

One more thing that shows you Janesville is made up of prudes. Do you mean mug people that are out having a conversation with others? face to face? I have never been to a restaurant where it was quiet. There are always people yacking and not on phones either. So what difference does it make if you are on a phone? Is there a code for proper talking etiquette? If you are in line at a restaurant and you stop and ask what your friend is having is that rude? or is it only rude to interrupt by phone? When and where can we talk and not talk? Or is it just the device we are talking into you dislike?.... because you are technology deficient? Im guessing its not the noise or the talking at all.... people just dont like the phone because its new to them.

Sigma40...would you like to buy me a cell phone?? if not...quit your rambling.

Its amazing we survived tens of thousands of years without electricity or the automobile.... now it seems everyone needs them both. What is wrong with everyone?
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All of you neanderthals just admit....you are afraid of change. Quit being hecklers and either get with the times or stay home and read your book to your candle light. :)

It's funny how everyone survived years ago without cell phones. You could actually go out to eat or to a movie without some boob trying to call you for some inane thing. I find it somewhat insulting when someone is visiting and then is stopping several times during their time while visiting you to answer every call they receive. I do not have a cell phone nor ever will in the foreseeable future. I don't want someone bugging me every where I go. I too don't care to listen to others personal issues while out and about. I can understand some jobs requiring the use of them tho I doubt if anyone has to conduct business 24/7. Absolutely no one has any business driving and talking on a cell phone. If you have to use one pull over and park for god's sake. Not a fan of cell phones as you can tell

Imagine the noise on an airplane if they allowed cellphone use in flight.

Thank you for sharing.

Well done Sigma, the first step in rehabilitation is admitting your an idiot.

i will have to admit that those that can have a conversation with a person 4 feet away in a normal voice, then talk on their phone which is 1 inch away and have to yell 4 times louder are annoying. But you have stupid people everywhere.....driving, working at everywhere, talking on phones. Its not the cell phone that is the problem... its the idiots amongst us.

To the older generation (graduates of pre-internet and cell phone Pre-mid 90's) what you dont realize is that this is not a growing problem, what is actually happening is it is becoming more the way things are. Just like email has been the primary form of communication in the USA since 1996, a lot of businesses I deal with (older people) do not understand this. Just like voicemail....it should be banned. people that leave voicemails do not realize how hated it is. Cell phones are here to stay, text messages are prefered over voice ones, and a lot of people, like myself, rely on a cell phone for important business needs. I'll answer it anywhere anytime. Its not rude, its what is expected of me.

Like many social conventions, the offenders are either entirely unaware, or simply don't care that they are being obnoxious. After all, it's all about *them*, isn't it?
We have had the same conversation about smoking, littering, bad driving, etc.

What you've written is the primary reason I don't have a cell phone. I don't need one, don't want one! I've gotten along without one since they first came out. Is my life different without one? I think not. My kids know how to get a hold of me in an emergency. That's what's important.

;-)

Satan punishes bad people right? So wouldnt that make him a good guy? So the spawn of satan is our savior and his cell phone is a blessing.

Every time a cell phone rings,
it spooks the horses on my buggy!
The so-called users are the spawn of Satan
communicating with their dark overlord in the bowels of Hell through sorcery most evil and foul!

Hie thee away to a hermitage!

I'll take it one step further. I find it rude for people to have loud (in-person) conversations when they are in public. I'm talking about when people use their "outside" voice. Example, you're at the grocery store. A husband and wife are standing about ten feet apart. One of them loudly says something like "let's get the large package of bologna - Mikey eats that like it's going out of style". Then the other one says "I'll go get some bread - meet you in the dairy section!".
I guess I could have capitalized all of that, but you get the idea. You are forced to listen to other people's obnoxious conversations, as they apparently think they are outside in their own backyard. Even worse - if the two people are co-workers (employees that work there) and they are having a private conversation not related to their jobs. I have gone so far as to complain to management in the most egregious cases.

when i am at work and someone comes up to the counter to order and they are on the phone I wait until they are done talking to take their order i think its totally rude....I really hate when i say how can i help you and they give me the finger sign to wait a minute then i walk away and do something else...

Who are you people to judge the importance of another persons business? I am with people all the time, in meetings, etc.. that stop in the middle and they say "this is important I have to take this"... and then answer their phone. To me it is very rude to NOT answer the phone. I answer mine when it rings, accountability first, what people think second. Besides, people shouldnt be getitng their emotions so involved. Another reason we are failing as a country... stuff like this is a big issue....lol.
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Cruiser - The noise cars make, isnt it rude for people to operate them at all hours of the night? Comparing cell phone use to running people over with a car is just stupid. Then again... consider the topic of this and what year we live in.

I have friends in the medical field and they tell me it is not uncommon to have patients on the cell phone when they enter the exam room, only to hold their finger up in the "I'll just be a minute". They usually go see someone else and make that person wait at least 20 minutes. How inconsiderate to the the health care personnel and to all the patient's after them that now have to wait longer as a result. There is NEVER an excuse for that kind of behavior, Sigma40. What bother's me the most about this all is that some people just don't get it.

Sigma40...I read your "letter" and like with electricity..we use it.. but don't need to keep lights on all day and all night, use it wisely. And sure we have cars, but we don't need to run people over with them, or speed with them, like cell phones, people don't need to be rude with them, or drive while talking and risk lives with them.

Poor Sigma40: Do you appreciate other people answering the cell phone while you're talking to them? Are you that unimportant to them? Well imagine how they feel when you do it or do you even care? If it is for business do you tell the person you're talking to it is business and not personal? Are you that young that you believe it is proper to be rude? Think now or do you need to text it?

Only in your pathetic world Sigma.

How long did it take you guys to get used to electricity? What time period and civilization are you basing your "proper" etiquette off of? With the advent of the internet and the popularization of cell phones if you didnt change how you did things in the mid 90's you are likely stuck in the mid 90's. Each year after the mid 90's increased technologically wise more than the previous decades did. Times changed....a lot. You can not blame it on poor etiquette because you still think what applied back in the 90's for etiquette still appiles today. I remember when cell phones first started becoming popular, few people had them so the non-cell phone users got all mad at them for using them in public, in the store, anywhere. Like any new thing....much like the automobile im sure... the people that didnt have one still wanted to use a horse and got all pissy about the people that used the automobile.
Call it poor etiquette today.... tomorrow you'll see its normal when its actually been normal for a decade now.

Sigma40........I think it your brain (if you actually have one) that is fried.

Sigma..working the " drive through " does not classify you as "being on call ". The fact that you state. " everyone else that is around doesn't really matter " shows what kind of person you are. What a shame, we had such high hopes for you.

There is an overuse of phone toys. I have a basic cell phone which is more than adequate for me. I can't see the point of constantly pushing buttons. People seem to constantly be enamored by these phone toys. Studies have indicated that youngsters are showing diminished I.Q. from high usage of the phone toys and also the inability to function with real face to face inter-reaction with people. Also I have read that these people who constantly use these devices may be afraid to face their own thoughts so the toy becomes a distraction from their thoughts.

So people running their snow blowers at 5am is proper etiquette? So obviously the rules change with the weather, how can you judge a person for answering their phone if you dont know the importance of it? When im not running the deep fryer i am on call. So i dont care where I am... my phone rings I answer it.....everyone else that is around doesnt really matter, they dont pay my bills. If a rining phone bugs you, perhaps some day you'll experience a real problem and then you will appreciate the ringing phone.
Then again I dont socialize on the phone, its used for business and important communications between me and my fellow fryers. :)
Me rude? HA! I would rather be rude than a prude complaining about cell phone etiquette.

Sigma...one of these days your going to drop that phone into the deep fryer, going to mess up those happy meals ! Greg...like your idea of " phone stack " game , definitely will use that idea next time.

Greg--Thanks for the idea. My cell phone's going on "vibrate" right now!

"Have you ever been talking with a friend, relative or coworker when the other person stopped to answer a cellphone call or check an incoming text message?"

This is sending the message that "I don't know who this is or what they want, but it is more important than our conversation." The same goes for call waiting interrupting a conversation unless the person is expecting a high priority call or the conversation has run its course.

saxcat70...you said it all....thanks

I worry that the lady speeding down the road next to me, talking on the cell phone and smoking a cigarette while calming her distraught poodle, might not be paying attention to her driving. I don't know for sure that she was distracted but I think that is why she cornered to the left on a yellow-red light. I worry about people like her "blending in" to my environment. It may be sexist on my part to say that I notice about twice as many women as men behaving this way on the open road. What conversation could be so important as to risk one's life for a tidbit of gossip or review of a grocery list? I wonder, will she answer if God calls? Maybe the answer could be found in church, or not.

About ten years ago I was sitting in the Minneapolis airport reading when some lady sat down right next to me and started yammering on her cellphone. I started reading out loud and she was offended and moved away. Still laugh about that. some people are just selfimportant.

Not all phone calls are frivolous.
Sorry if it takes attention away from the center of the universe!

If cell phones are designed to keep us in touch, why is everyone to busy on their hand held device to talk to one another. whenever I see the couple at the coffee shop, staring at their phones, completely ignoring each other, it makes me think all warm and fuzzy thoughts about their relationship...

You can't fix stupid greg, but you can irritate it enough to make it go away.
I can do nothing about the inconsiderate, pajama wearing, wal-mart zombies who insist on using their phones during public performances. I deem them and their type hopeless.
But if it's not a public performance and we're allowed to make inconsiderate noise, feel free to talk on that idiot box all you want. But please don't be offended if I start whistling or singing at the top of my lungs. There are many places you can have your private conversation. in my ear doesnt have to be one of them. I also might start pretending that I'm the person you are talking to. answering your questions, responding to your comments. they will be sarcastic, and they are intended to make you get up and go somewhere else.

SIGMA: Courtesy and common sense and decency didn't end at the end of 2012. Being rude is being rude no matter what excuse you try to give.

Its 2013, some day you will get with the times and it will be no different than the noise an automobile makes while driving by. They drive by my house at all hours of the night....as with most other peoples house. I bet in the 20's this irritated people, people were probably like "the nerve of those people operating an automobile at these hours and on the roads near peoples houses.". Soon when you realize the cell phone is a modern day tool most people use, it too will blend in and go unrecognized and be a normal part of your life. Welcome to 2013.