Commando Civility has been on a bit of a break for a while, but we felt compelled to come back when we witnessed this fine gentleman clipping his fingernails on the Subway in New York City. Listen closely, you can hear the “click click” above the sound of the screaming children and the subway noise.
This is great. We wish we had thought of it. It’s a pad of “citations” for rude cell phone users. Fill one out and hand it to the offending cell user.
You can order Cell Citations here: Perpetual Kid.
This is a screen shot from the CBS Breaking News gadget on my iGoogle page. Apparently, CBS believes that a dog walking on it’s hind legs constitutes “breaking news.” Don’t get me wrong, I love dogs. I like breaking news, too. But come on. There doesn’t always have to be “breaking” news. Some news is just “news.” And some news is not even news – it’s just uninteresting. ”Pirates Seize French Cruise Ship” – now that’s breaking news.
See this Common Craft blog post about clever Japanese smoking manners signs.
Much like a Digital Yawn, there are other phenomena that occur in the presence of our digital devices.
Today, we coin a new phrase: “Device Paralysis” – This is the opposite of “Text Walking” – i.e. walking obliviously down the sidewalk while typing away on your BlackBerry or other mobile device. By the way, this is apparently such a problem in London that they have considered installing padded lampposts to protect absent-minded texters.
Back to the point: Device Paralysis is when someone is so engrossed in typing (or reading) a message on their device that they stop dead in their tracks. Apparently, the compelling content of the message takes so much energy and blood flow to the brain that the rest of the body’s functions close down and the person stops moving. Unfortunately (for the rest of us), this tends to happen to people when they are in doorways, or on stairs, or generally in my way.
Besides being utterly annoying, the condition is harmless, so if you bump into someone who is in the middle of a Device Paralysis episode, don’t be alarmed. And don’t bother to say “excuse me” – they probably won’t notice anyway.
Overheard in a local hotel men’s bathroom during a large convention of legal technology folks:
“Did anyone find a BlackBerry in here? … Damn!”
I’m not sure where to begin. How about: do you really feel the need to have your BlackBerry in one hand and your, um, manhood (or toilet paper) in the other? Are you really so busy that you can’t take a break from the CrackBerry to take a dump? If it is hygienic to wash your hands after using the toilet, and you’re going to click away with your filthy digits on that cute little keyboard while pinching one out, shouldn’t you also put some Purell on the device, too?
People really need to stop and think about the things that they do.
Oh… and at the same conference, on another visit to the men’s room (it was a long day and I had a lot of coffee), all three of the other men in there were talking on their cell phones.
I wanted to hand them one my cards that says, “The world is not your private phone booth.” But, damn it, I didn’t have one with me.
Caroline Roberts did a nice piece in the Bostonist called Manners Police: No Assholery Allowed. I love Bostonist’s Golden Rule: “Don’t be an asshole.”
Commando Civility is not alone. Even in New Hampshire, they need to be reminded about civility now and again. Toby Hatchett is doing her part. She wrote a nice piece entitled 2008 Wishes for Port City in the local paper. Here’s a bit of it, but please check it out.
I want 2008 to reflect a return to civility and nice manners. Why, oh why, why, why, must you people walk abreast on icy streets in groups of three or four or more? Can’t you realize there might be someone behind you, in front of you, who needs to pass? This sense of sidewalk entitlement must be eliminated in 2008. Let us make it a priority.
Ahem, OK, bear with me. You cell phone users, we love you. You are so cute. You are so very important. We really do love you. However, may I just say one thing? We sincerely do not want to hear intimate details of your sex life and/or medical treatments. Don’t let us be subjected to this. Puh-lease! Give us all a break. If we wanted to hear such lurid details, we would not be out, but home listening to Dr. Phil and Oprah and soaps. Give us our quiet times.
If you really must divulge such details, can you just, please and thank you, step outside of the line you are in, INSIDE, and do it outside, so no one is captive to your drama queen life? Thank you.
We feel your pain, Toby, we feel your pain.
You’ve made an appointment with your doctor. You arrive on time. There are good magazines in the waiting room. How long should you wait to see your doctor before you walk out? Maybe it depends on how badly you need to see that doctor.
This blogger, a former medical practice manager, tries to explain why the wait sometimes seems to be so long. She also offers advice to reduce the chances of waiting. Hint: always try to schedule the first appointment in the morning.
At a time like this, who could resist the thought of Jerry Seinfeld and his trouble with a car reservation?
I just want to know why doctors feel like it’s OK to keep their patients waiting so long (please, no clever patients/patience jokes). It must be because their time is more important than my time. If I left my clients waiting 30 – 60 minutes for a meeting, then I would not have them as clients much longer.
I recently “fired” my doctor when I waited for 30 minutes in the waiting room, and an additional 30 minutes in the examination room without ever seeing the good doctor. Is that wrong? Talk amongst yourselves – just do it in the comments.
In case you haven’t seen it (it’s all the rage), we’ve added a new feature to Commando Civility. It’s called “The Please Don’t List.” There’s a link to the left (<–) and one in the upper right hand corner, as well. So, no excuses for not checking it out. Here’s the deal: visit the page and leave a comment with your contribution to the list. As long as it’s civil, I’ll add it to the list. And if it’s good (i.e. it makes the list, which it will unless it’s not civil) I’ll send you ten Commando Civility cards for free. Just send your mailing address (and which cards you want, if you have a preference) to commandocivility[at]gmail[dot]com. And of course, we’re civil: we don’t do anything with your email or mailing address.
