Crackberries

My son got a new phone; he chose a Blackberry.

You ever notice that folks who have these NEVER stop fiddling with them?
Waiting in line, on the subway, ESPECIALLY in meetings, Blackberry owners are constantly surfing, reading email, playing Tetris, doing God knows what, instead of paying attention to where they are and what they should be doing.

Whoa! Ranting, sorry, but I can’t help myself.

It’s not even my son that I’m complaining about; it’s really several upper management types. They call a meeting, demanding your presence, to impart some supposedly important information (important enough that they just couldn’t send it in an e-mail that you could read comfortably from your desk and reply to) and suddenly their ringer sounds. And the ringer always seems to be some annoying ‘80s song from Pat Benatar or somebody, and they immediately shut out the meeting like all of you gathered there are so much chopped liver, to peer at the Blackberry screen to see who their lucky caller is.

Or even worse, they get a text. Then they can’t just mutter a few terse words and put the silly thing down like they can for a call. Oh no, then they have to text some voluminous reply right then and there with a room full of expectant and fast becoming fatally bored people waiting for them to finish and get back to business.

Of course, I’m blaming the innocent technology instead of the boorish clod who owns it.

Show some respect for the folks right in front of you. Unless you are the President of the United States and have the nuclear codes with you, or you are on tenterhooks wondering if Aunt Edna made it out of surgery, the damn phone call or text can wait. Turn the damn thing off for meetings. If you set it on vibrate, let it be. Deal with it after the meeting, ok? You’ll still be able to get your message. Spare the rest of us from waiting on your life. We have our own you know.