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Jerry Raia
Contributing Editor
Joined: 07 Jul 2003
Posts: 3054
Location: Los Angeles
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 Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 7:00 pm Post subject: PDA Paralysis |
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In the past we have discused people distracted using phones while driving. We are now hearing talk of theaters wanting to block cell phone usage. I thought this would be a good time to bring up my new pet peeve. I call it PDA Paralysis. I spend a lot of time in airports. Picture if you will a busy terminal packed with people. You are moving along with the throng towards baggage claim for example. Suddenly the person in front of you comes to a grinding halt. What are they doing? They have stopped because they are trying to figure out something on their PDA or phone. They can no longer walk and chew gum. Something has so overwhelmed them they have to stop to figure it out. Of course the result is disaster. The chain reaction of people either stopping or swerving with their Winnebago roller boards in tow is truly a sight. I am curious as to how many of you have noticed this growing phenomena either in airports or anywhere else. Share your stories!
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Darius Wey
Rogue Pocket PC Thoughts Editor
Joined: 24 Oct 2004
Posts: 106
Location: Australia
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| Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 7:21 pm Post subject: Re: PDA Paralysis |
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| Jerry Raia wrote: |
| I am curious as to how many of you have noticed this growing phenomena either in airports or anywhere else. Share your stories! |
I see this everywhere - airports, CBDs, lecture theatres, hospitals. Thankfully, it doesn't happen on the roads - yet. 
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Edgar
Smartphone Intellectual
Joined: 23 Nov 2004
Posts: 112
Location: San Francisco
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| Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 7:33 pm Post subject: |
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These are the same idiots that stop at the bottom of the escalator at the shopping mall and look around. Or stop in the middle of a packed sidewalk to look for the nearest starbucks - dont step to the side you idiot! The only difference is we've given them technology to get confused by instead of, uhm I dunno, air, their own thoughts, ... ??
Like Darius said, its everywhere. Just in an airport its tight quarters and you are probably hyper aware of your surroundings as you try to get to your gate.
Here in San Francisco - Like LA, people have total disregard for the 3500 lb vehicle you are driving at 30 mph down the street. They step right out in traffic and/or are more than happy to walk across the street when the red hand is up and the light is counting down from 3 seconds.
I want to carry a fire extinquisher filled with red dye, and squirt each one of them. Mark em with a "D" for DORK!
-Edgar
ps More and more Its not a PDA or a phone - its a damn Blackberry. I feel they are neither a phone, nor a PDA. They are an annoyance. And I'm an IT executive who's had one of these alabatrosses for nearly 8 years now. HATE IT - use it, but HATE IT. Until a year ago carried my original 954!
To tie this back to Mike's note on the theater and your comment. It's nothing more than etiquette, awareness and common courtesy. They have none of these.
Last edited by Edgar on Wed Mar 15, 2006 8:48 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Edgar
Smartphone Intellectual
Joined: 23 Nov 2004
Posts: 112
Location: San Francisco
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| Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 7:48 pm Post subject: |
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Darius
Of course it is - read mbranscum's comment here from a previous post: http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/f...hlight=cingular
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| The big thing that pulled me back to a smartphone was the dedicated keypad. My wife likes to send text messages and I have to send a few during the day. It is just down-right inconvenient to sent a text on a ppc any way you cut it...it takes 2 hands. I do a lot of operations in my car while I'm driving. Yes this is unsafe but it's reality. I found I was getting pretty good at driving with my leg when I was using the 8125 ppc. When using the 2125 I could do the same things easily with one had while driving...things like surfing the net and texting. |
Don't get me wrong. Mike had a perfectly acceptable answer and I think he's a great member. But, more and more I see it on the road too. SURFING THE NET AND TEXTING WHILE DRIVING!!!??? What the heck, pull out a book while you're at it.
Jerry,
Thanks you got me worked up, I'll have to break out a bottle of wine to settle down. (now I have an excuse  - like I needed one)
-Edgar
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Mike Temporale
Managing Editor
Joined: 07 Jul 2003
Posts: 6516
Location: Toronto, Canada
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| Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 8:07 pm Post subject: |
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| Edgar_ wrote: |
| These are the same idiots that stop at the bottom of the escalator at the shopping mall and look around. Or stop in the middle of a packed sidewalk to look for the nearest starbucks - dont step to the side you idiot! |
 So true!
I see these people all the time. I don't understand why it's so hard for some people to walk and look at their device at the same time. 
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Kris Kumar
Contributing Editor
Joined: 02 Jul 2003
Posts: 3405
Location: Rochester, NY, USA
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| Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 9:06 pm Post subject: |
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I am glad that I am never in crowded places. And even when it gets crowded, the only gadget carrying person is me, and I don't PDA and walk.
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gerlinda
Smartphone Neophyte
Joined: 26 Aug 2005
Posts: 8
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Edgar
Smartphone Intellectual
Joined: 23 Nov 2004
Posts: 112
Location: San Francisco
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| Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2006 11:05 am Post subject: |
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Kris is always down gettng a garbage plate at the hours these people are out.
Ask him what a garbage plate is - if he's truly in Rochester he'll know.
-Edgar
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Jerry Raia
Contributing Editor
Joined: 07 Jul 2003
Posts: 3054
Location: Los Angeles
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| Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2006 11:07 am Post subject: |
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Ok I'm curious now. What is a garbage plate Kris?
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Janak Parekh
Rogue Pocket PC Thoughts Editor
Joined: 30 Jun 2003
Posts: 201
Location: New York, NY
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| Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2006 12:42 pm Post subject: |
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| Kris Kumar wrote: |
| I am glad that I am never in crowded places. |
That's because you're up in Rochester, along with the three other people in New York outside of the NYC metro area.  (Just kidding, Kris, I'm playing up the good ol' stereotypes. Except for the fact that like 3 people live in Rochester, we all agree on that. )
New Yorkers are, in general, better about this -- we're used to doing 10 things at the same time. Of course, in a city of millions you're going to see this behavior too. Sometimes, it's people who could not care less that they're impeding everyone else... but most often, it's the tourists -- the kind who stand in the middle and gawk at all of the tall buildings. 
--janak
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