Comments on: In Case You Think Scott and Borgman Made This Up

By: CIDU Bill

CIDU Bill — Fri, 28 May 2010 21:22:45 +0000

Todd, you don’t stay married for 31 years by not returning phone calls.

By: Todd

Todd — Fri, 28 May 2010 20:52:58 +0000

cidu Bill (22), how often is the “important question” not really that important, and if she said what she wanted, you wouldn’t immediately return the call.

Waferthinmint (25), “what do you want” tends to come across as “I’ve got more important things to do than talk to you.” Maybe that’s why people get upset.

I’ve never used telephone text messaging, and can’t imagine sending a text if its urgent.

By: Kamino Neko

Kamino Neko — Thu, 27 May 2010 12:09:03 +0000

Today’s Arlo and Janis seems to be a bit of an answer to this one…

By: Dan

Dan — Thu, 27 May 2010 00:24:38 +0000

I’m pushing 40, and if I don’t recognize the caller ID, I’m probably not picking it up. Likewise if it says PRIVATE NUMBER or UNKNOWN or something. If it’s important, they’ll leave a message and I can call them right back. But more often than not, it’s some scammer/telemarketer, someone out to waste your time.

By: waferthinmint

waferthinmint — Wed, 26 May 2010 23:48:46 +0000

Elyrest (26) wrote “Caliphonies? You must have had an awful experience there.”
ZOMG I just LOLed IRL!
sorry, but I think I caused some confusion: while I do find a mandated level of small talk insincere I was using caliphonies as a portmanteau of California and Phones. not the other, much funnier meaning you discovered!

btw, i was not complaining about long rambling phone calls — i can enjoy those time to time with some of my friends but when we call each other for that purpose we will usually say upfront, “i have no reason for calling.”
what i was complaining about was a phenomenon in which some people will not tell you the point of their call until you have engaged in a set piece of ritual kabuki “hello how are you i’m fine and you how’s your dog what’s up…” if you have never noticed this taking place you are probably one of the people who do it.

By: Keera

Keera — Wed, 26 May 2010 17:10:02 +0000

Bill @24, perhaps your son is like me: Gets his information through his eyes, not his ears. When I attend talks, I write. I never read my notes afterwards, but writing during the talk helps me retain what I hear anyway.

By: Elyrest

Elyrest — Wed, 26 May 2010 15:45:33 +0000

waferthinmint (25) I lived in California for 12 years and I never found that phone habits were any different than anywhere else (Caliphonies? You must have had an awful experience there.) I think some people love to talk on the phone and some don’t. I don’t really like long pointless conversations, but my younger sister (and mother when she was alive) did and since I don’t see her often it is nice to hear her voice and exchange inanities. I think phones, email and text are all useful and I use them all. I agree with Keera about chat - that I hate and after a few times never used again.

By: waferthinmint

waferthinmint — Wed, 26 May 2010 08:05:13 +0000

I think part of the amount of pointless, insincere small talk is a function of where you grew up. People in California get violently upset if you somehow accuse them of calling for a reason. I, as a previous east coaster, often answered the phone with some variant of “what do you want”? Caliphonies usually took umbrage at the idea that I didn’t think they were just calling to hear my voice. they seemed to expect that I would stand in the kitchen next to the garage door for however long it took them to feel that social debt had been paid BEFORE they would get to the point.

I have found it hilarious — when it is not too irritating — to fake a reason to get off the phone: I would usually get called again in 5 minutes with a new list of asinine rituals to perform. repeat.

another fun game is to tell the caller you need to leave in 3 minutes but you’d LOVE to talk. “Let me just set this kitchen timer so I won’t be late!” most of these people are incapable of bringing up the point of the call within the time limit.

By: Cidu Bill

Cidu Bill — Wed, 26 May 2010 06:26:03 +0000

Keera, that’s interesting: My younger son is a graphic arts student, and now that you mention it the only time I hear him actually speaking on his phone is when he’s discussing some project he’s working on.

By: Keera

Keera — Wed, 26 May 2010 05:06:19 +0000

My company has switched everyone over to cell phones rather than landlines on each desk. The advantage is that if a co-worker calls, I can see who and call back, even if they don’t leave a voice message. Actually, voice messages are a waste of time, because the system is fiddly and it takes longer to dial in just to get a Bob message (like Ray @18 gets) than to just call back. (So to my co-workers who call and just hang up when I don’t answer, thank you.)

Carolyn @20, I’m like you. I prefer e-mail. Since I’m a graphics designer, most of my “conversations” are about edits and those are impossible to keep track of when delivered orally. It’s much better to receive them in written form in some way. The newest annoyance at work, however, is the increasing use of the chat function, which I find is far more intrusive than phone calls.