[ANTHONYD]

Alright guys.

I actually drove into the office today (Burlington to T.O.) because I'm cleaning out my office as I got a new job....

I was absolutely dumbfounded at the amount of people Blackberry(ing) while driving. Slamming on their barakes, getting honked to move etc.... People are lucky they make it to work alive on the Q.E.W. everyday.

What a sad sad world we live in that you can't put down the bulls*** emails for the 30 min. drive to work.

THIS IS EXACTLY WHY I REFUSE TO GET A BLACKBERRY!!!! I DON'T WANT TO LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT LIKE THESE GUYS.

This just hammered home the reason I take the GO Train to work everyday.

[darkpuppet]

It's not just blackberrying on the highways -- it's blackberrying in the line at Tim Horton's, on the subway, and in the washroom.

Everytime I use the washroom at this client site, there's guaranteed to be some guy sitting down to pee so he can clack away at his blackberry.

Everytime I get an e-mail with the tag "sent from xxx's blackberry" I cringe, imagining that the guy in the stall hasn't even wiped his vagina before clicking send...

I was starting to think that a blackberry might help me keep abreast of things here a bit more consistently, but man.. I just can't be that guy.

btw.... to the blonde legal assistant on the subway. I read 3 confidential e-mails over your shoulder this morning... I hope your client knows how much your firm takes confidentiality seriously.

[Frost__2001]

yeah this is normal, I think it was about 2 years ago in washington state that some idiot caused a 14 car pile up because he was texting in gridlock traffic.

honestly you can get a blackberry, you just have to be smart and know when not to use it. not to mention the Sync system in the new fords work wonders with the BB's, too bad some people don't know about it.

[NOS2Go4Me]

Wow... once again, it's not the device but the SHEEPLE using it! Holy device anger, Batman!

I have a BB Bold. I set VERY strict rules on it for myself, by myself. It goes on vibrate-only at 3:30 and stays that way unless we have active events that would require immediate intervention. The vibrations are number-keyed - 2 for emails, 3 and repetitive 3-counts for phone calls. My boss understands this and if you have an open-ended adoption policy, then you have only YOURSELF to blame.

I don't BB while driving. I check mail once I've pulled over in a lot. Apparently we're getting BT headsets now, which I guess makes sense (not getting into my "they're all too stupid to talk on a cell while driving, so quit driving" rant).

Don't hate the devices, folks... hate the f***ing morons who have no clue what task prioritization is.

[NefCanuck]

Thing is NOS, the Crackberry addicts feel "needed" and "special" when they interrupt whatever they're doing to answer their emails.

I wonder if these same lemmings would answer the Crackberry's call if they were doing something more pleasureable.... Sadly I think a good slice of them would :ph34r:

Lord, maybe it's a good thing that the Ford SYNC system can't read Canadian cell carriers text messages and emails <_<

NefCanuck

[darkpuppet]

the problem is never the device, but the people...

it's not the guns, blackberry's, automatic tranny, and cellphone's fault.

But they enable people to be stupid... and even though it makes sense to not drink and drive, people still do. The majority of the people out there need to be saved from their own lack of common sense.

And that's what makes it so scary. The distorted sense of entitlement and the lack of common sense.

So yeah... I don't want a blackberry because I know what it can turn into for some people, and I don't want to be one of them... I don't want to be one of those people who's always connected to work, especially when it doesn't have a business sense outside of interfering with my work-life balance.

People these days are more connected than ever -- and studies have shown that it can lead to social and mental problems.

Me personally -- I loved it when I biked out of earshot and was no longer in touch with my captors...errr.. parents.

And I still love it to this day -- a selling point for a Rogers phone is the fact that they don't work in Algonquin... that's GREAT!

[reldridge]

QFT!:

darkpuppet,May 5 2009, 10:51 AM Wrote:And that's what makes it so scary.  The distorted sense of entitlement and the lack of common sense.
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I will cry the day they make me carry a Blackberry/Smartphone for work. :( I know one of my coworkers is begging for one. Poor guy... :rolleyes:

[ANTHONYD]

I feel for the people who think they're so important they need to be connected to email wherever they go.

The same senseless email jackoff-buddy-two-shoes sent me will still be there tomorrow :rolleyes:

[NOS2Go4Me]

ANTHONYD,May 5 2009, 01:04 PM Wrote:I feel for the people who think they're so important they need to be connected to email wherever they go.
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Some of us are quasi-24/7. We NEED to know if a server fails. Some of us support worldwide operations that don't sleep when you add up the locales and time zones. If a reboot will fix things, we can do that remotely. If not, in to the office we go.

Thankfully, most of our satellite offices and wholly-owned subsidiaries that transfer a steady stream of information back and forth with us understand that the "I.T. guys" in North Bay are GMT -4 and do their best to keep up.

When you're global, not only in physical presence but in daily operations and staffing, it's a different story. We run the show from here, we offer worldwide connectivity and we're damn proud of the level of service we offer.

Yet, like I said... I buffer my "after hours" BB time based on severity. I might check it once an hour. Maybe once every two hours. Or perhaps the phone rings and it's our Jakarta office and someone there has forgotten their Citrix Secure Access password. :)

I guess we're "so important" by necessity. :P

I know you weren't "attacking" me, bud. Just putting it out there is all. :)

[Flofocus]

I have a blackberrry for work...I answer my emails as soon as they come in. I get about 100-150 emails a day, and nif I didnt have a blackberry I would spend a good chunck of every morning answering them.

Lik emy boss said, if you're not answering emails when i send them, you really shouldnt need a blackberry.

And that goes the same with my employees, if they want a blackberry, I make it clear, if I send something to you on a Saturday night at 4PM that needs you're action, you better respond.

[paolo]

I have a blackberry too (3G Bold), and Yes its for work, but when work is done, the e-mails and phone calls also stop. Like I said before, I don't take work home with me. I'm not that important at RSO to be on the berry 24-7. When I go for lunch, I also dont want to be disrupted, so I shut the damn thing off at lunch time. Same with driving. Talking and texting seems to be way too common now, and highly dangerous. Infact, its more dangerous than driving impaired. I dont use my phone while driving, I never call people when im in the car, and the rare time a call comes in, I have the bluetooth in-car system to answer the call if its a must. That way I never take my eyes off the road or hands off the steering wheel for that matter.

[meford4u]

Had a contractor come into the house to give me a price for insulation in the basement. About a $2k job with sprayfoam.

Answered his blackberry when we in the middle of speaking. I continued to speak. I noticed he was just uh huhing me and I asked him if I could boink his daughter. Uh-huh.

Asked him again. Can I boink your 5 year old daughter. What!!! Oh, now your listening and I have your attention.

Get the fawk out of the house...........your not getting my business you rude pos. I'm the customer, I'm number 1 and you listen to my every word.

Or bye-bye.

[ANTHONYD]

I've had clients read and answer phone calls while in the middle of presenting work!

My company has a no blackberry in the boardrooms law.

[paolo]

they pay for voicemail? then when they get a call when theyre talking to you they can easily let the voicemail do its "job" and take a message when theyre in the middle of talking to you. once they are finnished conducting their business with you they can check their missed messages outside of your house when they are done their estimate. That was funny Brian, about wanting to boink the contractor's 5 year old daughter, sick but funny! props guy for kicking out that contractor!!

[NOS2Go4Me]

ANTHONYD,May 8 2009, 08:13 AM Wrote:I've had clients read and answer phone calls while in the middle of presenting work!

My company has a no blackberry in the boardrooms law.
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I guess you've got some right ignorant clients! But if they're the clients, they can get away with it!

[NikiterZTS]

NOS2Go4Me,May 8 2009, 08:25 AM Wrote:

ANTHONYD,May 8 2009, 08:13 AM Wrote:I've had clients read and answer phone calls while in the middle of presenting work!

My company has a no blackberry in the boardrooms law.
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I guess you've got some right ignorant clients! But if they're the clients, they can get away with it!
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True, it would be kind of hard to tell a client to STFU and put down the phone.

[Frost__2001]

you know though most people that do this type of thing like answering a phone call over you, or text message, never realize that they do that. Deadskip learned quickly not to do that as I'd take his phones, or slap them out of his hand when he's not paying attention when he dose that around me or others I know.

really though in your situation anthony, you should stop your presentation and look at the person causing the disruption, and then once they hang up, ask them was the phone call that important.

[darkpuppet]

I've done that while presenting to clients.

"we'll just wait for xxx to finish up as the next part is important".

Seriously, you're paying me hundreds of dollars an hour, and you want to delay my work by not paying attention and making me go over it twice? How about I save you some money and wait until you're done your important call... now that's caring.

I just get annoyed that people step away from their desks, and as soon as they're in the elevator heading out to lunch, they pull out their blackberries to check for mail...

Seriously, there are NOT THAT MANY important people in this world that urinals can be considered internet kiosks.

[NikiterZTS]

Frost__2001,May 8 2009, 08:41 AM Wrote:really though in your situation anthony, you should stop your presentation and look at the person causing the disruption, and then once they hang up, ask them was the phone call that important.
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LOL
Are we back in highschool?
Maybe he should take it away from them too.
:lol: :lol:

[NefCanuck]

meford4u,May 7 2009, 09:46 PM Wrote:Had a contractor come into the house to give me a price for insulation in the basement.  About a $2k job with sprayfoam.

Answered his blackberry when we in the middle of speaking.  I continued to speak.  I noticed he was just uh huhing me and I asked him if I could boink his daughter.  Uh-huh.

Asked him again.  Can I boink your 5 year old daughter.  What!!! Oh, now your listening and I have your attention.

Get the fawk out of the house...........your not getting my business you rude pos.  I'm the customer, I'm number 1 and you listen to my every word.

Or bye-bye.
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Bravo,

I would do the exact same thing (Minus the demand to bonk an underaged child, I'd just ask for their car keys and ask to go for a joyride :P)

Then again I have clients who come to me with "desperate" legal problems that think nothing of taking calls during interviews with them. Hell one of them asked if I could leave my office while they took the call <_<

I mean I know its free legal advice but damn....

NefCanuck