Cell phones in public bathrooms

[UVaAmbassador]

I just went to use a public bathroom, and much to my suprise, there was a guy in one of the stalls just talking away on his cell phone. I found this very strange. Thoughts?

[BlueDevilJay]

No poop and dial for me. I do play the preloaded games on my phone though to pass the time

[billybreen]

That is bizarre and hugely wrong. BDJ, even playing games is dangerous -- I would never expose my beloved iPhone to a potential juggle and splash.

[DevilAlumna]

Please, consider the person on the other end! Who wants to hear a random flush in the background, and then have to consider what the other person is doing at that moment? Ewww...

[hc5duke]

No poop and dial for me. I do play the preloaded games on my phone though to pass the time

Bejeweled FTW! Though I do mute my phone so other people don't know that's what I'm doing

[hurleyfor3]

Please, consider the person on the other end! Who wants to hear a random flush in the background, and then have to consider what the other person is doing at that moment? Ewww...

So you're saying, the person on the other end can't help but consider the person on the other end's other end?

[DukeDevil]

Please, consider the person on the other end! Who wants to hear a random flush in the background, and then have to consider what the other person is doing at that moment? Ewww...

That's what the mute setting is for.

I am normally in the "no" category, but had a call that I absolutely had to take and couldn't call back (was being connected through another person, so no dial back number). Anyway, I found that careful timing with the "mute" setting helped this problem.

TMI FTW!

[Turk]

UVa, I think you're lucky you lasted this long without having encountered that situation before. I've observed it a few times and with increasing frequency these days. That's wrong on so many levels there should be a form you have to sign before they'll sell you a phone, maybe like this:

"Talking on the phone while simultaneously driving, drinking coffee, eating breakfast, putting on makeup, and/or reading the paper is not recommended and may violate local ordinances.

Talking on the phone while in any restroom, public or private, will be detected by the nearest cell tower and will cause immediate cancellation of your phone service as well as forfeiture of all other internet services we provide, without refund."

Believe it or not, the first time this happened to me was in 1990 - there was this consultant who was completely and totally socially inept, and the guy carried one of the first cell phones I ever saw - it was the size of a big brick (and probably close to the same weight). Anyway, one day at work I walk into the restroom to answer nature's call, and dude is standing at the urinal holding the phone between his shoulder and face. He finished, flushed, zipped up, washed up, and left, all the while carrying on a conversation like he's in his living room, without pause or hesitation. The rest of the time he was on that project I couldn't look at the man without giggling. I wasn't the only guy who observed this behavior, and it became a running joke on the team - "forward my calls" became a synonym for using the facilities, as in, "Man, I ate a big lunch, I gotta go forward my calls." (or "drank a lot of coffee", as the case may be...)

That being said, at my last job, they gave me a crackberry, and I must admit I did play a little brickbreaker or read emails once in a while. Having stepped that close to the abyss, I have decided I am a traditionalist on this point - there are some things in life that technology cannot improve, nor should it intrude. I prefer printed reading material when taking care of business, and I leave the phone on my desk where it belongs.

[OldPhiKap]

You should see where I post from.


Sent by OldPhiKap via Blackberry

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

I used to travel a lot and was always amazed at how many guys would carry on business conversations in the airport bathroom. They could have cared less about the constant urinal flushes in the background or the guy in the next stall in his own Maui Tacos hell.

By the way, the absolute best time killer on the crackberry was MeteorCrusher (kind of like as-teroids!)

[DukieInKansas]

I voted under other circumstances - a cell phone call from the bathroom has been used to be rescued from a really bad blind date.

Just a normal everyday conversation should not be carried on in the bathroom and never a business call. I think it is weird to see someone in an office building go into the restroom carrying a section of the newspaper.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

I think it is weird to see someone in an office building go into the restroom carrying a section of the newspaper.

It's even weirder to get there and find that someone has left the paper there for you. How nice of them!

[Fish80]

On a really really long conference call
you have to answer nature's call
and really can't miss a minute
put the phone on mute
take care of business
get back to business

[EarlJam]

Looking at the poll, OZZIE has some 'splaining to do!

-EJ

[Shammrog]

Nothing is worse than talking to someone and hearing a "flush" on the other end of the line.

I take that back: the only thing worse is when you are in one stall and someone in the adjacent stall starts talking to you.* This is legitimate grounds for physical attack.

The "Regular Guys," which used to be a good morning radio show in Atlanta, would mic someone up just for this particular prank. The audio was hilarious!

(*Since I just ate, I am purposely not thinking about or addressing getting Larry Craig-ed.)

[EarlJam]

I take that back: the only thing worse is when you are in one stall and someone in the adjacent stall starts talking to you.* This is legitimate grounds for physical attack.
(*Since I just ate, I am purposely not thinking about or addressing getting Larry Craig-ed.)

Honest to God story: A couple of weeks ago, I went in the stall and noticed just as I entered my boss came in behind me. I knew he saw me.

I NEVER, thought he'd start talking during such a private moment tough.

"Hey Dan, did you get that proposal over to Judy at Caplan?"

Me (slightly embarrassed): "Um, yeah man."

"Great, let's talk later about...."

He kept going on. I was like, DUDE! I'm in the stall!!!!!!

Anyway, yeah Shamm I'm with you. That is way off limits.

-EarlJam

[merry]

Looking at the poll, OZZIE has some 'splaining to do!

-EJ

Ozzie if you need your "productivity" increased, there are better solutions than a cell phone!

[2535Miles]

Nothing is worse than talking to someone and hearing a "flush" on the other end of the line.

I take that back: the only thing worse is when you are in one stall and someone in the adjacent stall starts talking to you.* This is legitimate grounds for physical attack.

The "Regular Guys," which used to be a good morning radio show in Atlanta, would mic someone up just for this particular prank. The audio was hilarious!

(*Since I just ate, I am purposely not thinking about or addressing getting Larry Craig-ed.)

Long before the days of software development my buddy and I ran a small office for an Apple VAR in Charlotte. The bad thing about the job was that we not only served corporate clients, but we also had to take care of consumers as well. We picked up a nightmare of a costumer one month, an old Apple user wanting to upgrade to one of the new fancy iMacs.

She would call us daily to complain about the new OS, or why she couldn't open older files. Anywho, we had a rule: take turns taking her calls. It was Chris's turn one day and after being on the phone for about 20 minutes I noticed he got dead quiet, I look over at him and his face is ghost white. He puts his mouth over the receiver and whispers "I just heard a few splashes", a few seconds go by and then he says "Yep, toilet just flushed."

We probably make about $8 off the sale then split it two ways. Hardest $4 that guy ever earned.

[Cavlaw]

Sounds like some of you guys need to eat more roughage.

[Turk]

I voted under other circumstances - a cell phone call from the bathroom has been used to be rescued from a really bad blind date.

Just a normal everyday conversation should not be carried on in the bathroom and never a business call. I think it is weird to see someone in an office building go into the restroom carrying a section of the newspaper.

I'm shocked, shocked, that such deception would occur on a blind date!! No one on DBR would stoop to such underhanded tactics!!

But one of the many ways the internet is killing newspapers is the ability to print off one's reading material off the web using nice corporate printers. Am I on my way to that dreadfully boring review meeting with McFly in Quality Assurance, or am I on my way to the loo to catch up with today's exciting DBR linkage in peace and quiet? Who knows, maybe I'm planning to do both...

Over the past few years, I've noticed one thing about newspapers and restrooms: if I was more of a money guy, I would short the stock of any company in which I found a newspaper in the stall. Pretty much every one was overstaffed, losing money, in serious need of new blood, or otherwise a lousy place to work due to some other combination of self-inflicted misery. "You'd like me to invest in your company? Nah, never mind your SEC filings and accounting statements - I just want to check your bathrooms!" I bet Dilbert has already figured this out...