On poser phones

On poser phones

Further to Mr. John R. Kerr's letter in The Jakarta Post
(March 26) on what he aptly called "poser phones", I think these
objects can indeed be a nuisance. Ostentatious use of such phones
in public places is tantamount to disturbing order.

I know somebody who liked to walk into his front yard while
clutching a hand phone. I do not understand why he had to raise
his voice while talking into his cellular phone. Apparently he
was in the act of transacting business and he wanted his
neighbors to hear him clearly within a radius of 30 meters. He
has been quiet for some time now. I do not know whether there
have been no business deals or whether he has become somewhat
considerate and more civilized.

The highest frequency of disturbance from cellular phone users
takes place in restaurants, as was Mr. Kerr's experience. It
seems strange to me because a restaurant is a place where one
restores oneself by having a meal in some quietness; it is not a
stage for high-pitched monologs to the annoyance of other
visitors.

Mr. Zatni Arbi, The Jakarta Post's computer columnist,
recently wrote in an article about a person who was washing his
hands while bent over a washstand in a restaurant with a hand
phone protruding from his back pocket like a mast. This modern
man did not feel the need to close the tap properly! This was
really a giveaway.

S. HARMONO

Jakarta