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