On Bluetooth Headsets
Let me say first though that I understand bluetooth headsets have a purpose. Some professions certainly require folks to be on their phone a lot, and some require folks to be on their phone a lot while using their hands for other tasks. Our IT guy at work wears his bluetooth headset on a regular basis around the office, and this is understandable. He often needs to be on the phone while working on a computer and/or moving back and forth between workstations. This is not what I'm talking about.
I'm talking about wearing a bluetooth while you're ordering a muchaco from your favorite nutrition-factory Taco Bueno. This is rude and makes you look technologically ignorant.
It's rude because a bluetooth headset on your ear is the technological and social equivalent of holding a phone to your ear. When conversing with another person in the flesh while wearing a bluetooth headset you are essentially broadcasting to that other person, "I could very possibly be receiving a phone call at any moment from anybody and regardless of the person who calls or their reason for calling it will be more important than the conversation I am having with you right now." And that is rude. If you absolutely must be wearing your bluetooth while you converse with someone standing next to you, you should politely affirm them that they have your attention. A simple gesture to the headset and an, "I'm not on the phone right now" will do. They might ask if you're expecting a call in which case you can respond "not really, but this thing is too awkward to put in my pocket" which is probably true. This is because bluetooth headsets are a neat idea, but fail in practical application.
The first time any of us considered the concept of a bluetooth headset I'm sure we all had the same thought, that eventually we would all wear one and we would be in the future, sans flying cars. We could all make and receive phone calls with absolute convenience and the world would be a better place! At one time the world believed travel by balloon would be the future, so much so that buildings were constructed with blimp anchor towers.
But this concept was quickly eclipsed by a far faster, efficient, and superior technology, the airplane. Your bluetooth has been eclipsed by a far faster, efficient, and superior technology, the internet. Voice calling has quickly become the minority communication media across long distance. When you need to communicate a thought or idea then a text message, e-mail, facebook message, or tweet can do a far better job than a phone call. The defense is weak that a phone call is more intimate and a truer connection to that person since you can hear their voice. If you actually believed this you wouldn't use your bluetooth to make a phone call because all but the most prohibitively expensive headsets produce abysmal call quality.
Just as there's a place for bluetooth headsets, there is also a place for phone calls. Genuine conversation is difficult through text-based media so if you want to spin a yarn with a good friend then a phone call is absolutely the best way to do it. Also, if you want to take in the beauty of your countryside from the sky, a balloon is the absolute best for that as well.
