Post #293998
2026-02-14 17:06 UTC
Replies (31)
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@lopta@mastodon.social 2026-02-14 17:12
@EdCates The new temporary man does that in our corner of the Coughatorium (large open-plan office). :-(
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@ramiro@xoxo.zone 2026-02-14 17:22
@EdCates I actually love this but I’m very chismoso and will occasionally join their conversations if I need additional details
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@milesizdead@mementomori.social 2026-02-14 18:02
@EdCates @Em0nM4stodon I was curious about the same thing, but then I realized that two people talking to each other in public make the same sound.
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@viralobscurity@mstdn.social 2026-02-14 18:02
@EdCates these are same people that put the bottom of their phone horizontal to their ear and talk (on speaker phone) At what point did society collectively forget how to use a phone properly? This is one of the things that really annoys me
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@eedly@mindly.social 2026-02-14 18:20
@EdCates I have hearing aids, which *almost* work like a bluetooth headset: I have to hold the phone within about half a meter of my mouth, but I can speak in a conversational tone, and nobody can hear the other end of the conversation, so in the supermarket it generally looks like I'm clutching a holy object to my chest and talking to Jesus about whether we need eggs.
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@reay@beige.party 2026-02-14 18:28
@EdCates @APBBlue Someone walked into the liquor store where I work a couple of summers back, talking on speaker phone, and as he came in, he was saying, “… anyway, so I got some ointment for it.” 🤢
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@reay@beige.party 2026-02-14 18:29
@EdCates @APBBlue People also don’t seem to realize when you call someone through your car, the entire car becomes a resonating chamber and it’s REALLY easy for casual passersby to hear at least the other side of the call.
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@crazyeddie@mastodon.social 2026-02-14 18:59
@EdCates I got the same question for people walking next to each other who don't whisper into each others' ears and instead just verbalize out loud for any busybody to get involved in. Actually, I got better shit to worry about thankfully.
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@Eh__tweet@mastodon.uno 2026-02-14 19:07
@EdCates People are now listening to audio guides in museums using their phone speakers. In. Museums. In. A. Fu***ng. Museum!
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@gsuberland@chaos.social 2026-02-14 19:28
@EdCates The Kardashians have so much to answer for on this front. at least on their show they were doing it for practical filming reasons, but it popularised it and it's SO obnoxious.
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@liamdv4@mastodon.ie 2026-02-14 19:43
I blame The Apprentice
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@flxtr@social.tchncs.de 2026-02-14 19:56
@EdCates The funniest ones are those who turn the speaker down really low because otherwise everyone could hear them. And then they have to hold the bottom of the phone to their ear so they can hear anything. And when they want to say something again, they hold the phone up to their mouth like a sandwich. Every time, I want to shake them and explain that the phone has its own speaker for this discreet way of talking on the phone, which is so quiet that no one else can hear anything, and conveniently, it's on the other side of the phone so you don't have to keep moving the phone back and forth between your mouth and ear. It's as if the inventors of the telephone had something in mind when they designed it.
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@hrw@society.oftrolls.com 2026-02-14 20:01
@EdCates last time when I had such situation I replied to question asked by the other side. A woman holding phone looked weird at me and shout at me "how I dare to be so rude". I replied to her that speakerphone call in public transport is ruder... She went red, ended call and dropped at the next stop.
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@ArchaeoIain@archaeo.social 2026-02-14 20:01
@EdCates my temptation is to tell they they could use the phone.
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@drnoble@mastodon.scot 2026-02-14 20:20
@EdCates they think/wish they are important enough to be on a tv show where we need to hear both sides of the story
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@antiaall3s@chaos.social 2026-02-14 20:37
@EdCates I blame Steve Jobs.
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@everton137@social.vivaldi.net 2026-02-14 20:40
@EdCates sorry, they won't here it here. Likely there are on X, Facebook or TikTok.
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@JackMexa4@mastodon.social 2026-02-14 20:57
@EdCates No, please let them continue. Makes me think I have a social life.
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@cmccullough@polymaths.social 2026-02-14 21:36
@EdCates Yes, this!
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@tykling@mastodon.social 2026-02-14 21:40
@EdCates I will never forgive reality TV for causing this madness.
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@cjhearn@mastodonapp.uk 2026-02-14 22:06
@EdCates I put it down to people not having (or using much) a landline phone growing up.
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@InarticulateOtter@mastodon.social 2026-02-14 22:36
@EdCates there are many many things wrong with me, but the pertinent fact is that the phone hardware DOES NOT work, many phones are simply unable to make a normal phone call in the normal position. The receiver volume is too low to compete with urban noise. I can't hear them. The noise cancellation applied to the microphone also cancels the voice it's supposed to pickup. They can't hear me. Going to speaker phone alleviates both of these problems. BTW I fucking hate phones and phone calls.
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@ivyduncan88@mastodon.social 2026-02-14 22:51
@EdCates you're a really funny dude
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@joycebell@mas.to 2026-02-14 23:12
@EdCates There's a person who frequently does this in a small nature area where I like to hike. Drives me bonkers! 😡 Fortunately I can hear them coming, and I can switch trails.
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@csstrowbridge@mastodon.social 2026-02-14 23:59
@EdCates Tinnitus.
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@jrconlin@mindof.jrconlin.com 2026-02-15 00:05
@EdCates Wait, hold on, so you're saying we're not supposed to join in on the conversation?
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@dpiponi@mathstodon.xyz 2026-02-15 00:24
@EdCates You do know 30% of people are completely unaware that anyone else exists?
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@obscurestar@mastodon.social 2026-02-15 00:49
@EdCates@mastodon.social Sorry. No cell phone use will ever disturb me as much as a woman in the stall next to me at a public bathroom sexy talking her boyfriend and snapping photos with her phone (presumably snapping photos, not just playing the camera sounds, I didn't wait around to find out)
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@antiaall3s@chaos.social 2026-02-15 03:39
@EdCates@mastodon.social A while ago I had the idea to create a website where people can upload transcripts of such public phone calls. A repository of imposed banalities. But someone talked me out of it.
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@zimbobble@mstdn.social 2026-02-15 03:45
@EdCates@mastodon.social I normally agree with this, but 6 weeks ago I found myself next to a woman describing in great detail how her daughter had come off a seabiscuit and landed on the boat propellor - coming back into shore trying to hold her stomach together and ending up needing copious stitches. I'll be honest, I was rivetted. And what got me most was the line "no, not like last time with Mary* - they hadn't been drinking." We were like "last time"??? *name changed in case Mary is reading
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@boogiechild@dragonscave.space 2026-02-15 07:13
@EdCates@mastodon.social Ain't that the truth?