Comments on: A Crash Course in Manners

By: Martyn Davies

Martyn Davies — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:31:04 +0000

I was on the Eurostar from Paris a while back, where an HR manager decided to kill some “dead time” by phoning a colleague and talking most of the way to the tunnel. She was amazingly indiscreet and blabbed all kinds of information about the candidates she had just been interviewing, and why they were unsuitable for the job. It was annoying for the other passengers to listen to her braying on for hours, and it put in to clear focus for me something that I prefer about flying, i.e. that thankfully mobile phones are not allowed. Long may it continue.

By: cyclist

cyclist — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:23:30 +0000

Not all transport companies are quite that savvy about their choice of films: I was once on a cross-channel ferry which showed Das Boot!

By: Ben Smith

Ben Smith — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 09:02:42 +0000

@Dan: Whilst I agree with the sentiment I’m not sure a purely financial dis-incentive would work… With respect to the more well-healed readers, that presumes those with more disposable income or a good expense account are less likely to shout annoying drivel into a phone in a an enclosed public place for extended periods. This is not the case in my experience.

By: James Whatley

James Whatley — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 20:06:21 +0000

In regards to the Tubes – I’m sure I read something ages ago that said they were going to put signal on the platforms but not on the actual tubes.

That I think I could just about to live with.

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 21:19:24 +0000

I will not fly with an airline that allows this. Simple. We collectively can and will knobble this by voting with our ca�h. A classic example of ‘just because you can, does that mean you should?’

Airlines have hardons for GSM on Aircraft (GSMoA) because some twonk told them there’s $700M p.a. in revenue up for grabs. Hence why colleagues and I have had to sit through GSM standards meetings to work out a way to do this without turning planes into 1000kph aerial network jammers. It can be done. Technically it works. But so does Myxamatosis, tower blocks and the Crazy Frog.

By: Steve Procter

Steve Procter — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 18:10:46 +0000

So if having mobiles on planes and tubes is a bad idea, then who in their right mind thinks it’s a good idea to let chavs sing karaoke style songs down their phone line and then install it on their/friends mobiles as a screech-a-ringtone. Good grief, that has to be the most hideous and audibly awful idea since some elbow thought it would be a good idea for us to listen to demented screaming frogs all around us as we sat on the train contemplating life the universe and everything. I truly hope that the Minister for Works & Pensions rants on about it and has it banned; well he’s more or less killed premium sms today with his rants, so surely banning ScreechaTone will be easy for a Minister with nothing better to do.

aahhh, that feels better have a good weekend one and all…

steve

By: Dan Lane

Dan Lane — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 16:51:50 +0000

I’m all for cellular networks on the tube but I agree that it’s annoying having to hear some idiot talk loudly about every aspect of their inane worthless existence… I wonder what the rules are regarding licensed spectrum in an isolated environment (ie: underground or inside a faraday cage)…. could LUL setup their own network and rake in roaming agreements with the MNOs?… I can just see it now “I can’t talk for long, I’m roaming on the tube and it’s costing me �1.50 a minute”… it’d discourage idle chit chat while ensuring essential conversations are possible.