Ubiquitous Communication?

I’m in the Starbucks on the first floor of XinZhongGuan, and there is a girl at another table sitting alone reading a book.

Every once in a while she laughs and then says something. My first thought was, “that must be a good book”, but when she started talking more frequently, I started to think that she might be a little bit crazy. After a while, though, I noticed the headphones, and realized that she was talking on the phone. Yes, sitting in Starbucks, reading a book, and carrying on a passive phone conversation.

I wonder if this is the future.

Now we have ubiquitous communication through instant messaging when we’re at a computer, or SMS when we’re away from a computer with a cell phone. I wonder if in the future people that I approve will be able to speak directly into my ear without having to interact with a device.

I think this is probably less far off than most suspect.

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6 Comments

  1. Reminds me of a Mitch Hedberg bit. He says he doesn’t have a cell phone. He just hangs around all the people he knows all the time. If someone wants to get in touch with him, they just raise their voice a little and say, “Hey Mitch.”

  2. Reminds me to an Idea, which I had before:
    If you R psycotic, talking to “voices” AND be aware of that (namely, its “tinking”), then: buy a headset. Anyone will take you as talking via mobile 🙂

  3. Alas! I hear myself talking into my ear, with no device! and even when I haven’t given my brain approval to talk to me! I look forward to the day when we can have ‘meditation chips’ implanted to calm all the chatter that comes to us! Though, ‘looking forward to the day’ doesn’t match up with ‘meditation in the now’!

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