Random Musings

If a person went into coma few years back and returned back to life now, he would think that Martians have invaded our earth!

OR a huge case of deafness has struck the people on our planet!

Yes, I am referring to the funny ear pieces and dangling wires hanging out of people’s ears nowadays.

Remember those times when such ear pieces and wires were associated with earing pieces, or devices that helped deaf persons to listen better? And now we have just so many people walking around with these pieces and wires, and talking on their mobile phones!

And then there are some with those funny looking Bluetooth wireless devices. Those that stick on the ear and appear like one of those fancy large sized ear jewellery that are in vogue nowadays. Hey how about if that Blue tooth device was shaped and designed a little better, with some nice stones or beads on it, and perhaps of golden or silver colour, and hey, it would disguise well as a piece of jewellery. Anyway, men often wear their ear jewellery on one ear only, so it will not appear to be out of place if its only on one ear!

Some funny and interesting anecdotes as a consequence of this present day ear wires connecting the cell phone:

– In year 2000, these ear pieces and wires were not quite common yet. In fact, I had not seen one or heard about one till the time I took a flight in the US, on one of the domestic airlines there. Interestingly, this airline had a few seats where passengers face each other – like 2 passengers in a row, and 2 others in a row across them, and facing each other. I got into one such seat, and the plane was yet to take off. And just then the person who had come and sat across of me, started talking. There was no one else around, and so I thought he is making some conversation with me. But there had been no introductions, no greetings, we had scarcely come and sat at our seats, so this conversation took me by surprise. And I looked at him and tried to make sense of what he had said. And I saw him continue talking. At that time, I noticed this wire hanging out of his ear, and thankfully, it hit me soon enough that he was talking on a small microphone. Later he took out his cell phone from the pocket, to switch it off, before the take off. That completed the set of explanations to me.

I was laughing inside of me, imagining how it would have been, had I tried to respond back to his initial ‘conversation’! Reminded me of the extremely funny “One black coffee, please…” advertisement of a mobile phone, long back. I don’t even remember what brand was being advertised, but the ad itself has stuck on in the head. Beautiful one, it was.

– The other interesting consequence of this wired ear pieces, has been to my singing. You ask, ‘What? Singing? How is that connected??’
Well, its like this. When I am driving and either on account of the radio or tape that is playing in the car, or just because I think of a song, I feel like singing along. But earlier, if I was driving alone, and having people look inside cars, especially at traffic lights, I hesitated to sing. What if people thought I was mad, moving my lips as if I am talking to myself? So I controlled myself. Now, thanks to the wire that hangs from my ears, as I drive, I am relaxed. If I sing out loudly in the car, and if anyone happens to be looking at me, they will only think that I am making conversation on my hands-free instrument. They will not think of me as crazy, and I can go ahead and keep singing!!

– And I have a question now. At parties and meetings where lot of people have these wires hanging out from their ears, I find many people keep receiving calls all the time. And my phone hardly rings. Is that bad? Do I have to feel that I am not wanted? Or do I feel better that work has been well organised and it can happen even in my absence? I need answers. I am feeling so insecure.. 😉

– The other day I got this salesman show me an MP3 player in a watch. And just as I was wondering whether it will have some wireless ear piece to go with it, he showed me this wire and earphones. The wire needed to go into the watch the ear phone to the ear. And just imagining how it would look, freaked me out. Its like when they take a convict from one place to another in a train or an airplane, they handcuff the person. And then when the policeman accompanying the guy needs to go to the rest room, he puts a chain on the handcuffs, and chains it with a lock, to something, so that the convict does not run away. This wire running from the wrist watch to the ear, and going swish-swash, back and forth, as you walk around, would seem something like that, wouldn’t it?

The new world and its new ways…!