I dislike cell phones. I do enjoy how they allow people to stay aurally connected just about anywhere, but I dislike them so much that I held off on purchasing one until a mere four years ago in 2002. They just seem too obtrusive (like my BlackBerry isn’t, right?). Regardless, I really liked what Paul Allen had to say on cell phones in his recent interview with Business Q: “I’ve had my phone on ‘vibrate’ for 10 years. I’ve never interrupted a meeting. Why can’t everyone one put their phones on vibrate?”

Amen to that. Just last week, Lindsey and I had some guests over for dinner. While eating, a cell phone rang and one of the guest answered it and began talking on the line during the meal. They didn’t even bother to excuse them self and take the call into another room. Now I know emergencies happen, but they can’t make up more than 1% of mobile calls.

Call me old-fashioned, but what’s the rush in answering cell phones? Are we really that important? And please, everyone put their phones on vibrate, and at the least, don’t answer them during dinner.