Technobots

   Technology robots are taking over the world. Not the actual machines, which don't really think for themselves (Hal, take note: No offense intended.), but the humanoid types who superficially appear to be human but are so addicted to their do-everything mobile devices that they can't set them aside, pocket them or even (Heaven forbid!) shut them off long enough to share a pleasant conversation with another human.
   We're not calling for a return to crank-to-ring wall-mounted phones (Hello, Central? Get me Farmer Jones.) but a modicum of civility is in order.

   Restaurateurs are already complaining that diners (?) who check their email, voice mail, video, Twitter and Facebook feeds so often that a lingering dinner becomes a marathon and leads to gripes and walkouts from those waiting for a table. As with so many things, the result is a hit on the bottom line, as owners lose business and profits.
   What's the answer? Some establishments are banning mobile devices from their premises. However, that's not really a good answer. Courtesy is.
   There are still many folks around who remember the days B.C. (Before Cellphones) when they were blissfully incommunicado for an hour or so and would not dream of disturbing their table mates -- much less those at nearby tables -- with loud yammering of private matters in public places.

   Remember telephone booths? They were enclosed for privacy. Then came cellphones, and street corners and supermarket aisles became phone booths for those who were oblivious to the concept of privacy. In their minds, they were holding a private conversation. The fact that a dozen or so others some 30 feet away could hear the entire, often foul-mouthed discourse, did not register.
   That was the opening tirade, a carryover from the early notion that one had to speak louder on a long-distance call than during a table-top conversation. Since then, technobots -- people so addicted to technology that they become robots, an extension of the mobile device -- have proliferated, and the idea of courtesy has been overwhelmed.