Typers, Texters and Tappers

A lot of people tend to be on some sort of electronic device on their journey into London. Personally I'm often on my phone these days, writing these little musings on the often idiotic nature of mankind. But my electronic habits have the plus side of being silent, if I want to listen to anything I have my headphones on and unlike a large proportion of the commuting population I actually understand that I don't need to musically rape my eardrums in order to enjoy my music, nor do I feel the need to impose my musical tastes on others. There are however also some far less vocally lacking electronical habits often on display.

The typers are the ones who the second they sit down on the train haul their laptops out of their bags and sit there typing away on some email, presentation or you never know, maybe they're blogging! Regardless of what opinions they are determined on capturing they all seem to be somewhat stressed as the keys all get one hell of a hammering! The sound of someone slowly trying to annihilate their portable computer is a low but steady drumbeat which goes from amusing to annoying to downright infuriating, but it's not exactly something you can request they cease, after all I doubt they're doing it on purpose.

The texters however do have a little more to answer for in my book. If you want to carry on a private texting conversation on your journey that is entirely your right, but please realise that until you turn your phone onto silent that little chime that let's you know someone wants to talk to you is actually, to the rest of us, a jarring regular removal of concentration from whatever we're entertaining ourselves with during this enforced period of boredom. To find out how annoying this is go home and set your oh so funny text tone of "la la la la la, I've got a teeeext" to go off every thirty seconds and see how long it takes for you to want to catapult your own mobile out of your living room window!

And then there's the tappers, those people who're doing something on their phone steadily for half an hour or so but haven't worked out (or don't want to work out) how to switch off their keyboard clicks so every push of a button is punctuated by a little clicking noise. The only clicking noise I find interesting is the noise made by dolphins trying to communicate, the noises you're making make me yearn for the day of non commuter friendly tuna...!