CrackBerry: True Tales of BlackBerry Use and Abuse

159 Pages·2010·2.17 MB·English

by  Martin Trautschold

CrackBerry
True Tales of BlackBerry Use and Abuse
Kevin Michaluk,
Martin Trautschold
and
Gary Mazo
Apress
CrackBerry: True Tales of BlackBerry Use and Abuse
Copyright © 2010 by Kevin Michaluk, Martin Trautschold and Gary Mazo
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
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copyright owner and the publisher.
ISBN-13 (pbk): 978-1-4302-3180-6
ISBN-13 (electronic): 978-1-4302-3181-3
Printed and bound in the United States of America 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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Development Editor: James Markham
Editorial Board: Clay Andres, Steve Anglin, Mark Beckner, Ewan Buckingham, Gary
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iv
Contents at a
Glance
Contents v
Acknowledgments ix
The Authors' Stories x
Introduction xxi
Chapter 1: "I Can't Be Without It!" 1
Chapter 2: "Do I Worship My BlackBerry?" 23
Chapter 3: "Step Away from the BlackBerry" 33
Chapter 4: "BlackBerry Boo-Boos" 41
Chapter 5: "Am I a BlackBerry Abuser?" 49
Chapter 6: "OK, I Am a BlackBerry Abuser" 59
Chapter 7: "Ask Others for Help" 65
Chapter 8: "BlackBerry Bystanders" 73
Chapter 9: "Scooping BlackBerry Poop" 87
Chapter 10: "BlackBerry Etiquette" 95
Chapter 11: "Conscious Contact or Constant Contact?" 103
Chapter 12: "Typing the Talk and Walking the Walk" 111
Chapter 13: Our Final Thoughts 115
Appendix : CrackBerry Terms and Definitions 121
Index 127
v
Contents
Contents at a Glance iv
Acknowledgments ix
The Authors' Stories x
Gary's Story x
Kevin's Story xiv
Martin's Story xviii
Introduction xxi
The Responsible BlackBerry User xxiii
Phantom Vibrations xxiv
Early Days of the CrackBerry xxv
Benefits of BlackBerry Wireless Email xxvi
CrackBerry Terms Defined xxvii
Presidential BlackBerry Addiction xxviii
BlackBerry Addiction Avoidance Tips xxviii
The Path to a BlackBerry 12 Step Program xxix
Our 12-Step CrackBerry Addiction Program xxx
Chapter 1: "I Can't Be Without It!" 1
Must...Check...Messages Now! 3
An International Problem 3
The Roots of the Problem 4
We're Always Connected 4
Communication Feels Good 5
Can't Leave Home Without It 6
Checking Messages Makes Us Feel Important 7
vi
He Couldn't Be Without It 7
Why the BlackBerry is So Addictive 8
BlackBerry On Bike 9
Eat, Sleep, and Dream BlackBerry 10
Cannot Resist—Busted! 11
It's a One-Handed Device 11
Instant Communication 12
It Calls to You 12
Jet Ski and Fender Benders 13
The Clikety-Clack of the Keyboard 13
The Addiction 14
Vanessa's Story 14
BlackBerry During a Funeral 18
BlackBerry Caused Mercedes Crash 19
We Hit a Stopped Truck at 60 mph 20
Chapter 2: "Do I Worship My BlackBerry?" 23
Almost Hit by Bus for BlackBerry 25
Chapter 3: "Step Away from the BlackBerry" 33
Cannot Turn It Off 35
BlackBerry in Shower 37
The World Stops Without My BlackBerry 38
Fear of Losing My BlackBerry 39
Chapter 4: "BlackBerry Boo-Boos" 41
The BlackBerry Alphabetic Acrostic 42
BlackBerry Football Instead of Dancing with the Wife 44
Embarrassing Ringtone! 46
Taking a Moral Inventory of BlackBerry Abuses 48
Chapter 5: "Am I a BlackBerry Abuser?" 49
The BlackBerry Addiction Quiz 51
Assessing Your Addiction Quiz Results 53
Sneaking Away from Groups 54
vii
Cash Penalties for Use in a Meeting 55
Kevin's Comments on the Addiction Quiz 56
Martin's Comments on the Quiz 56
Musings of a BlackBerry Abuser 57
Dual Addiction 58
Chapter 6: "OK, I Am a BlackBerry Abuser" 59
The Work-Life Balance 61
Seeing the Light at the End of the Tunnel 61
Lakefront Cookout 62
Addiction by the Numbers 63
The Sheraton Hotel Study 63
Chapter 7: "Ask Others for Help" 65
An Exercise: What Should You Do? 67
Electronics Rehab Getaway 70
CrackBerry Massage and Spa 71
Massage for BlackBerry Thumb 71
Chapter 8: "BlackBerry Bystanders" 73
My 5-Year-Old Son 74
BlackBerry at Funeral 75
Concerned Bystanders 77
Quotes from Concerned Bystanders 77
Missed a Big Hit at Baseball 79
Berry vs. Boyfriend: Who Wins? 80
Frequent Flyer's Fiasco/Stand-by Hell 82
Kevin's Missing Curve 84
Exercise: List Your Own BlackBerry Bystanders 85
Chapter 9: "Scooping BlackBerry Poop" 87
Jam on My BlackBerry while at a Red Light 91
Use BlackBerry AutoText to Reply in Car 91
BlackBerry on Wheel, Typing Next to A Police Officer 92
He Stopped in mid-Story to Use His BlackBerry 93
viii
Exercise: Create a Checklist for Apologizing to Your BlackBerry Bystanders 94
Chapter 10: "BlackBerry Etiquette" 95
BlackBerry Abuse Interventions and Etiquette Rules 96
Achieve Balance with Interventions 97
Addiction Avoidance Tips 97
Top Ten BlackBerry Rules to Live By 99
Top 10 BlackBerry Productivity Myths Busted 100
Rationalizing Our BlackBerry Use 101
The Table Analogy 102
Chapter 11: "Conscious Contact or Constant Contact?" 103
Helping You Reflect on Your BlackBerry Addiction 108
Chapter 12: "Typing the Talk and Walking the Walk" 111
BlackBerry Addiction Avoidance Tips 113
Advice for Employers 113
Advice for Parents 113
Advice for All BlackBerry Users 113
Chapter 13: Our Final Thoughts 115
Gary's Final Thoughts 115
Kevin's Final Thoughts 116
Martin's Final Thoughts 117
Constant Effort 118
Appendix : CrackBerry Terms and Definitions 121
Index 127
ix
Acknowledgments
A book like this takes many people to put together. We would like to thank
Apress for believing in us and our unique style of writing.
We would like to thank our Editors, Jim and Laurin, and the entire editorial
team at Apress.
We would like to thank our families for their patience and support in allowing
us to pursue projects such as this one.
Lastly, we thank both the CrackBerry.com community members and the Made
Simple Learning customers who contributed stories to this book.
x
The Authors'
Stories
Before we begin in earnest with our 12-step program, we're going to take a few
pages to tell you our own stories of BlackBerry use and abuse. We suspect you
will probably recognize yourself in many of our stories; in so doing, you may
find that this book is the intervention you never knew you needed.
Gary's Story
I have been using my BlackBerry for the least amount of time (compared to
Martin and Kevin). I entered the BlackBerry world about four years ago. My
training was actually as a member of the clergy—I am an ordained Rabbi—but
my love of technology always seemed to permeate everything I did. I was known
for using my personal digital assistant PDA (i.e., handheld computer) at funerals
and weddings to help me remember my talking points. (Many services were
outside, so the computer helped me avoid using paper that might fly away in the
wind.) This worked great until they started adding phones to these PDAs. It
wasn't so great when I forgot to turn off my phone ringer, and the "Star Wars
Theme" rang out at graveside one day—much to the shocked stares of the
grieving.