Saw the Yeah Yeah Yeahs in concert at the Warfield. Probably one of the more entertaining shows I’ve been to in a while, as much for the band as the audience. As soon as Karen O strutted on stage out came the cell phones, the audience was awash in their soft blue glow, taking pictures and texting. The girl next to me was texting her friend throughout the concert, “where are you?”, “wasn’t that cool?”, “I’m so drunk.”
I tried to take a picture but considering I was in the next to last row my little Sony Ericsson camera couldn’t even get decent shot. I’m pretty sure most people were in the same boat but that didn’t stop them.
I realized then that keeping cell phones out of anywhere including libraries is impossible. They’re everywhere. It’s too bad that libraries haven’t figured out a good way to regulate their use, short of constantly “shushing” every infraction. I find it harder and harder to manage their use especially when people are chatting nearby. Ringers are a whole different story. Libraries should turn the quiet areas into faraday cages and call it a day.