The personal bubble has burst. The line between your space and everyone else's is now a beeping, ringing blur. Here's how to make sure your presence isn't a public nuisance.
Glaring Screen
Whipping out your cell for a quick time-check in a movie theater is no big deal, right? Problem is, mobile screens have gotten really bright, ranging from 40 to 100 lumens. They can be spotted up to a football field away and are distracting at 50 feet or less. Want to know the time? Go to the lobby. Or buy a watch and squint.
Blaring Ringtone
You've taken the trouble to select the perfect ringtone (even paying a buck for it), so it's only fair you get to enjoy it. But even T-Pain might cringe at "Buy U a Drank" blasting from across the doctor's office waiting room. Keep it low in public. You can always crank up the fun when you get home.
Gamer Pits
Six hours straight of Fight Night Round 4 burns about 650 calories, roughly the same as an hour of jogging. But in the game room, the clearance between players can be less than a foot—which means your sweaty pits could be sucker-punching someone's olfactory zone. Unless making your opponent's eyes water is part of your strategy, hit Pause every two hours and freshen up.
Leaky Earbuds
Most of us use the standard-issue earphones that came with our MP3 players. What some of us don't realize is that when you pump up the jams to 120 decibels (near maximum on an iPod), you're leaking your Poison to a captive audience up to 6 feet away. Keep your weakness for hair metal to yourself by cutting that volume in half.
Cell Yell
Mobile tech has seen vast improvements over the past decade. So why are we still shouting like it's 1999? The problem is the lack of audio feedback—when users can't hear their own words, they tend to raise their voice. But it's easy to avoid. Position your mobile parallel to your cheekbone and imagine you're having an intimate dinner conversation. Yes, they can hear you now—and we can't, thank you very much.
Bag Bulge
Your hipster messenger bag holds all your precious gear—and that is precisely the problem. In tight confines (like the subway at rush hour), a bulging pack slung over the shoulder is bound to whack someone in the chest (or worse), and that's unacceptable. Tuck your tote between your knees or rest it on top of your feet.
- Illustration: Jason Lee*
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