You CAN make VOIP calls on airplanes. Joy.

Cell phones are the bane of modern existence, especially if you commute via train in New York. And do people under 25 know what it's like to read a newspaper or do they have to chat with every person they have ever met all the time?

One strategy for dealing with obnoxious people who talk unnecessarily on cell phones in crowded public places is to look around and find someone else who looks annoyed, and begin a conversation loud enough to make the cell-phone users conversation impossible. It's not hard to find cooperative co-conspirators, and when it's over, everyone can have some peace. (Of course, make sure that the cell-phone user isn't getting a call about a sick child or dead relative, first, i.e. that the call really IS inconsiderate and self-indulgent.)
Oh, and lay off the drivers who use their cell phones. First, cell phones rank way below fishing around for something in the car or eating as driving dangers. Also, the risk is subject to an individual's ability to manage his or her attentional functions and to assess other factors like fatigue, etc. Some people shouldn't even have radios in their cars, but others manage their attention far better. The importance of cultivating good attentional and cognitive habits doesn't occur to most people, but it can make a huge difference in matters like this.

How are you going to die strangling someone else?

Until the airlines start blocking or charging for such data usage.

I love the wit and sarcasm in this article. It cracks me up and makes me want to continue reading.

I hope that when the airlines finally allow it in the USA (Europe has in flight cell phone calling for over 2-3 years now) that they make passengers go to the rear of the plane in a designated cell phone area, maybe one at a time, so as not to disturb other passengers. I heard that 90% of all cell phone traffic is teenage girls. OMG, I can imagine having to sit next to one of these chatter boxes for a 5 hour flight! Ouch!

Jammers are widely available for around $200 and block about a 10 meter radius. The phones imply say no signal. The jammers are small (pack of playing cards) and can be put in a briefcase unobtrusively. I think many frequent flyers will buy one as soon as onboard calls are available!

Banning cellphone use in crowed areas is like trying to train ants. Human basic instincts consists of self serving behaviors. Since consideration of others is not among these basic instincts and education and training is among our lowest priorities, we'll be swatting at ants for quite some time.

Get. Over. It.

If there is enough demand for it, the airlines will take to banning phone calls on certain flights, or in certain sections.

This is much better than allowing the government (FAA and FCC) to arbitrarily restrict cell access under the guise of security.

I wish there were no talking whatsoever on flights. At least then I wouldn't have to hear some windbag complain about xyz to his neighbor - which is just as annoying as having someone do it on their cell phone.

This ought to do a lot for sales of noise reduction head phones...

Newspapers are lame. Put all the read-ables on the internet so I can get it with my smartphone. New York Times, put that on the web. I already read news on the go. Get a smartphone and be happy. Now about those talkers, I also don't like when people broadcast their entire lives at me because I don't want to hear their business.

The phone police looking for a solution, where there is no problem. I personally find pointless TSA recorded announcements in the terminal far more annoying. How about crying babies? Are you going to ban them too?

Have Congress change the law so that people can use there cell phones on the airplanes.