Pet Peeve Week: #1
Pet Peeve #1: Screen touchers
Let's say there was a rude cell phone user who doesn't open doors. And let's say he told me a story about a basketball player he met at the libary who scored the game-winning touchdown in the Stanley Cup finals. In spite of all his violations, he would not leave me as peeved as would the guy who puts his greasy finger on my computer screen. There is no need for anyone to ever touch my computer screen.
I don't think it's malicious. And I'm not saying I get mad at people who do it. But I don't think people realize, it hurts me when they do it. It hurts. I do a fair amount of design-type work, where I'm asking for people's opinions on stuff that's on my screen. I say, "Hey, what do you think of those colors?" And he says, "I like the top part, but this part..." and I don't even hear words anymore, because all I see is his finger leaving his side and approaching my screen. And inside, I'm saying, "For the love of god, man! Put your finger down!!" But the finger keeps going. Then I'm like, "Gah!! There are only three parts to what I'm showing you, why do you even need to point? Just use words!!" All the while, the finger is getting closer. Then the finger stops, barely an inch from the screen. Relieved, I start paying attention to him again.
"...but if you swapped this color with that one..." and before I know it, his finger has made contact with my screen, and is [gasp] dragging from one spot to another. It doesn't matter what I was doing on the computer, it's over. From the moment contact was made, all I saw was a smudge mark on my screen.
And this isn't like hearing "libary," which only happens once in a while. This happens all the time. Several times per week. Each time, I want to sit the person down and say, "What's the matter with you? You wouldn't press your finger on someone else's glasses, would you?" But I don't, because I haven't yet prepared a good response in the event that someone answers "yes."
Please. Pretty please, with sugar on top. Point, don't touch.
5. Incorrect sports terminology
4. People who don't hold doors
3. "Libary"
2. People who answer their cell phones when they're busy
1. Screen touchers
Comments
Velvet Verbosity said:
Oh man. I can so relate. I have two teens and they CONSTANTLY touch the screen to show me things. Sometimes they even reach over my shoulder to do it. But because I gave birth to them, I get to say, "Please, do NOT touch the screen. Not if you want to have fingers on your future wedding day."
No Cool Story said:
I HATE THAT!
I hate it so much I yell! I yell Omar and I don't care who listens to me...actually no ones listens because I'm yelling inside and no one cares. And then I cry inside tears of frustration.
And it's adults doing it. UGH! Screen touchers >:(
Jon said:
I just double checked both my screens to make sure. I have no such smudge marks on my screen. I can't stand it either. I can't stand to see that faint rainbow from all the oil they leave behind. Drives me nuts. The only thing that trumps that is to see people's disgusting cell phones that they've been holding up to their face, completely covered in face oil. If that makes me crazy, then so be it.
Carol said:
I'm with you too! I would hate that if it happened much to me. Fortunately this isn't a huge problem in the type of work I do.
What does make me cringe is when the teenager borrows my laptop and eats food over it. She borrowed it once and the keys started sticking. She no longer is allowed to use my laptop... she will have to deal with her crappy hand-me-down laptop from now on!
Rhonda said:
I feel your pain. but my two year old is the biggest/only culprint in my home. And it's not just my laptop (which I can't seem to put high enough to escape her dirty little fingers)...she also violates the TV and all the mirrors in the house.
Becky said:
yeah, that's pretty sucky. like war. and hangnails. that's how I gauge sucky- I compare the problem to war and hangnails
petunias?
cadiz12 said:
omar, for the sake of your sanity, stay as FAR AWAY as possible from the touchscreen videogames they have started to install in McDonalds seating areas in the Mobile, AL, area.
just trust me on that one.
Lanna Lee Maheux-Quinn
said:
I just cleaned my screen, just for you. Because, when I read your post, I realized that my screen was pretty scuzzy.
aubrey said:
ya, my husband hates that. so..what about if someone were to touch it with a pen? is that okay?
Sarah said:
OMG - I couldn't agree more. I used to yell at a student assistant all the time for that. Can't. Stand. It.
Lia said:
Wow. I hate all five of those, if you allow generalization from sports to any specialized field in #5.
I will never get my blackberry screen clean again, and it makes me sad every day.
Syar said:
I air-gesture. Meaning no contact with the screen whatsoever.
Should I start a rehabilitation group for all these full-on-contact-touchers? Turn the FOCT's into AG's.
Tori :) said:
Perhaps you could provide a pointer stick next to your computer?