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At a theater recently, as the lights dimmed and the movie began, I was distracted by a flash of blue light.

Saw it out of the corner of my eye. A blink of bright blue. Hmm.

I focused on the screen. Things were starting to happen there, and I needed to pay attention, and there it went again. Flash of blue.

What the heck? Now, I'm completely distracted. I stare across the dark theater, waiting for the flash. There it is. A guy sitting on the aisle has one of those Bluetooth phone gizmos screwed into his ear. Every few seconds, its little blue light flashes.

Once I recognized the source, it was all I could see. The movie was forgotten.

Flash. Son of a gun. How does he not sense that the light's flashing, right there on the side of his head?

Flash. What about his wife, on the other side of him? Can't she see that her husband's creating a disturbance?

Flash. What kind of blinking moron goes into a movie, wearing one of those things?

Flash. Who needs a phone in a movie anyway? Unless he's a surgeon, on call for an emergency, he can manage without a phone. And if he is a surgeon expecting an emergency, what's he doing at the matinee?

Flash. Grrrr.

As I was weighing whether to just go ahead and kill him, his wife snapped to the problem and gave him a sharp elbow. The guy snatched the thing out of his ear and stuffed it in his shirt pocket, thereby forcing me to spare his life. I can only hope he missed a really important call.

Am I the only one who's sick of self-important gearheads walking around with gizmos in their ears as if they're characters in "Star Trek: The Cellular Generation"? Isn't it bad enough they treat the rest of us to their loud, inane conversations? Now they have to flash, too?

Hands-free phoning is a good idea if you're driving (though not talking on the phone while you're driving is an even better idea), but it's inappropriate in most other places.

The other day, I saw a young guy with a phone device in his ear at an outdoor concert. The music was so loud, you couldn't hear yourself think, much less carry on a telephone conversation. Plus, wasn't hearing the music the whole point of being there? If he wanted to talk on the phone, he could've stayed in his car, driving badly, like everyone else.

I suppose it's some kind of status symbol to be plugged in at all times. It makes the statement: I'm really important and must be in constant contact with my office because I have big international deals brewing and/or transplant surgery to perform.

But that's not the message I receive. I see a guy with electronic doodads in his ears and more gear on his belt than Batman, and I think: Here's a nerd who's addicted to all the latest toys. Someone who's so insecure, he has to show off his toys to everyone he meets.

The really cool/rich/important people don't go around with phones hanging off them like leashes. They have assistants who handle their communications. They have big deals brewing, sure, but on their terms and on their time. You don't call them; they call you.

They recognize that blue flashes are not a fashion statement unless you're a police car.

For sure, they're not wasting their afternoons in matinees like some of us.

Flash on that.