Have you noticed when walking into restaurants, that some kids, and even parents/adults never seem to look up from the glowing screen? Does it bother you that to talk to each other, some people have to unplug their earphones?

You can game or listen to music just about anywhere, but aren't there times or places where you've got to put it away or leave it a home? Are the kids who play video games out at the restaurants also playing games at the dinner table at home? Is it cool to take your MP3 player with you when visiting the grand parents?

Some of you no doubt think it's outright rude. You may get annoyed with your friends who are only half paying attention to you as they are twittering or texting, much less gaming. I witnessed a woman at the Taste of Texas with a group of eight who sat and played solitaire through the whole dinner. I don't know if she was bored, mad, or just not interested, but it certainly raised eyebrows.

Have you seen a parent and a child out to dinner where the child was plugged into their MP3 player and did it make you wonder what the dynamic was? In regards to children, it's a sensitive topic as anything relating to how people raise their kids will tend to be. I've heard the opinion that if it keeps the kids quiet and you can have a peaceful dinner, where's the harm? Counter to that I've also been told it's lazy parenting.

Families and individuals make their own choices on where and when is appropriate. Ubiquitous computing will just allow for more powerful devices that allow us to do more things anywhere we might be. It's interesting to explore how this might change the way we interact or our expectations of how we relate. It's a polarizing question that I believe people have strong opinions on. What do you think?