Complaint about using my Kindle - In the category of unbelievable stuff...
 

Today's entry is: Seated in my go-to seat on the MD or 737 - 1B. Early AM flight, so the cabin is dark. Reading my Kindle with the overhead light on, since the Kindle isn't backlit and you can't see it otherwise. I notice the woman in 2C touching my arm and trying to get my attention. "Can you turn that overhead light off? Your tablet is glaring at me."

Well, had I known that it was acting so rudely as to glare, I certainly would have reprimanded it for its incourteous behavior. But really - in the pantheon of things that other flyers inflict on you, I have to think this rates too low to mention. Sort of in the same category as hearing the buzz coming from the person next to you with ear buds in as their entertainment "leaks" out.

Like the person in 1A. There are some things you just ignore. Any other candidates?

Think of the sun reflecting off someone's car rear window into your eye while you're driving. I suspect it felt much the same to her in the darkened cabin.

If your overhead light reflected off the screen of your Kindle directly into my eye, I would also ask you politely to either move the device so it didn't do that, or turn off the light. Was she rude to you? If not, I don't see how her request was unreasonable.

^^ I would have to agree!

How about not looking in that direction? Wasn't like I was aiming it at her, and tracking her eyes. That angle represented about fifteen degrees of the 180 available in her field of view. It is nothing at all like driving down a road, where you HAVE to look at the road in front of you.

Ten minutes later, she was asleep.

Tablets with a mirror like finish (and even some that don't have that finish) will reflect the overhead light much more than you think.

I've been bothered by it from two rows away, on the other side of the aisle.

So yeah, it's a potential problem. And if you've got your tablet shining into my eyes with the bounced reflection from that light, I'm going to say something to you and to potentially the FA.

Now that you've been told, be a good person and be considerate.

Agreed.

+1

This is not a DL specific subject so I am moving this thread over to TravelBuzz.

RSSrsvp - Moderator

And i will just keep using my Kindle. LOL!

Seriously I have never been bothered by anyone else's Kindle and find this amazing.

Of course NONE of you who complain have EVER done ANYTHING that might annoy another passenger... LOL! =

Since we're talking about it - that fabulous Rolex with the HUGE shiny face becomes a death ray in a sunny cabin. Randomly rendering the other side of plane blind.

I've been the unfortunate victim of this issue before... Sitting there doing my work and BAM blinded (literally) by the light.

Tapping nicely and not rudely asking about avoiding blinding me isn't rude.

I side with the woman. When my wife uses her Kindle or phone when I'm driving, it often produces a flash of light into my eyes when at the right angle. OP could have easily tilted the Kindle a bit away from her and the conflict is resolved.

In my experience, my Kindle doesn't "glare" as much as other tablets and e-readers, especially when using the lighted cover that is made for it: http://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Kindle-...0443329&sr=8-4

I'm kind of surprised by the bulk of the responses here, because on FT, the mantra seems to be that if you are bothered by something another passenger is doing, the problem is yours to solve.

For example, if someone is bothered by a loud conversation, they should wear earplugs. If someone is bothered by light streaming through a window, they should wear an eye mask.

Honest question: Why is this any different? If the woman wanted to sleep and/or was bothered by the reflection, shouldn't she have just turned the other way?

I use a Kindle reading light that clips onto the Kindle in consideration of others who needs the sleep.

The case on my Kindle has a built-in light. Just pull it out and it immediately illuminates the screen. Doesn't bother anyone. I read my Kindle in bed all the time with all lights out.

^^^
I have no problem reading my Kindle in bed with DW sleeping. I also have no problem sleeping with DW reading her Kindle.

You didn't mention if she was rude in the way she asked the question.
If something is honestly bothering someone, and that someone nicely asks you to make a slight adjustment to fix the situation, what is the problem?

I might be odd (well, I probably am, but I'm just not sure this is the best example of it;)) I didn't want to get a case with the built-in light because it pulls power from the kindle battery and I knew I'd be using it in areas where power is a concern (parts of Africa). So I read with my headlamp - my headlamp travels with me anyway and I can use it for other purposes. Hate to travel with just a uni-purpose item, right?

It's only a problem if someone asks me a question and I turn to look without turning off the light first:D

I can understand about conserving power. I have the case lamp which use the Kindle battery and a clip on led which uses one AAA.

I have used headlamp reading real books and yes when someone wants to talk to me and I forgot that I have the headlamp on (Petzl with the Xenon bulb) it was "We have ways of making you talk" time. :D

+1. I have had this happen on a few recent flights.

This is why I bring a set of eyeshades with me on flights. Should someone complain about light, I'll offer him/her the eyeshades (keep 'em, too!). So far no one has accepted. They just shut up. Everyone's happy. :)

It is amazing to me how some people feel we should do nothing but sit in our seats with our hands folded in our laps.

My story from hell was back in 2000, I was watching a DVD on a laptop. Had headphones on so the sound wouldnt bother anyone. Was watching a recently released MAJOR Sci-Fi motion picture at the time. Think it was rated PG or such. Some lady from behind me told me I couldnt continue watching it as she didnt allow her children to watch movies like that. Seems the little brats were peering at between seats or something. Told her "Sorry, but she needed to control her Rug-Rats better then." I had no intention of putting it away. This was a 3+ hour flight & I needed something to pass my time. Talk about the rude comments under the breath and the looks from hell I got from her. OH WELL, I try to be reasonable, but I will not put up with any requests or espically demands from people who have an ENTITLEMENT attitude.

Entitlement. That's another issue altogether, and one that you can probably see in detail under Omni/PR. :p

I went from Kindle to Nook Tablet. Since it's backlit, I have no issues about having to use an overhead or portable clip on light. I did, however have a person tell me that the glow from my Nook was disturbing them on an overnight from HNL to DEN.

I think it goes back to the old expression, "Your right to swing your fist ends at the point of my nose." Where do your rights end and your row-mate's rights begin, and VS VS. When I sleep, I put on a mask, and put in earplugs. This way if someone is watching a video or turning on lights, or making some noise, I'm a bit isolated. It's my responsibility to try and "share" this space with my co-passengers, and their responsibility to do the same.

Hang on, I know what she is talking about. The screen on the kindle catches the bright overhead and flashes someone sitting at the right angle. You don't see it from your angle. It IS annoying, and I am sure she knew you didn't intend it.

I agree with you. However, it's not rude for the women in the OP's story to polity ask if she could change the angle or dim her light.

Totally agree.
Are people here so incredibly fragile that they can't accept someone making a polite request?

I am not taking one side on the other on these issues, I just thought it was strange that in some cases (such as window shades being raised on a night flight), FTers expect the person who is bothered to solve the problem, yet in this case (reflection from a Kindle), the initial reponses expect the Kindle reader to solve the problem.

Just seems inconsistent to me. :confused:

Indeed. It's funny that someone mentioned the entitlement mentality when that's ultimately what this arguement boils down to on both sides of the coin. My entitlement to reflect the light off my tablet vs your entitlement to sleep.

I don't think anyone is out of line here though. The woman was well within her rights to ask you to adjust to the angle of your tablet and you were well within in your rights to be reading your tablet with the overhead on.

I really don't prescribe to the prevailing theory here on Flyertalk that, "I'm going to do whatever the hell I want to do on an airplane and you're just going to have to deal with it". A little understanding and courtesy goes a long way and that's not specific to this situation.

Having been in the same situation as your seatmate I would say - if she asked nicely why not just turn you kindle a few degrees in any direction? When the stars align and any kind of screen is reflecting in your face you aren't going to be able to sleep regardless of how you turn you head.

To stress again, I say this assuming the lady was nice and polite about her request. If so, I would see refusing to move your screen a bit as quite barbaric and rude on your part.

this would have been the easiest resolution to it. just tilt it in such a way where it wouldn't have glared into her eyes, and the OP still gets to read.

I don't think you can class her request as being unbelievable...if it was shining in her face. She was perfectly entitled to politely ask you to either stop reading it or change your reading angle to prevent the light from being reflected into her face.
OTOH if she was wanting to sleep then maybe she should have been carrying eye shades.

I have to admit to not being a Kindle user......I much prefer to read a paperback book instead.

I do find your attitude a bit puzzling. No one's being defensive, no one's saying they dot also bug people from time to time. All they're saying is that it is apparently annoying from time to time and that people should be considerate when asked politely to quit. I am really failing to see the problem here.

My thoughts exactly. The attitude generally is to blame the innocent passenger for being bothered when the culprit is doing something rude. In this case we have someone quietly reading and an apparently really sensitive woman behind, and yet now the OP is expected to be the one to change. :confused:

According to the story we have the woman did not ask the OP to angle the Kindle slightly in another direction. She asked for the light to be turned off and, therefore, for the OP to cease reading. No matter how politely it was phrased, this is an unreasonable request.

I just took my Kindle and shined a flashlight on it and angled it in many directions. It is at best a very mild glare not even in the same ballpark as the sun bouncing off a car, as some have tried to liken this to. If the cabin was extremely dark I can see it being a mild annoyance to which the woman should have looked another way or politely let the OP know so he could angle it slightly differently. She did neither.

I find your assumption that the woman was "really sensitive" to be ridiculous. Read up this thread, you'll see several posters admitting that the glare off of a Kindle screen can be bright enough to bother people.

You're assuming that the woman knew the Kindle could not be read without the overhead light and that in requesting the overhead be turned off she was actually telling the OP to stop reading. If you don't own a Kindle, and millions of people don't, you may have absolutely no idea how it works. Most of the e-readers that I've seen (I don't own one) seem to have enough light from an internal source to be legible without supplemental lighting, why assume she knew this one wasn't?

It is unlikely that your flashlight could replicate the intensity of the overhead light, and so your conclusions as to the brightness of the glare are suspect.

When glare is directed straight into your face, just turning your head is not very effective. The OP was causing a problem for another pax, and she asked for it to be resolved. There wasn't any mention of sitting kicking, hair pulling or any other extreme demands being made; I think she was perfectly reasonable to politely ask for a change.

I'm with the original poster. This complaint is so trivial it's ridiculous to bring up. I have a hard time seeing how anyone who is phased by such a minor thing could even function without being constantly paralyzed by annoyance.

I certainly would have said something if the glare was affecting me. Not an unreasonable request at all.

I don't have to assume. I set up a situation where I could experience it myself to KNOW she was "really sensitive". I've read the thread and posters have likened it to the blinding reflection of the sun off of a car. It was probably said out of ignorance but the comparison is way off.

I'm using my common sense to deduce that if someone is using a reading light it's most likely because they need it to read. :p

Apparently you've never owned a Surefire flashlight. Stare straight into one and then into an overhead airplane light and there will be no doubt as to which is stronger.

The only time the light created anymore than a mild annoyance was when I held it close to the Kindle. Unless the OP was standing and reading this would obviously have not been the case.

She would have been perfectly reasonable to ask for OP to angle it differently, not to turn off his light. I am a nervous flyer and reading a book that I was already into on my Kindle is one of the ways I cope. There would be no way I would turn off my light, and thus stop reading, for another passenger but I would have taken the necessary steps to make sure it wasn't glaring in her direction.

Good grief. What is the matter with people?

If you're creating an easily remedied condition that causes someone else discomfort, the considerate thing to do is to remedy it - not rant and rave about how "unreasonable" the other person is for being uncomfortable.

It is extraordinarily difficult to "just not look" in a particular direction for any length of time, particularly during a long flight. Much easier to move your Kindle a few millimeters to the left or right to eliminate the glare. Or, better yet, adjust the angle of the overhead light. Problem solved.

I have a really simple rule when I fly. It is: Don't be a jerk if I can help it. If I were unknowingly doing something that made someone else uncomfortable, I'd want to know so I could fix the situation.

"Are people here so incredibly fragile that they can't accept someone making a polite request?"

Just wondering if everyone who thinks the reader should change for the behind-the-seat complainer also would have no problem with putting their seats back more upright when I ask them nicely? Because it is making me so uncomfortable, and I asked so politely?
Or is that different?