Something on my mind

Since most of you are scattered near other metropoli (such as Boston or Nashville) I was wondering if you're seeing the same thing I have: an increasing number of worn electronics.  We seem to be past the hand-held stage here in NYC -- I bet it's advertised as "hands-free," but I don't watch TV -- people walk by me on the street all the time just muttering to themselves, and only on second glance do I realize they are wearing a tiny cell phone clipped behind their ear.  Maybe it's just me, and maybe it's that I came here direct from the hills of Vermont, but it seems to have grown in popularity just in the year I've been here.

Another example, which happens about once a day, is someone coming up to the info desk at the bookstore acting all the world as if I shouldn't mind having a conversation with them while both of their ear plugs are in, wired to their iPodling or what have you, that is velcroed to their arm.  This is particularly disconcerting: I want to say, I'll talk to you, but for our brief interaction I'd like to know that I am a higher priority to you than whatever music you are piping directly into your brain.

Which sort of leads to my next qusetion (though this one is totally hypothetical): if on the Electronics Convenience scale we've gone from Household to Handheld to Ubiquitous Accessory, can Implanted be all that far off?  I get the distinct sense that if it was cheap, quick, and painless, a number of people would go for a cell phone receiver chip on the base of their eardrum and accompanying mike clipped subcutaneously to their larynx.  If and when this happens, you can be sure I'll let you know directly in one of my weird science posts (also soon to return, by the way).

Is this as widespread elsewhere?  Am I just a science fiction geek? Or is it really a little disturbing how easily we identify ourselves with machines?

Do tell.