Not to put too fine a point on it, but the announcement at opening over the PA system did not actually say that cell phones were permitted, and it did not say that the rule has been rescinded.
What the announcement said was that the no-cell-phone-rule would not be enforced. Small point perhaps, or perhaps not. It means that the rule is still on the books, but not being enforced for this meet at the discretion of ED.
Sure enough, a half hour into the day, there was some klutz standing in the middle of an aisle in the silver hall, yelling loudly into his cell phone and completely oblivious to the row of people piling up trying to get by him. Clueless. I don't have a position one way or the other on cell phones in the halls, but you gotta laugh.
The self-apponted hall monitors seem to have moved on to fanatical enforcement of the yellow arrow direction; I have never seen so many people yelling at other people to follow the arrows. Gotta yell at people for something i guess.
Enjoy the show.
