DEAR MISS MANNERS: I’m curious what the etiquette is at a gathering when music is taking part in in a buddy’s residence on the voice-controlled system.
Is it OK for a visitor to talk on to the system to ask it to play a track?
GENTLE READER: Many people stay skeptical of producers’ claims that if solely we preserve paying for upgrades, tomorrow’s units will likely be smarter than the dimmest cat. Till that does occur — and the family units could make declare to being greater than objects — an excellent visitor waits for the host’s permission earlier than touching, or speaking to, the inanimate residents.
DEAR MISS MANNERS: My husband and I are in our 50s and personal a small enterprise, as now we have for our total grownup, post-college life.
We aren’t rich however have maintained our enterprise for a few years and find it irresistible, and we’re extremely educated and clever folks.
Now we have a nephew on my husband’s aspect of the household who’s in his mid-20s and profitable proper out of school, with a well-paying company job. Each time we see him, which isn’t actually because he lives throughout the nation, he turns the dialog to our enterprise, always giving unsolicited recommendation on how we might construct our enterprise and herald extra money.
Now we have by no means as soon as introduced up our enterprise round him. I can solely surmise that he has heard about a number of the monetary struggles we’ve endured from his mom, my husband’s sister, as I do know he has shared a few of this together with her.
I used to be raised to by no means focus on cash round others, and positively to not give recommendation to folks 30 years my elder. What’s a well mannered manner of letting him know we aren’t focused on his opinions on our enterprise?
GENTLE READER: The well mannered manner is to thank him whereas wanting like you aren’t fairly listening. The amusing manner is to thank him whereas sounding barely condescending.
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I’ve been employed for nearly 30 years as an administrator for an organization that owns and operates a number of retail facilities, house complexes and workplace buildings.
I write many letters to tenants, as I’m the principle, and typically the one, level of contact.
Figuring out {that a} tenant has misplaced their partner, when addressing future letters, ought to I tackle it to each Mr. and Mrs. or simply the surviving partner? I’ve addressed letters each methods and have offended folks for both together with, or excluding, the deceased partner.
GENTLE READER: One can sympathize with a widow’s or widower’s loss whereas nonetheless saying that, as a matter of each etiquette and logic, one doesn’t knowingly tackle a letter to somebody who’s deceased.
And, although you didn’t ask, Miss Manners will add two additional assertions with equal confidence.
First, there is no such thing as a breach of etiquette in addressing a letter to somebody who’s deceased if you had been unaware of that truth.
Second, the right reply to a surviving partner who tells you in any other case is, “I am so sorry for your loss. We will, of course, immediately correct our records.”
Please ship your inquiries to Miss Manners at her web site, www.missmanners.com; to her e-mail, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or by postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas Metropolis, MO 64106.
