Nowadays，a cell phone service is available to everyone，everywhere．Probably thousands of people have already been using it，but I just discovered it，so I'm going to claim it and also name it：Fake Foning．

The technology has been working well for me at the office，but there are unlimited applications，actually in any public space．

Say you work at a big university with lots of talky workmates buzzing about．Now，say you need to use the restroom．The trip down the hall will take approximately one hour，because a person can't walk into those talky people without getting pulled aside for a question，a bit of gossip，a new read on a certain line of Paradise Lost．

So just pick a cell phone up．Don't dial．Just hold that phone to your face and start talking．Walk confidently down the hall engaged in fake conversation，making sure to tailor both the topic and content to the person standing before you whom you are trying to avoid．

For standard colleague avoidance，I suggest fake chatting about fake business：

"Yes，I'm glad you called，because we really need to hammer out the details．What's that？Yes，I read Page 12，but if you look at the bottom of 4，I think you can see the problem begins right there．"

Be engaged in your fake fone conversation．Make eye contact with the people passing，nod to them，gesture keen interest in talking to them at a later time，point to your phone，shrug and move on．

There was one important caution about fake foning．The other day I was fake foning my way past a colleague，and he was actually following me to get my attention．I knew he wanted to ask about a project I had not yet finished．I was trying to buy myself some time，so I continued fake foning with my doctor．"So I don't need the operation？Oh，doctor，that is the best news．"

And then：Brrrrrrng!Brrrrrmg!Brrrrrmg!My phone started ringing，right there while it was planted on my face．My colleague looked at me，and I looked at him，and