News US Senator thinks iPods can kill you

At my friends school a girl was hit by a freight train and killed. She was walking down the tracks listening to an iPod and wearing a white jacket in the snow so they couldn't see her at all. How, in the world, I'm not even going to start. Darwin was right. End of story.

 

So basically...

<ring...ring>

"Jack Thompson please"

"This is Jack Thompson"

"Hey Jack, you know that idea we had about banning anything with batteries? Well guess what, the senate loves it!"

"Oh? That's fantastic! Now let's get a bill passed to ban the internet!"

 

This to me is totaly and uterly ridiculas, i hope this bill doesnt pass, even though i dont live in the US, but it could find its way to blighty.

Sam

 

EDIT: Oops maybe now they'll ban hitting your head against a brick wall

Darwin's evolution theories haven't been applicable for humans for a while now. Modern Medicine, Health and Safety Bureaucrats and Idiot Proofing has pretty much killed the process.

How many "...can live a perfectly normal life now..." documentaries/news items etc. have you seen, a perfectly normal life means children and passing on genetic problems. On an individual level it's great but at big picture scale it's a timebomb. Racial hatred means that the gene pool isn't being stirred enough. Medicine etc means the mouldy bits aren't being scooped out of the gene pool.

There's nothing that can be done though Governments will bubble wrap their citizens and medicine will serve the many voices of individuals suffering genetic disease.

/rant might've gone slightly off topic

 

I agree that banning is stupid... however....

Most of us seem to agree that they get what they deserve... but what if you're the driver that injures or kills someone who just stepped in front of you cause they weren't paying attention? Besides having that guilt on you, you will probably also have both civil and criminal court to first prove that hitting the guy wasn't a criminial negligent act on your part... and then also defending yourself from the guy's family who can't believe that "johnny" could have caused his own injury/death by not paying attention and wants you to pay for it.

Is the answer to ban devices? No. Banning while crossing? Perhaps.... perhaps not. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

 

I work for a public works department in Oregon and every day I see people doing stupid things when on the phone in their car. Most red lights I see run are buy cell phone users or people fiddling with somthing in their lap. I even see people walk across busy highways with no thought to traffic, while they are talking on phones or listening to a music player.

Rather than ban how about hold those people accountable and negligent when in an accident. It might open the eyes of the public (hopeful wishing) and encourage people to think twice.

 

instead of making a law, why not put it on all the news channels?

sorry but i have to do this:
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA this guy is an idiot.

 

This is my view: I am an avid cyclist, I ride back and forth to work daily (30minutes each direction), and do about 4-5 hours worth of cycling on weekends just to keep in shape. Now, I've always worn headphones while riding, just to keep the boredom at bay. Without them, it just doesn't seem the same.

So anyway, I've been hit by three vehicles in the past few years. This is how it breaks down:

First time: going along the side of the road, in the correct direction, light changes in my favor, so I pull out into the intersection and get creamed by a vehicle making a left turn. Me and the bike were dragged/pushed about 3 feet sideways. Destroyed my bike, and did some minor damage to my ankles (not enough for me to really worry about it, as I completely crushed in the front quarter panel of the vehicle). Got the information, as they did stop, but never did anything about it, as I figured it was about equal damage (but the bystanders demanded I sue).

Second time: riding along the sidewalk of an extremely busy road (this is a MARKED cycle path), while hauling some bicycle components on my rack (was transporting a frame among other things to work to start on a project). Anyway, while riding slowly (as I didn't want to damage my load) I pull up to an alley entry way, where a car just decides to pull directly in front of me, and stop about five inches away from traffic moving 60kph+. To my left was a 36foot high cement wall. To my right was the traffic. So I slammed into the side of this persons car, as there was not enough time or space to stop (I had my breaks on max, but still couldn't stop fast enough). This time my bike (and thankfully my load) wasn't damaged, but I did smash the side mirror clean off with my fist as I ran into the vehicle (this is one of the reasons I wear such heavy leather gloves).

Third time (two days after the second time): riding along the same basic stretch of sidewalk, but about 15 blocks further west, hauling another bike frame on the side of my bike to work (selling). Stop at an intersection, wait for a vehicle to stop, and the driver waved me through the intersection. I get going, then this person literally drives into the side of my bike pushing my rear end over about a foot before I am noticed there. Biggest look of disgust I've ever seen on anybody in my life. Because, you know, it is obviously my fault that I got driven into while legally crossing an intersection, after being waved through by this same person. And no, I did not stop or slow down at any point while crossing. Frame I was hauling was bent so badly it was garbage, but the drivers vehicle was in good shape.



To sum it up:
2/3 were on cell phones (first two)
2/3 were female drivers (last two)
2/3 were in vans (first and third)
1/3 had music up very loud (could hear over my headphones; second time)
3/3 were entirely not my fault

Guess what? All three times I was wearing headphones, playing music loudly, and yet I knew they were there before they knew I was.

Maybe they should ban music in cars, as it is the same exact idea...

 

Everybody seems to think accidents only happen to other people, who must be morons anyway. They think in their arrogance they personally have some special skills. So they'll ignore the law (and common sense) and cause accidents, not only to themselves but to other people. Making it illegal is maybe OTT in this case (though plenty of places in the USA already have jaywalking laws) but education is certainly needed.

 

in which case will we see a ban to newspapers, talking to freinds and drinking/eating - on the streets?

ridiculous proposal, it doesnt even sound like you can be stopped o a bench or something and doing stuff.

 

The title is even more misleading then you think...

I am a Yank and registered here on Bit-Tech to assure all of Great Britten that we are not this screwed up, at least as a country.

"US Senator thinks iPods can kill you"

Well, he is a senator in the US, but he is not a US Senator. He is a New York State Senator. He can only create laws in New York state.

An yes, it is a stupid idea. There must be a couple of million iPods in NYC walking the streets every day. In my view, the only way to get people out and vote is for a law to get between the voter and his/her entertainment. This will surely end his legislative career.

The USA has a President, Senate and House of Representatives. States typically have a Governor, Senate and House of Representatives.

 

newest simpson tonight shows in 200 years iPod will rule mankind... lol

i thought thats funny....

 

That senator is now officially retarded! Talk about freedom. It sounds like an absurd rule in a dictatorship. It's your own choice, and people are independent enough to make it. What's gonna be illegal next? Maybe the senator owns a company that will provide the people to enforce that law