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London Caters to Morons
Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2008 5:40 am
by Tsukiyumi
Source
Padded Lampposts Tested in London to Prevent Cell Phone Texting Injuries
Friday, March 07, 2008
People who have been injured while walking and texting on their cell phones may be in luck.
A London street is experimenting with padded lampposts to protect those not paying attention from banging into them, ITN reports.
A study conducted by 118 118, a phone directory service, found that one in 10 people has been hurt while focusing on their cell phone instead of where they were walking, ITN reports.
The test lampposts will be given a trial run in London's East End on Brick Lane. If the trial is successful it will be rolled out in Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool.
The survey found that almost two thirds of respondents lost peripheral vision while texting, and more than a quarter wanted lines on the pavement to create routes for texters to walk while using their phones.
The study claims that 68,000 people were injured in the U.K. last year while chatting or texting on their cell phone, Infomatics reports.
118 118 will provide the padding, and in return will be allowed to advertise on them.
While I'm certainly not suggesting that I know better than you Brits, shouldn't you just encourage people to pay more attention, rather than spend tax dollars on something to protect idiots from themselves?
Were it my call, I'd probably put blunt spikes on them so it hurts even more.
Re: London Caters to Morons
Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2008 6:02 am
by Lazar
Europe has been years ahead of the US in texting - back in 2003, people were writing articles trying to explain why Americans don't text. Maybe in five years we'll be crashing into stuff too.
Re: London Caters to Morons
Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2008 7:52 am
by Tsukiyumi
The only reasonable justification for texts I've ever seen at all is the usefulness for sending messages in quiet places (like the movies, or church). When friends start texting people around me, I consider it rude, like whispering. At least have the damn courtesy to excuse yourself from the room to have your covert conversation.
I mean, it takes only a second or two to speak a paragraph; it takes way more time and concentration to text the same. So why not just talk?
Re: London Caters to Morons
Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2008 9:54 pm
by stitch626
experimenting with padded lampposts to protect those not paying attention from banging into them
And, Tsu. It only takes my brother a few seconds to text a paragraphs worth of information. And he can usually do it discreetly. Of course, he also enjoys texting me when I am in the same room.
Re: London Caters to Morons
Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2008 10:02 pm
by Aaron
Tsukiyumi wrote:The only reasonable justification for texts I've ever seen at all is the usefulness for sending messages in quiet places (like the movies, or church). When friends start texting people around me, I consider it rude, like whispering. At least have the damn courtesy to excuse yourself from the room to have your covert conversation.
I mean, it takes only a second or two to speak a paragraph; it takes way more time and concentration to text the same. So why not just talk?
Because people think it's impolite to hear me describe what I'm going to do to Mrs. K while I'm standing in the pharmacy. Wierdos...
Re: London Caters to Morons
Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 8:51 am
by Tsukiyumi
Cpl Kendall wrote:...Because people think it's impolite to hear me describe what I'm going to do to Mrs. K while I'm standing in the pharmacy. Wierdos...
See, that's a bit different.
I mean if a friend and I are talking, and they interrupt with, "hold on a minute" and start texting. Or reading a text and laughing, only to say "oh, nothing" when I ask what's so funny. And, so forth.
Re: London Caters to Morons
Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 10:06 am
by Aaron
Tsukiyumi wrote:
See, that's a bit different.
That's pretty much all I use it for.
I mean if a friend and I are talking, and they interrupt with, "hold on a minute" and start texting. Or reading a text and laughing, only to say "oh, nothing" when I ask what's so funny. And, so forth.
Oh I agree. My wife has a friend who won't use her phone for anything but texting, it's quite irritating.
Re: London Caters to Morons
Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 2:54 pm
by Sionnach Glic
I say they get rid of the padding, and replace them with metal spikes. Natural selection is back with a vengance.
Re: London Caters to Morons
Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 6:13 pm
by Mark
Are you pulling a fast one Tsu?
Re: London Caters to Morons
Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 8:37 pm
by Mikey
Tsukiyumi wrote:I mean if a friend and I are talking, and they interrupt with, "hold on a minute" and start texting. Or reading a text and laughing, only to say "oh, nothing" when I ask what's so funny. And, so forth.
That's really no different than if they interrupted your conversation to have a spoken conversation on the phone. I'd say the same rules of etiquette apply. I text when I want to deliver a message but the recipient may be unable to take a call.
With the varying schedules between me, my wife, my friends, etc., I text a bit. However, the concept always seemed very self-evident to me of "stop walking when you are unable to watch where you are going."
Re: London Caters to Morons
Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 5:56 am
by Captain Picard's Hair
I get an image of someone standing at a podium texting a speech to an audience or a teacher teaching via text. It's just an odd thought that comes to me when I consider the popularity of texting.
(Yet as I type this, Firefox underlines "texting" in red as a misspelling)
------------------
Speaking of texting,
this editorial in the Times brings to light some alarming facts about the economics of texting.
Re: London Caters to Morons
Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 6:20 am
by Tsukiyumi
Captain Picard's Hair wrote:...as I type this, Firefox underlines "texting" in red as a misspelling...
As it should be.