It's not true - I've had no coffee today

[vicarz]

Wah! NPR bloggy finds that steampunk sucks!
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2010/10/28/130890944/did-steampunk-forget-the-meaning-of-the-word-dickensian
Similarly there is a link in there about how tolkien sucks. Hey - I like both but I also appreciate thinking things through and not whitewashing the past.

I was fighting a bout of depression, and found the cure! I highly recommend that instead of talking to therapists, entering counseling, or taking bigpharm drugs at great expense (which helps the democrats) that you engage in my 2 liquid diet: coffee and alcohol. In that order. I feel great!

I have the theme to the munsters running through my head.

Your fear of texting is a lie! You're living a lie!
I was watching the great classics (powerpuff girls) when the mayor is woken up and bursts "My life is a lie!" It made me think about texting. I'm not scared of texting, not really. Texting, email, porn on the internet is all feared by people who don't use the technology in question.
However, nobody seems to be scared of gps units.
I know when you start a gps unit, it has a don't-sue screen that says not to read it while driving. It's designed solely to be read while driving, but the "don't read while driving, ok?" button makes it harder to sue the manufacturer of the "map to read while driving" if you do so and crash. The silliness is a lie. The follow up problem is there is no reason for the lie - before gps units, and for me to this day, many people use written directions to get places! It's far more difficult to use written directions, yet because a gps is new they are subject to being sued even though they make getting places potentially safer.

Texting is potentially just as easy to do as using a gps. A gps puts up street names and distances, comparable to a stenence of 3-7 words. A text is often a short sentence, and before it was illegal to text, many people held their phone at the wheel where it could be in the line of sight of driving. I have a comparison non-tech gadget in your car that you all use with the same level of distraction - the rear view mirror. Also, while I can't do it as I rarely text, many seem able to text without looking at the keyboard at all. If you can text by pressing buttons without looking at them the way I type, why would that keep you from driving a car? Perhaps the volume of texting some people do, or like me the poor skill at which they do it behind the wheel (I don't but I don't text enough to be fluent) makes it a very bad idea - but we shouldn't have blanket laws based on old bitties fear of new technologies. I don't care if the reason for the crash is texting, reading a map (electronic or otherwise), or petting your cat - if you cause the wreck, you should be liable. These laws to make us "safe" are just the most offensive part of the nanny state and should be withdrawn in favor of more traditional laws, such as liability for accidents caused by failing to pay attention to the road.

I was told kids are fat today for a reason beyond neglectful parents and food - fear. I was told kids don't go out and play anymore for fear of being molested by creeps or killed by gangs (depends on the neighborhood I guess). I'd love to hear statistics about incidents of child molestation, to hear if truly today there are molesters assaulting children on every block usa - but I know that with awareness today such figures may be underreported in the past. Parents don't let the kids out...and I believe it. I used to play as a kid, run around unescorted all over miles of parkland by my house. Could I have been killed or just drowned myself? Sure, but that's just the risk of having kids? Would I let my kid run around today with all the scary news on the news? Do you realize that many parents have safe parties for kids on Halloween instead of letting them outside the house for fear of
Warning - snopes has popups that beat most blockers - a sad abuse of a good site
poison (disproven http://www.snopes.com/horrors/poison/halloween.asp)
and razors (kinda true http://www.snopes.com/horrors/mayhem/needles.asp) ?

I am in fear of fear.

Comments

[doc-quixote.livejournal.com]

The quote that keeps getting thrown at me is that, for both abduction and molestation, it's almost always someone known to the family. Abductions of small children (who are still missing after the entire family, especially non-custodial former spouses, and close friends are checked out) is newsworthy because it happens so extremely rarely.

[vicar.livejournal.com]

Very likely, like murder perhaps. Still, the fear gets us to watch tv and so the tv keeps pandering to what makes us watch it and buy things. So we live in a terror filled society that has never been safer in reality.

[grymnir.livejournal.com]

you're being an idiot today.
Is it an early costume?

Issue with texting: it is in your hand, not on the dashboard, which allows the illusion that you are peripherally watching the traffic ahead.
Second: few people "touch type" a texting keyboard, so put far more of their attention to the small keyboard and no longer pay attention to the road. Reading the message is not the problem, sending them is.

Now I'll depart from the cross current of reason to try and figure out what your blood choas level is for today.

[vicar.livejournal.com]

You know even I have noticed how consistently negative you have been! Yeesh!

You are redefining the issue to fit your argument worse than I am. Recall that "distracted driving" stats put out by our own government included "changing radio stations." The problem of distracted (or just lazy, or rude) driving is real - but the solution is often a broad brushed revenue raising activity that does not solve the problem. In fact cops are reporting the laws against texting have made the problem worse - people now text from their laps.

[grymnir.livejournal.com]

abrupt cut:
1) negative, moi? I have yet to begin to suck!
2) distractions abound, yes. True, morons have caused crashes because of hot coffee, doing their makeup, masturbating, changing CDs, etc. But I still think those are particular incidences--frequent exceptions to driving--while texting is a growing problem.

Of course, I have this attitude as I've nearly been hit 3 x today (alone) by idiots with a cell in their hand. I've no idea how many other morons have nearly auto-reamed me because of of their critical response to "I can haz cheezKatz".

[bentrazor.livejournal.com]

Dammit man, didn't you see that really overly dramatic video of the girls texting, and then they cause a 50 car pile up where everyone in the car, and several other people, including small children and babies crying for their mother that can no longer hear them, didn't that SHOCK and UPSET you into never even THINKING about texting and driving again??

...
Don't even get me started on the apoplectic fits people throw regarding drinking and driving.

Seriously, I remember when I was in driver's ed, the boogie man was kids flying off the road and off cliffs and into nurseries and shit because they were messing with their radio.

[vicar.livejournal.com]

Very nice, I concur. I really wish we'd actually change the D&D laws for "real" drunk drivers. I don't care if we can bust my mom who had 2 glasses of wine at dinner - she always made it home without hitting schoolbusses when she lived with me.

Oh and huge good point on "changing radio stations." that is actually part of the current statistic on "distracted driving" that is blended with texting. Remember this when you hear statistics that "80 % of drivers under 25 text..." often they're mixing that texting is distracted driving with the 80% number that refers to all possible activities that they argue qualify.

I drive a stick, so I'm always violating the "law" by changing gears. D'oh!

[bentrazor.livejournal.com]

I understand that laws are what they are due to lowest common denominators and all, some people can't walk and chew gum at the same time either, but come on people.

[vicar.livejournal.com]

Now that does make sense. I can't effectively change the volume on my gps while driving (it also just sucks). Looking ok, manually manipulating things with digits bad.

Though I can change radio stations.

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

I set my destination before I start driving and then just follow the verbal directions. If I need to change destinations or look something up, then I find I need to wait for a stop or else pull over. I don't do text messages when driving (I don't use them that often anyhow) but most of the proficient texters that I know use both hands to text. So I just can't see how it can be good practice to keep taking one's hands off the wheel when driving.

[panthergirl.livejournal.com]

I'll try the coffee & alcohol next.