2/08/2007
iPod Crosswalk Ban
If U.S. State Sen. Carl Kruger (D-Brooklyn) has his way, a new proposal would make it illegal to walk, jog or bike across the street in New York while using your iPod. Kruger wants to slap pedestrians with $100 fines for using electronic gadgets, like the iPod, while crossing the street. Last year, Australian Police issued a similar law that banned cyclists from using their iPods after a series of fatal accidents.
"This electronic gadgetry is reaching the point where it's becoming not only endemic but it's creating an atmosphere where we have a major public safety crisis at hand," said Kruger in a telephone interview with Reuters. Two men were killed in his Kruger's borough recently while listening to their iPods - one of which involved a 23-year-old who was killed in traffic while bystanders screamed "Watch out!" Unfortunately the man was unable to hear the warnings over the music in his headphones. Kruger has named this safety issue iPod Oblivion, but the bill goes beyond just iPods. The bill seeks to ban all popular electric devices such as cell phones, Sony PSPs, Blackberries, etc.
"If you're so involved in your electronic device that you can't see or hear a car coming, this is indicative of a larger problem that requires some sort of enforcement beyond the application of common sense," Kruger said.
Is an iPod crosswalk ban a little too Big Brother? Many people online aren't taking the news of this bill too seriously. Digg.com user packernirvana posted this tongue-in-cheek comment about the story: "I understand that they're working on another bill in New York. A $200 penalty for those caught walking and chewing gum."
Maybe everyone just needs to exercise a little common sense when using their iPod. How hard is it to lower the volume and look both ways before you cross the street? Didn't we all learn how to properly cross the street before we could tie our own shoelaces?
BeSocial: flickr | digg story | methodshop
"This electronic gadgetry is reaching the point where it's becoming not only endemic but it's creating an atmosphere where we have a major public safety crisis at hand," said Kruger in a telephone interview with Reuters. Two men were killed in his Kruger's borough recently while listening to their iPods - one of which involved a 23-year-old who was killed in traffic while bystanders screamed "Watch out!" Unfortunately the man was unable to hear the warnings over the music in his headphones. Kruger has named this safety issue iPod Oblivion, but the bill goes beyond just iPods. The bill seeks to ban all popular electric devices such as cell phones, Sony PSPs, Blackberries, etc.
"If you're so involved in your electronic device that you can't see or hear a car coming, this is indicative of a larger problem that requires some sort of enforcement beyond the application of common sense," Kruger said.
Is an iPod crosswalk ban a little too Big Brother? Many people online aren't taking the news of this bill too seriously. Digg.com user packernirvana posted this tongue-in-cheek comment about the story: "I understand that they're working on another bill in New York. A $200 penalty for those caught walking and chewing gum."
Maybe everyone just needs to exercise a little common sense when using their iPod. How hard is it to lower the volume and look both ways before you cross the street? Didn't we all learn how to properly cross the street before we could tie our own shoelaces?
BeSocial: flickr | digg story | methodshop
Labels: ipod
Post a Comment
permanent link |
11:20 AM
|
MethodShop.com
|
MethodShop.com
if you dont look both ways, and die, it's basically just evolution at work.
[*] posted by 
: February 08, 2007 1:03 PM
: February 08, 2007 1:03 PM
I suppose that new law will work about as well as the J-walking law.
These politicians have way too much free time.
These politicians have way too much free time.
forget crosswalks, american intersections need more pedestrian bridges. encourages walking and reduces accidents.
The original Walkman came out almost 30 years ago. Those darn kids have been listening to those gizmos when they aren't supposed to the entire time. This isn't going away. This is almost impossible to effectively enforce, and it will have no effect other than to make the government some money.
I agree that it's just evolution at work.
On the other hand, it would make sense to ban radios in cars or trucks. It's not just the listeners who get killed or maimed from them.
On the other hand, it would make sense to ban radios in cars or trucks. It's not just the listeners who get killed or maimed from them.
[*] posted by : February 10, 2007 11:55 PM
: February 10, 2007 11:55 PM
Portable electronic devices such as iPod banned on the street does not seem very good idea. We don’t know if the regulation really works. We are not so sure that banned electronic devices will protect death from the car accident, and we are not sure that people would follow this rule because we don’t even know if we have enough police force that would be able to catch people who use portable electronic devices and cross the street.
New regulation, obviously brings huge cost. First of all, demand for portable electronic devices will decrease, so it will damage all the companies that produce portable electronic devices. For customers, usage of these devices is limited. Value of these devices that customers have will decrease, so it will damage customers too. We also have physical cost. In order to run this rule, we might have more taxes for more police force.
Regulation and legislation are designed for better society. If we could save lives, we could be willing to spend anything that costs, even our freedom. We are about to face huge cost, but we are still not sure that the law really works.
New regulation, obviously brings huge cost. First of all, demand for portable electronic devices will decrease, so it will damage all the companies that produce portable electronic devices. For customers, usage of these devices is limited. Value of these devices that customers have will decrease, so it will damage customers too. We also have physical cost. In order to run this rule, we might have more taxes for more police force.
Regulation and legislation are designed for better society. If we could save lives, we could be willing to spend anything that costs, even our freedom. We are about to face huge cost, but we are still not sure that the law really works.
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
YouTube
prevents viewers from downloading files off their site. But there
are ways around this. Here's a step-by-step tutorial on how to
rip video files off YouTube.com and convert them for your Video
iPod.
Wicked Lasers named their new flashlight the TORCH... and for good reason. The "TORCH" is technically a flashlight. It looks like a flashlight. Operates like a flashlight. But this is no ordinary flashlight. The TORCH is so bright that its beam can ignite flammable objects as fast as fire. 
The average teenager these days probably has no idea who poor old Wilford is. But if you grew up during the 80's, then you probably remember Wilford from movies like Cocoon, The Natural and his many Quaker Oats Oatmeal commercials. Does Wilford Brimley really look like a cat? You decide.
As Twitter continues to gain in popularity and users, those of us already on Twitter might find ourselves in a position where we have to explain Twitter to a non-techie type person like Grandma. So what do you say when someone asks you something silly like "What is the Twitter?" or "Are you taking the Twitter?"
Bugs tend to freak us out. Mosquitoes, spiders, wasps, centipedes... you name it. If it crawls, bites or buzzes anywhere near our faces, then we squirm, swat and run. But what's worse than a little bug crawling on or biting you? How about a really, really big one? Here are some of the biggest bugs on Earth. Enjoy!. 
Instead of having to go to a separate site or use a specific application like Second Life, ROCKETON turns the entire Internet into a virtual world for browser based avatars. 
If you're looking for an inexpensive, lightweight pair of earbuds with fantastic bass, then Radius' Atomic Bass earbuds are the earbuds of your dreams.
In a time when so-called MC's rap about their bank accounts or invent the latest dance craze to sell records, Lupe Fiasco is on the other side of the spectrum. It's refreshing to find a mainstream rapper dealing with non-commercial issues with the passion and sheer lyrical skill that Lupe exemplifies.
Want
to upgrade the RAM in your
Mac Mini? You can definitely save a few bucks by buying a stripped
down Mac Mini and upgrading the RAM yourself. But before you
can install that extra RAM, you'll need to take a walk down to
your local hardware store and grab a couple putty knives.
Need
something to watch on your iPod or iPhone? Here's a tutorial that
explains how to use a program called Handbrake to rip DVD's
into iPod compatible MPEG-4 video files.
Is a weak arm or physical stamina keeping you from taking your Nintendo Wii gaming experience to the next level? Perhaps you should look into getting the Nintendo Wii Nunchuck Controller. This accessory adds even more innovation to the next generation of gaming and does it all with less physical movement.
Are
you trying to eject your iPod from your computer but the "Do
Not Disconnect" won't go away? Don't worry, this is a common
problem with a fairly easy solution.
So
Napster's gone pay, KaZaA is chock-full of viruses and spyware,
and you need someplace to get your file sharing on. Luckily
for you, there's BitTorrent! Here's a
tutorial to get you started. 
