Daily Dose of Common Sense

A woman is suing Google after being struck by a car on a busy highway. Why is this Google’s fault? Because she was following the Google Maps walking directions at the time. In the lawsuit, she claims Google provided her,

walking directions that led her out onto Deer valley Drive, a.k.a. State Route 224, a rural highway wit no sidewalks, and a roadway that exhibits motor vehicles traveling at high speeds, that is not reasonably safe for pedestrians.

This woman apparently left her common sense at home when she departed. Concentrating on her Blackberry, she forgot how to LOOK UP and notice her surroundings.

Google warns in their walking directions, “Walking directions are in beta. Use caution – This route may be missing sidewalks or pedestrian paths.” This may, however, have been missing on the Blackberry edition of Google Maps. Even still, if Google told you to jump off a cliff, would you?

[Via BoingBoing]

The Consumerist has a funny tale of someone who tested an iPad at Best Buy, checked his email, and walked away while still logged in to his mail account. Lucky for him, the next person was a good samaritan and, instead of causing havoc, just logged out for the unknown person.

The good samaritan sent a pretty funny email to the person, and cc:d The Consumerist:

You decided to try out an iPad at your local best buy. But guess what? You logged into the mail app on a publicly used test product and didn’t log out?!?!?!?

This time a good citizen has decided to alert you of your mistake. I will also be kind and log you out Be aware and use some common sense the next time.

If you have the opportunity to test a wireless device in a store, go ahead and check your email. Just remember to LOG OUT when you’re done. That is, unless, for some reason, you want strangers reading your email, having access to your personal information and contacts.

Photo

There’s an iPhone app for everything. Case in point is Bedometer. It’s an iPhone app that measures the calories you burn while having sex.

How does it work? Well, you put your phone on the bed while getting busy, and the application measures the calories burned by the vibrations.

I’m all for trying to stay fit, but if you’re worried about how many calories you’re burning during sex then you’re worrying too much. Relax and enjoy the moment with your significant other. Tracking the fifty or one hundred calories you’re burning during the horizontal mambo is not really that important, especially when your attention should be elsewhere.

[Via MomLogic]

We shouldn’t speed, drive drunk, or be aggressive/reckless behind the road. We know it, but sometimes it helps to be reminded–especially in a clever way. Australia has decided to use some off-beat humor in a viral campaign to get a safe driving message across to younger drivers. The tag line: “Don’t be a dickhead.” I must admit that some of these are amusing. You would almost think they’re Saturday Night Live skits.

The ads discuss the possible–yet completely crazy–consequences of unsafe driving. These include: red-headed angels will get their wings, you will live the rest of your life with a giant pole coming out of your stomach, Twitter and Facebook will be turned off, and more.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcIy8-EKW00

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCsPaW3Ghz0

And…wait for it…my favorite:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7CBJr0GReI

It’s great to see a company (in this case, the Victoria, Australia government) doing something out of the ordinary to reach a new audience. Think of how great it would be if someone would roll out the “Don’t litter or you’re a douche bag” campaign. It would make you think twice about littering, wouldn’t it?

All of the ads can be seen here.

[Via AdFreak]

Here are some of our favorite brief Web stories from this week.

Some people had common sense.

• The city of Boston dismissed thousands of tickets and tow fines for people who were issued violations while preparing for a storm that never came. The city had declared a snow emergency in expectation of the big storm cutting up the eastern seaboard. Stay classy, Boston.
• A 5-year old girl in Indiana called 911 when her dad experienced chest pains. She remained calm and stayed on the line for nearly ten minutes. She is now credited with saving her dad’s life.

And, some did not.

• Southwest Airlines kicked Kevin Smith off a flight for being too fat. Smith claims he fits between the two arm rests, which is the test of whether a person is too large for their seat. Huge PR nightmare for Southwest Airlines because Smith is a celebrity. I ask why the airlines even let him board in the first place, instead of kicking him off once on the plane?
• New toy: Fisher Price’s Bigfoot the Monster. It’s cute in a Muppet-gone-bad kind of way, but do we really want to encourage children to believe in this nonsense?

Our lives are crowded with electronic devices, and that’s mostly a good thing, as they entertain, inform and connect us. Keeping track of all of the various chargers and adapters for these devices, however, can be a huge hassle. Here’s two common sense tips that will help reduce the burden.

First, when you get a new device or adapter, get a Sharpie and write the name of the device on its charger/adapter. A black marker on a black plastic case still works, as you can see it fine if you change the viewing angle. This will prevent you from losing track of which “brick” goes with which device.

The next tip is for the car. If you prefer to have a separate adapter for the car (so that you don’t forget your cell phone charger, for instance), then just follow your usual shopping routine (with comparison shopping on the web highly recommended). But if you want to avoid paying for another adapter, a great solution is to buy what’s known as an inverter.

An inverter plugs into your car’s DC power outlet and then generates the AC power for an outlet just like you find in your home. It costs about the same as one specialized car power adapter that will only run one device, but lets you use any regular home adapter. Also, many of these inverters now feature a USB port to charge/power any device that plugs into your computer’s USB port.

If your kids, for instance, have several different portable gaming devices, you need only buy the one inverter and then you can use the home adapter that came with each device.

Keep in mind that inverters generate limited amounts of power, so don’t plug a power strip into them or otherwise try to run multiple devices off them (unless you’ve bought a larger-capacity, higher-priced truck mounted unit or similar).

Photo

We’ve been taking it easy over the holidays and enjoying some time off. But, that doesn’t mean we’re not paying attention. Here are some of our favorite brief Web stories from this week.

Some people had common sense.

• No one wants to get sick, especially with health care so expensive. NYTimes.com had a great article on how to recover–cheaply–once the sniffles start. Simple stuff is what works, and they give some facts on all the hoodoo and other remedies that do little, if any, good.
• The TSA has dropped their case against two bloggers who posted a copy of the agency’s intense security directive for Christmas day. Shouldn’t they be worried about terrorists, not bloggers? At least our tax dollars won’t be wasted in this trial.
• Experts at exposing flim-flam and wastefulness, Consumer Reports Health Blog posted a list of “9 items not worthy of your holiday cash.” These include such gems as Latisse, the Night-Light Condom, diet pills, and Kinoki footpads. If you thought your body was leaching toxins from your feet at night, we’ve got a bridge we’d like to sell you.

And, some did not.

• A driver passed out at the wheel while some meth was actually cooking in the BACK SEAT. A mobile meth lab really takes some guts, folks.
• In absolutely the CRAZIEST shoplifter story ever, a couple caused quite a ruckus at a Walmart in Tennessee. He’s trying to steal flat-screen tvs, she’s stabbing someone in the parking lot. It’s a like some zany, mad-cap sitcom plot from Hell.
• Maine and California will consider putting a cancer warning on cell-phone packaging, despite the fact that the jury is still out in the scientific community. Way to fear-monger, legislators.

Here are some of our favorite brief Web stories from this week.

Some people had common sense.

• Coming soon to an airport near you: the ability to safely and comfortably nap while waiting for your flight. There have been days where I would have paid a LOT more than the $30/hour these places charge in order to get a few zzzzz’s.
• For you fast-food haters, it turns out that the quality of meat served in most chains is much better than what’s served to children in school cafeterias. It’s easy to see why: schools don’t have to worry about being sued.



























• AT&T has developed an app called “Mark the Spot,” which will allow users to tell the telecomm giant about service problems. No one knows if this will really help improve service. But, sometimes it just makes you feel better to complain.

And, some did not.

• There was an article about how tattoos aren’t acceptable in Washington, D.C and many must go to great lengths to cover up their body ink. So, not only are our politicians inefficient, they’re repressed. Hooray for America!
• There is now a gizmo sold that allows caregivers to text while pushing a stroller. Who needs to watch for other pedestrians or cars?



• A Starbucks barista was written up for chasing after a tip-jar thief. This gets knocks for many reasons. First, the barista should have known better than to chase after a potentially harmful criminal for a few measly dollars. Second, Starbucks actually reprimands the employee, which seems silly. Third, and most important, WHY do baristas need tips? They should be paid more so that we’re not guilted into giving them more money for DOING THEIR JOBS.

Photos: hgmonster.tumblr.com/, flickr.com/photos/taylar/

If you’ve heard anything about Tiger Woods’ drama the past few days (and, really, who hasn’t?), you now know that your text messages can haunt you. For example, if you’re cheating on a partner, your text messages could be used against you.

The New York Times has an article about how text messages are the “new lipstick on the collar.”

Unlike earlier eras when a dalliance might be suspected but not confirmed, nowadays text messages provide proof. Divorce lawyers say they have seen an increase in cases in the past year where a wronged spouse has offered text messages to show that a partner has strayed. The American Bar Association began offering seminars this fall for marital attorneys on how to use electronic evidence–text messages, browsing history and social networks–in proving a case.

Seriously, who is so naive as to think texts are private? Perhaps they should be. But, in our digital world, privacy can be difficult to maintain. Emails can be found after deleting them. So, even if someone isn’t peeping into your phone’s in-and-out box:

…messages can remain on the sender’s and receiver’s phones, and even if they are deleted, communications companies store them for anywhere from days to a few weeks. AT&T said that, at most, it saved text messages for 72 hours while Verizon said it saved them for 5 to 10 days.

Text away! Just be prepared to live with the consequences.

LG is doing a PSA campaign with James Lipton (of Inside the Actor’s Studio fame) warning teens to think before texting. I’m not sure it’ll work but kudos to LG for tackling the issue.

There are 4 ads, and Lipton’s beard plays an important role in each. This one is my favorite. Yes, Lipton says “tweets about his beets.”

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8H4CB6ok4E

[Via AdFreak.com]