Daily Dose of Common Sense

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?

With stomach flu taking over our house this week, we didn’t have much time for the news. But, of the little we saw, here are some of our favorite brief Web stories from this week.

Some people had common sense.

• Heinz has redesigned the ketchup packet. No longer do we need to fool with torn packets and ketchup everywhere. Behold the new packet that lets you either dunk or squeeze.

And, some did not.

• A man at a sledding party in Michigan wanted a boost of power. So, he filled a car muffler with gasoline and gunpowder, strapped it to his back, and ignited it for what he hoped would be a rocket-launch effect. He was burned over 20% of his body. No word on why NO ONE at the sledding party warned him what a bad idea this was.

Are you more worried about looking good behind the wheel, or being able to see the road?

Most of us don’t think about how our sunglasses will affect our driving performance. But, we should. Scott Marshall is Director of Training for Young Drivers of Canada and has a blog all about driving safely. Recently, he discussed driving and the trend of large eyewear. Why would big, chunky, expensive sunglasses pose a problem?

The current problem is the framing of many of the glasses is thick enough that it blocks part of their vision. The driver has a difficult time seeing off to their side in their peripheral vision. Other drivers can sneak up beside them without the driver knowing. It also stops the driver from seeing clearly at intersections for pedestrians or cyclists. These stylish sunglasses narrow the driver’s view too much and make driving more difficult.

Makes sense, right? But, you don’t want to skip sunglasses altogether. They reduce glare and brightness, which can be a potential hazard to drivers.

According to insurance statistics there are 18,000 car accidents in this country every day with as many as 6,000 of those accidents directly attributable to over- brightness and glare. Drivers are particularly vulnerable to the hazard of blinding glare.

Polarized sunglasses are best for reducing glare and brightness; so, in addition to the correct frames, also make sure you buy the right kind of glass.

Photo

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

Some people had common sense.

• Time Magazine did a profile on They Might Be Giants‘ kids album called Here Comes Science. Glad to see a great band getting some props. Kids need smart music!
• Too broke to fly home for Uncle George’s funeral? No problem. Some funeral homes now begin to stream funerals live on the Web.
• A Texas family cut their grocery bill in half by planning their meals a year in advance. A lot of work, I’m sure, but knowing what you need to buy down the road allows you to wait until it goes on sale, etc.

And, some did not.

• A TSA agent planted fake drugs on a traveler as a gag. Nice, huh? Agent no longer employed by TSA.
• A New Hampshire man called the cops to complain that he paid for sex and did not receive it. Clearly not a student of the law. He and the woman were both arrested (shocker!).
• Detroit shoplifters ran over and killed the Kmart employee trying to stop them. Now they face armed robbery and homicide charges. The shoplifters were making off with $400 of CDs. That’s worth going to jail for, don’t you think?

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

This is one product I don’t get at all. AT ALL. Hanging a scrotum from your car bumper…what exactly is that supposed to symbolize?

Slap a pair of these flesh nuts on any kind of vehicle. You will certainly show the world who owns the road.

I guess that about sums it up.

While I am not offended at the site of a pair of balls, it’s not really what I want to stare at while I’m sitting in traffic. Besides, the idea just seems goofy. What would prompt someone to buy this product? The site claims they are good gag gifts, and I suppose that is true as long as you don’t actually PUT THEM ON YOUR CAR. Have some dignity, people.

Large image

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

Some people had common sense.

• A Nevada brothel will offer male prostitutes. Whoo hoo! Long live equality! Grab your GPS, ladies.
• A Bloodmobile in Washington will give a pint of beer to each person that donates a pint of blood. It’s a win-win! Not surprisingly, the program has been so successful that it’s being expanded.
• Saying it’s better to be honest than greedy, an NYC cab driver returned a purse with $21,000 in cash along with some jewelry to its owner. The Bangladesh native is a full-time college student and surely could have used the money. But, he did the right thing.

And, some did not.

• Suri Cruise’s parents (you know who they are) bought her a $30,000 toy racing car. If they have more money than they know what to do with, I can make a few suggestions. Most involve me….
• People keep talking to Rob Blagojevich. And, he keeps saying incredibly stupid things. Lay off media, and let this moron go away already.
• The genius criminal who escaped from jail and then taunted the police via Facebook has, shockingly, been captured. Way to stick it to the man, dude.

One thing I’ve noticed about suburban shopping is that it’s hard to return a shopping cart. Why else would you see a parking lot like this:

Actually, it’s not hard to return a shopping cart. It’s fairly easy. There are cart return sections all over most parking lots. Some people just won’t expend the effort. In this particular photo, there were at least six parking spaces rendered unusable because of the unreturned carts.

I have also seen carts bang into cars, people, and buildings. All because someone wasn’t courteous enough to take two minutes to return the cart to a proper place. Come on, are we so lazy?

This story lacks common sense in so many areas that it’s hard to know where to begin.

A Connecticut mother left her two small kids in the car while she ran an errand. Big deal, right? Well, what if I told you it was in freezing conditions and the car was off? Bad. Really bad. Has this woman never heard of frostbite or hypothermia?

We can assume she left her 3-year old and a 1-year old to freeze their buns off in the car while going on a SUPER, IMPORTANT errand. Perhaps picking something up at the store, dropping of a letter at the Post Office, paying a bill, or maybe bringing peace to the Middle East.

Nope. She had to go sit in a tanning bed. Yep, getting a fake tan was that important.

Guess she hasn’t heard of skin cancer either.

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.