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?
We love Yahoo’s Odd News here in our house. I think this next collection of AP headlines from today is possibly the greatest group ever to pop up. Here they are, in the original sequence:
Today’s post is courtesy of Cherie Strand, an occupational therapist and world traveler from Idaho.
Just because a hotel SERVES breakfast does not mean it is your home kitchen.
My family has the opportunity to travel quite a bit because we live in the witness protection program in rural Idaho. Well, maybe not the WPP, but we do live about 3 hours away from an airport, Target, Walmart, Costco and doctors. (No kidding.) So, we do frequent overnight trips to stock up on things.
We love that many hotels have a hot breakfast included in the stay. Many are very well apportioned–everything from cheese omelets, bacon, hot and cold cereal, pastries, waffles, fresh fruit, yogurt, etc. Budget hotels have moved way beyond the stale danish that they used to offer. And, this is especially nice for families as it saves the time and money of taking kids to a “real” restaurant.
On the flip side, over the past 12 years, we have noticed more and more people take this breakfast offer a little too casually. Some folks appear in the breakfast area in their pajamas, hair completely uncombed (clearly) and often without shoes (despite signs saying proper attire and footwear required). It used to be just small kids that looked as if they were plucked straight from bed and brought down to the communal breakfast. Now, it is the entire family.
Whether it’s 7 AM or 9:30 AM, it is common now to see a grown man and woman with their three or four children, all still in PJs, slippers (or barefoot) and looking exactly as if they rolled out of bed and came right on down to the breakfast area. The rest of us try to keep down our breakfasts while treated to what these folks really look like without any semblance of morning hygiene–no imagination necessary! It is not as if we are eating at 5 AM and expecting everyone to be there in suits (which, incidentally IS the case because the business men and women are up early, dressed, and ready to go).
So, would you waltz into a restaurant like that? (Well, yes, because I have seen that too, but mostly from teenagers and college kids.) I do NOT want to see you or your family with bed head, pajamas, bare feet or ratty slippers. It takes about 10 minutes to get kids up and pull their hair back and get dressed yourself. You can even use your room coffeemaker in the meantime to have a cup of coffee to get geared up for all that work it takes just to put on regular clothing. Asking for a little courtesy while strangers are eating breakfast doesn’t seem like too much to ask, does it?
I don’t want to see your toe jam while I’m trying to eat my jam on toast.
Cracked has a great post on eight adults who got a little too carried away at youth sporting events. And, by a little too carried away, we mean went completely NUTS.
The Texas cheerleader mom is there, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. For instance, there’s the dad who fashioned his son’s football helmet into a secret slashing device. FIVE players suffered lacerations before the refs caught wise and started checking equipment. And, let’s not overlook the dad who used ipecac to poison his son’s nemesis, only to have it affect the entire team. Crazy, but not nearly as nutty as the volleyball coach who grabbed a cleaver out of her car to threaten everyone with. (Why, exactly, did she have a cleaver in her car?)
What is it about kids playing sports that causes some adults to become unhinged? Some parents think that their child should never lose. Ever. Even if it means spending a little time in the pokey. Whatever happened to the fun being in the game itself, regardless of the outcome? I hate that “everyone is a winner” mentality. Isn’t it better for them to learn that sometimes you lose? Life isn’t fair. Get used to it now, kids.
Again this past weekend, someone died in the New York City subway because he had jumped down onto the tracks to retrieve something. What precious item had fallen? A jacket. Yes, a man lost his life trying to save a jacket. (What’s really sad is that he was just a good samaritan trying to help the woman who dropped the jacket. She lived.)
People, if you drop something on the subway tracks, let it go. No iPhone, Blackberry, music player, piece of clothing, or shoe is worth losing your life over. If you need it back, go find a station agent or transit employee for assistance. (I know there have been cutbacks, but they still do exist.) This man was the third New Yorker in the span of six months to die from jumping down on the tracks to get something.
The trains move fast and anyone who thinks they can move faster is delusional. Also, there is no easy way to climb out. There aren’t rungs to hold onto and the platforms can be quite high up.
“It’s just not worth taking the risk,” said Paul Fleuranges, a spokesman for New York City Transit. “In one instant the coast looks clear, and you think you can hop down, retrieve your item and hop back up. In reality, it’s not that simple.”
About 90 people are hit by subway trains each year, and about half the time it is fatal. But officials could not say how many cases involved an attempt to retrieve something.
Huffington Post has a great slideshow of the most frivolous lawsuits of all time. The stupidity is mind-numbing, and makes you wonder about humanity in general. The woman who sued McDonald’s for hot coffee is there, but there are plenty more where that came from. Like the woman who sued a haunted house because it was scary. Ummm….duh. Didn’t anyone on this list have a person who could talk some sense in him or her?
An Illinois woman has just been convicted of reckless homicide because she was painting her nails while driving, during which she hit and killed a motorcyclist. I’m all for multi-tasking, but who would think it’s a good idea to disable your hands while trying to drive? Like the prosecutor said, “It is not the same as biting a sandwich … it’s a voluntary disablement. She might as well have been in the back seat making a sandwich.”
At the top of the “Things I Better Not Ever Receive as a Gift” list is the Better Marriage Blanket. While the name may imply a blanket that gives you more hours in the day or more patience for your spouse, the real purpose is to absorb farts. I know you’re thinking this is an SNL commercial parody, but it’s a real product to eliminate bedtime odors.
If your intestinal distress is so awful that you need to buy this blanket, then you need to sleep alone.
This post originally appeared on July 28, 2009. It’s our second most popular post to date.
Bill Gates recently quit Facebook because he had too many friends. He had trouble keeping track of who he actually knew and which friend requests were from strangers. Although you aren’t Bill Gates, you may still have a little dead weight in your Facebook friend list. Here are some ideas on how to annoy those connected to you and potentially lose some friends.
Mundane Status Updates
“Joe Smith is tired.” Yeah, we’re all tired, Joe. Is that the best you can do? Continually updating your friends on all the mundane tasks in your life just may cause a few folks to de-friend you. So, keep it up with such snooze-alerts as “is bored” and “is going to the gym.”
Talk Politics and/or Religion
Politics and religion are two touchy subjects. People have their own opinions and it’s very hard to convince them to change sides. Talking about your views is a possible way to offend a few Facebook friends who don’t agree, especially if you trash the other side.
Take Every Quiz and Share Results
There are thousands of Facebook quizzes, and some are even entertaining. However, your friends don’t want to know which “Sex and the City” character you are or your Simpsons IQ score. If you want to lose friends, then take all the quizzes you can and publish the results each time.
Keep Sending Invitations
Mafia Wars and Vampires may be fun to you, but receiving invitations to them over and over again is just annoying. We realize that getting more people to play helps your score. And, we don’t care. Lil’ Green Patch may be a good cause, but we’re tired of it. So, if you want to annoy your connections, keep kidnapping people and passing drinks around.
Be an Over-Poster
Everyone has at least one or two over-posters on their friend list. These are people who update their status WAY too often and share links and photos galore. Appearing too frequently in your network’s News Feed is a good way to cause “friend fatigue” and get yourself de-friended.
Tag Friends in Unappealing Photos
Dig up those dusty old photos and crank up your scanner. Horrify your friends! Embarrass your family! It is especially helpful to find pictures where your targets have bad hair days, closed eyes, or strange expressions. And, make sure to tag the photos so everyone can recognize each other.
There are many other ways to annoy on Facebook (like over-punctuating your updates), so feel free to suggest some of your own pet peeves.
It is always surprising to get in an elevator in a hotel and see the numbers go from twelve to fourteen. We all know there’s a number missing. Are some people really still paralyzed with fear over the number thirteen?
There are many theories as to why thirteen has gotten a bad rap. Some say it has Christian roots revolving around the Last Supper. Others say the ancient Egyptians believed the number thirteen to be a symbol of death. There are also Norse and medieval ties to this number as well. Regardless, we all know superstitions are just crazy, right?
For example:
- Knocking wood won’t really change your luck (there’s no such thing as luck).
- Spilling salt doesn’t bring the devil (it means you’re clumsy).
- Sneezing doesn’t let your soul escape (it means there’s an irritation in your nose).
- A sudden shiver doesn’t mean someone is walking on your grave (it means you’re cold!).
And yet, the fear over the number thirteen persists. Friday the thirteenth is not just a horror franchise; many people actually alter their plans when this day rolls around. A small percentage of people polled said they would request a room change if given accommodations on the thirteenth floor.
A recent USA TODAY/Gallup Poll suggests a large majority of Americans — 87% — would be comfortable with a 13th floor room assignment. But 13% say they’d be bothered by a 13th floor room assignment, including 9% who would be sufficiently bothered to seek a room change.
The poll shows women, people age 65-plus and those with annual household incomes below $30,000 are more prone than average to seek a new room if assigned to the 13th floor.
The trend of renaming the thirteenth floor in buildings and hotels began in the late 19th century. However, in a rash of rationality, some newer hotels have bucked this nonsense and have installed elevator buttons with thirteenth floors. I say let the 9% move to a different floor–and get a grip. But, until then, I guess I’m staying on the “fourteenth” floor of my hotel.
Daily Dose of Common Sense cuts through the crap, hype, and pseudoscience to tell it like it is. Part science, part news, and part, er, common sense, this site may be harsh sometimes but it's just tough love.
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,
Cracked has 
Again this past weekend, 
An Illinois woman has just been convicted of reckless homicide because she was 
Bill Gates 
It is always surprising to get in an elevator in a hotel and see the numbers go from twelve to fourteen. We all know there’s a number missing. Are some people really still paralyzed with fear over the number thirteen?
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