Secrets of the City

MnPub rails about the cell-phone-’n-run bill with logic like “I like talking and driving.”

Wow. Can’t counter that.

Walking back to my building, I just watched some guy nearly wipe out four people in a crosswalk as he zoomed through, in between them all, at full speed, with his cell in in ear and his head in the clouds.

This morning, a neighbor backed her car out of her driveway into the road and right into the side of a school bus. She was talking on her phone.

Yeah, this is governmental intrusion I can live with.

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Yeah, this is governmental intrusion I can live with.

whoop, nevermind, there goes my comment.

But the bill also doubles the fine for hands free device use. How is that different than talking to someone in the passenger seat?

because the person on the handsfree won’t warn you if you’re about to run over a pedestrian.

Also, as a surly pedestrian/biker who has been hit (2x ped, 1x bike) and nearly hit (too many to count) by motor vehicles multiple times, I really think we need some more stringent standards on operating vehicles and being allowed to operate vehicles. More frequent testing and no automatic renewals for licenses, driving tests with each renewal for old people, young people and anyone with a moving violation recently are a good start. Then you make it much easier to actually take someone’s license away for things like reckless driving and DUIs.

People need to fucking learn that driving is a privledge and NOT a right and because of its very dangerous nature it can and should be heavily regulated. Honestly, we don’t need gun regulation so much as we need better automobile regulation, because they’re responsible for a lot more deaths. At least most people recognize that a gun is dangerous and treat it appropriately, though.

A fan-created Trip Shakespeare site on MySpace has rare video clips, including Dan Wilson’s winning a Grammy on Sunday night HERE

Videos are all HERE

I’m one of those weird guys you see in all the airports walking around talking to themselves. I have the Bluetooth earpiece for my cell so I can have hours of airport and driving conversation without holding the damn phone to my ear for that long.

I’d agree that the “no hands-free use” is carrying it maybe too far, but as I look at the ways people have tried to get around other laws, maybe it would just be too complicated to draft a statute with that exception and make it both enforceable and tough to scam. Plus, there is a difference in the concentration needed to listen to your stereo while driving, and to hold a phone conversation while driving.

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“whoop, nevermind, there goes my comment.”

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One of the proper roles of government is to regulate safety for the common good, in a manner as consistent as possible with individual freedom. Heck, I’d even be okay with a government that stopped me from shooting off my pistol downtown, Second Amendment or not.

Hey, Minneapolis should try that . . .

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I completely agree with you there.

And the ‘hands free’ thing kind of reminds me of inflatable dummies so people can use carpool lanes. It doesn’t elminate the fact that you’re on the phone (or alone), it just makes it seem like you’re not.

I had one of those handsfree Bluetooth headsets (Motorola H500, if you’re interested.) What a joke those are. First, it’s only “hands-free” with a phone that has voice-activated dialing. If your phone lacks that feature, you’ll still be dialing by hand.

My phone has it, but there are two problems: my phone stores only a limited number of voice dial entries (10?), so I can only call the people I have recorded a voice entry for. And that brings a bigger problem: Voice recognition technology is still crap. Half the time the thing fails, either calling the wrong person or not recognizing the spoken name at all.

Yeah, I guess they’re kinda convenient when you receive a call. But even when the damn headset worked, I still felt like I was being distracted by the conversation. I’ve given up on it.

My camera, on the other hand, still remains a big distraction while driving. (ZOMG holy crap that was a cool sign! gotta take a pic! woot!) AFAIK, driving while looking through an SLR is still perfectly legal. Right? Right.

I’d rather just see a hands free law, rather than doubling fines.

And re: the needy piano players, they should really just check out Twincitiesfreemarket.org. Always tons of free pianos available there.

Where’s the link to the new Strib editor story? It’s already been on their Web site a couple hours.

i’ll be at the cedar tonight to check out Dan Wilson’s sold out show. anyone else going?

Little known fact: The Wilsons, Matt and Dan, used to babysit yours truly.

hah!

Also, as a surly pedestrian/biker who has been hit (2x ped, 1x bike) and nearly hit (too many to count) by motor vehicles multiple times, I really think we need some more stringent standards on operating vehicles and being allowed to operate vehicles.

Uh, if you’re 23 years old, and you’ve been hit by cars three times already, perhaps you are the problem here, bub.

no, because I was obeying all traffic laws all three times. I was even being observant but the mistake I made was assuming people in cars had some respect for human life.

You want to know the best one? Walking home from work, someone at a stop sign waiting to turn onto a one-way. The oneway runs the opposite way I was walking, and this lady in a minivan starts to take the turn as I’m walking in front of her and smacks me. I was already most of the way past her van so she hit me on the driver’s side, btw, it’s not like I stepped into it. So she rolls down her window, and instead of saying “oh my god are you ok I’m so sorry!” she says …

drumroll..

wait for it …

“don’t walk in front of cars!”

Yes, she hit me in the crosswalk when she had a stop sign and then told me not to walk in front of cars. I started limping angrily towards her and swearing violent about how she had a stop sign and it was a crosswalk, and so she takes off down the road. Yes, hit *AND* run. That was here, in beautiful Minneapolis halfway between where I work and live.

So no, I’m pretty sure I’m not the problem. I can get into the other times if you’d really like me to. I just remembered another (third) occasion I was hit on foot back where I went to college. That was just a love tap, though. This lady left me with a huge bruise from my thigh to the side of my stomach that didn’t go away for almost two weeks.

It’s never your fault, is it?

Given what I’ve read from you, Wayne, you must have “VICTIM” tattooed on your forehead. That said, watch for cars. They often don’t see you. Whether you’re in the right or not, they’re bigger. Exercising your rights doesn’t help when you’re in traction.

Inre: WCCO story on scrap metal theives.

The Rat called the cops on two guys rummaging through a dumpster next door in front of a house that’s being extensively renovated. Probably looking for scrap metal. Wee hours of the morning. Hadda be 15 below zero.

You don’t own a bicycle with little cart on it do you, Wayne? One of the did.

This scrap metal ends up in China.

Yeah – the cell phone bill is a good idea even though it doesn’t go far enough.

Cell phones + driving = booze + driving, if not worse.

I agree with wayne about the “privilege and NOT a right” deal above. Cars are dangerous, and their danger increases dramatically when some idiot is busy checking craigslist for a date tonight rather than watching the road.

I’ve also been nearly run over while running. This is at a stop sign where there is a pedestrian crossing line, and the driver just paused and gunned it as soon as I was about to cross her path.

now you’re accusing me of being a methhead rummaging through your garbage? fuck you man. being hit by a car is not funny, especially when they leave the scene and don’t give a shit if you’re ok or not. Honest people don’t do that. It also disgusts me when people try to play the “they’re bigger so they win!” card. That doesn’t make it ok, that just makes them bigger assholes.

All we’re saying, Wayne, is that McNulty said he saw you and Bubbles pulling copper tubing off a truck when the driver was distracted.

mann, mcnutty’s a good guy but I didn’t do that shit
I’m runnin a legitimate business now!

“now you’re accusing me of being a methhead rummaging through your garbage?”

No I just asked you a question?

No, being hit by a car isn’t funny. But your accumulated indignation over just about everything, sort of tickels the funnybone.