Chillin


NY LAWMAKER HOPES TO BAN IPOD USE IN CROSSWALKSA New York state senator has announced his plan to introducelegislation that would ban the use of electronic devicessuch as iPods, BlackBerrys and cell phones while crossingstreets in major cities. State Sen. Carl Krueger claimedthat the phenomenon of "iPod oblivion" has led to a numberof fatal accidents on urban streets. The bill wouldeffectively make it illegal to use any kind of portableelectronic device while crossing the street in cities suchas New York, Albany and

This brings up an interesting issue that is the increasing use of portable technology that is currently permeating society. Clearly, the phenomenon has gotten to the level that state governments are starting to pay attention to it. A quick google search yielded several results of situations in which ipods where at least were claimed to have contributed to or caused directly serious injury or death. This woman was killed when she was riding a bike and listening to an ipod that she was "obsessed with."

Certainly, I can speak from experience that it makes communication a bit more difficult when people are tuned in to their electronic devices. I might be more reluctant to approach a stranger on the street to ask for directions if I thought they were jamming out to their favorite Pearl Jam tune. Likewise, I can see that there could be substantial backlash from the ipod community who so cherish their music.