Today we had a big thunderstorm, so I turned my computer off for a while. Since I couldn’t compute, I decided to tackle the gigantic pile of stuff that needs to be shredded. (I figured that if we lost power, it woudn’t matter since the only way to turn off the shredder is to unplug it.)
After some quality time with the shredder, I now remember why I hate it. No one has shredded much of anything in the last two years and it’s easy to understand why. It’s a lot easier to throw "sensitive materials" into a pile. Shredding is loud and annoying. (Remember when no one needed shredders?)
Speaking of technology, this week, I ran across a news article that can be added to the big "duh" file. A new study has shown that drivers who are distracted by using mobile electronics are getting into more crashes than those of us who just drive. The folks doing the study believe that up to 30 percent of car crashes are caused by driver distractions such using as cell phones, laptops, and even TVs.
(That last one made my jaw drop. I mean come on, how stupid do you have to be to watch TV while you are driving a car?)
Anyway, now we have a study to prove what common sense could have told us. Cell phones and in-car electronics are the leading cause of inattentive driving, which killed 6,516 and injured 413,913 people in California last year. Of course, anyone who has seen a 200-pound Halfwit Harry in his 300-ton Suburban yakking on his cell phone and eating a Big Mac while weaving down the highways may have pondered the fact that perhaps Halfwit Harry isn’t paying attention to the circumstances around him.
So for all those people who are worried about the West Nile Virus, I hate to break it to you: you are a lot more likely to get taken out by Halfwit Harry than by any virus.
So drivers beware; Halfwit Harry is out there cruising around. And if you happen to BE a Halfwit Harry, kindly pull over if you get an uncontrollable urge to watch TV.