原创 Walking while texting

The times they are a-changin', as Bob Dylan would say. For example, technologies that we couldn’t have dreamed of when I was a kid have already come and gone (think "pagers" -- need I say more?).

Then there are new ways of communicating. I remember a few years ago when Star Trek-esque Bluetooth earpieces first started to appear on the scene.

My mother-in-law is an early adopter of technology. She scooped up one of these ear pieces as soon as they came out. Just to add to the fun, she keeps her phone set to auto-answer.

She came to visit. She has long hair. I had no idea she was wearing a Bluetooth earpiece. I took her to the local supermarket. Someone called her on her smartphone. From my perspective, she suddenly started gesticulating frenziedly and babbling on about rambling topics.

I honestly thought she'd gone insane. I didn't have a clue what to do with her. Then I started to imagine what my wife, Gina the Gorgeous, was going to say: "When you left the house, my mother was perfectly reasonably sort-of could pass for normal (in a dim light). Now, after just half an hour with you, she's a raving lunatic!"

Given the circumstances, it would probably not go down well if I were to retort: "So nothing really changed, did it?"

It actually took me quite a while to realize what was going on. Now, just a few years later, I think nothing of seeing ladies waving their hands around and warbling to themselves as I wander through the supermarket (it may even be that some of them have Bluetooth earpieces also LOL).

Or take texting. I read an article recently that said young people have little interest in email -- they just text each other. I think that article was right. My 20-year-old son, Joseph, never looks at the email account I set up for him. Whenever I look at Joseph, he's texting someone. In 2012, a 17-year-old teenage boy from Wisconsin won $50,000 at the annual National Texting Championship, which was held in New York City. When I get home, I must remember to tell Joseph that he needs to work harder on his texting skills.

Now, you may wonder why I'm waffling on about this. It all started this morning when I was driving into work and I heard a report on the National Public Radio (NPR). You often hear about the dangers of texting while driving, but (as per this video) it seems that there are an increasing number of accidents whilst texting and walking.

I seem to recall that some university did a study on this. They found that people who text and walk typically perambulate 20 to 25% slower than the non-texting fraternity. Furthermore, without consciously thinking about it, they lift their feet to exaggerated heights when navigating curbs.

It appears that walking while texting is becoming endemic; so much so, in fact, that a city in Belgium has set up special walking lanes for people who are texting. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Is it just me, or do you too feel like shouting: "Stop the world -- I want to get off!"