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ENLARGE
Good morning and welcome to Summit Up, the world's only daily column texted into a cellular telephone while descending from the Eisenhower Tunnel toward Frisco.
Ever the efficient multi-taskers, we can't keep our hands off our LG Chocolate's tiny number pad even on the iciest of thoroughfares.
Come Tuesday, we're going to break the habit thanks to our friends in the Colorado General Assembly.
A statewide ban on texting while driving goes into effect, and the penalty of $50 for the first offense could adversely affect our consumption of shrimp.
Any new law is bad news, as we see it — it's tough just to keep up with vehicle registration, license, insurance, making sure our signal lights are in working order, minding the speed limit and buckling the seatbelt to stay legal.
Now they're telling us to keep our hands off our favorite gadget when in motion.
It's almost enough to make a person cash out the clunker and turn to public transportation. And if we had a damn monorail we wouldn't think twice about it.
Meanwhile we're hoping they come up with a hands-free texting device. Demand will no doubt be strong in this state, and we'd be willing to fork over a couple extra bones a month for it.
Fortunately they can take our texting privileges, but they can't make us stop conversating while driving.
Drivers under age 18 aren't so fortunate.
But we are aware of the inherent danger for young and/or incompetent cell phone users who try to operate their device while driving and find themselves plowing through a couple pylons and a construction crew.
It's always a few rotten apples that spoil good things for everyone else.
And we've certainly been stuck behind people who drove like full-blooded morons — drifting all over the road, braking erratically and coasting through stop signs — as they yapped away on their telephones.
The original legislation on Tuesday's new law actually called for banning anything other than a hands-free device for every motorist in the land.
Oh well, it's reassuring to know that at least our representatives on the state level can get something done.
***
Speaking of gadgetry, we've been rather pleased with the capabilities of our iPod Touch since receiving it a gift a month ago.
Those applications are truly useful. Like we've got one that's a Zippo lighter.
You flick it open, spin the thing and there's a vibrant flame right there on the device.
It senses when it's tilted and the flame reacts. This is more entertaining than Garfield.
Having gone through three or four portable music devices, we're hoping this one lasts longer than a year. That would be the record.
People are always complaining about planned obsolescence but not discussing it.
The terms regards products that become obsolete or non-functional after a certain amount of time or use in a way that was planned or designed by the manufacturer, according to the geniuses at wikipedia.org.
Even the coolest new electronic products are almost guaranteed to cease function within 16 months.
We visit our parents' house and they have a color Zenith television from the early 1980s that still works.
It shall be interesting to see whether these fancy new plasma-trons can compete with such longevity. We doubt it.
Not only our music players, but cell phones and video game systems and even TV remotes have all proven to have a much shorter life span than we were made to believe at purchase.
Supposedly the planned obsolescence has been in use since the 1920s. But strangely it seems our products have lost lifespans as human longevity has increased.
On the bright side: Any time something breaks down is a fine excuse to be a good consumer supporting the economy.
It's Sunday and we're sending broken old stuff to the landfill, where it will remain for centuries.
Ever the efficient multi-taskers, we can't keep our hands off our LG Chocolate's tiny number pad even on the iciest of thoroughfares.
Come Tuesday, we're going to break the habit thanks to our friends in the Colorado General Assembly.
A statewide ban on texting while driving goes into effect, and the penalty of $50 for the first offense could adversely affect our consumption of shrimp.
Any new law is bad news, as we see it — it's tough just to keep up with vehicle registration, license, insurance, making sure our signal lights are in working order, minding the speed limit and buckling the seatbelt to stay legal.
Now they're telling us to keep our hands off our favorite gadget when in motion.
It's almost enough to make a person cash out the clunker and turn to public transportation. And if we had a damn monorail we wouldn't think twice about it.
Meanwhile we're hoping they come up with a hands-free texting device. Demand will no doubt be strong in this state, and we'd be willing to fork over a couple extra bones a month for it.
Fortunately they can take our texting privileges, but they can't make us stop conversating while driving.
Drivers under age 18 aren't so fortunate.
But we are aware of the inherent danger for young and/or incompetent cell phone users who try to operate their device while driving and find themselves plowing through a couple pylons and a construction crew.
It's always a few rotten apples that spoil good things for everyone else.
And we've certainly been stuck behind people who drove like full-blooded morons — drifting all over the road, braking erratically and coasting through stop signs — as they yapped away on their telephones.
The original legislation on Tuesday's new law actually called for banning anything other than a hands-free device for every motorist in the land.
Oh well, it's reassuring to know that at least our representatives on the state level can get something done.
***
Speaking of gadgetry, we've been rather pleased with the capabilities of our iPod Touch since receiving it a gift a month ago.
Those applications are truly useful. Like we've got one that's a Zippo lighter.
You flick it open, spin the thing and there's a vibrant flame right there on the device.
It senses when it's tilted and the flame reacts. This is more entertaining than Garfield.
Having gone through three or four portable music devices, we're hoping this one lasts longer than a year. That would be the record.
People are always complaining about planned obsolescence but not discussing it.
The terms regards products that become obsolete or non-functional after a certain amount of time or use in a way that was planned or designed by the manufacturer, according to the geniuses at wikipedia.org.
Even the coolest new electronic products are almost guaranteed to cease function within 16 months.
We visit our parents' house and they have a color Zenith television from the early 1980s that still works.
It shall be interesting to see whether these fancy new plasma-trons can compete with such longevity. We doubt it.
Not only our music players, but cell phones and video game systems and even TV remotes have all proven to have a much shorter life span than we were made to believe at purchase.
Supposedly the planned obsolescence has been in use since the 1920s. But strangely it seems our products have lost lifespans as human longevity has increased.
On the bright side: Any time something breaks down is a fine excuse to be a good consumer supporting the economy.
It's Sunday and we're sending broken old stuff to the landfill, where it will remain for centuries.
