Comments

1
Wait .. Did you say Pot Lottery?

I thought 4-20 was yesterday ...
2
When can we dispense with the notion that somehow enfant-terrible is a requirement for "genius". Or that sociopathy is an attribute which serves the larger society (rather than the individual) better, such that it's preferable to have a system constructed whereby those people are rewarded? Still, I can't see how his individual behavior is evidence one way or the other over collusive labor practices with other companies.
5
Happy you found the story on parents ignoring their kids in favor of phones, Anna. That was the stand-out story for me on NPR this morning. As a non-parent I'm always stunned by the cold disregard parents can show.
In research for her book, Steiner-Adair interviewed 1,000 children between the ages of 4 and 18, asking them about their parents' use of mobile devices. The language that came up over and over and over again, she says, was "sad, mad, angry and lonely." One 4- year-old called his dad's smartphone a "stupid phone." Others recalled joyfully throwing their parent's phone into the toilet, putting it in the oven or hiding it. There was one girl who said, "I feel like I'm just boring. I'm boring my dad because he will take any text, any call, anytime — even on the ski lift!"
I've been known to get up and walk away from people who won't put their damn phones away when we're spending time together—too bad kids can't usually do the same.
7
@5 It's worth remembering that you tend to be privy to only a very small window into the lives of these parents and children.

Many years ago, I used to take my child to my local McDonald's play area many a rainy NW afternoon, explicitly to have her interact with some children, and me a chance to catch up on email or whatever. Anyone catching us there would get an impression that was very different than most of our day.

That's not to say that I, or anyone else noted is necessarily a good parent despite such an observation, just that said observation is notably limited.
8
hey there sherlock, someone may have stolen the car. joy ride.

what's your name and address?
9
@7, sure, allowances made. But even though I'm not a parent, I've been around friends with small kids, stayed in their homes for days on end and so did not escape occasional squabbles and tears. The best parents among them never diddled their phones all day long, they dealt straightforwardly and with full attention to their kids (no talking out of the side of their mouth while staring at a screen), and they kept promises regarding their own necessary distractions, e.g., "I have to call in to work, but we'll go do X at two o'clock."
10
@5,

I've been on the other side of that, dealing with the people who expect an answer to their text or e-mail immediately, even if the content of the message isn't urgenty. I give myself a pat on the back if I manage to respond to a non-urgent message within a day, but I've always hated being at someone's beck and call; it's a big reason why I've gradually progressed to the point where I basically never pick up the phone unless I'm at work.

@7,

If a child is at the point of hating their parent's phone, that indicates to me that the parent has a problem. My mother spent a lot of time working, more time than I would have preferred, but even I never would have said I hated her job, and it never would have occurred to me to sabotage her job in any way.
11
The registered owner of the black BMW four-door sedan with plate AHL1946 (evidence over at CNN, believe it or not) has over fifty traffic charges in the city of Seattle alone, so whereas it's POSSIBLE someone may've stolen the car, it's PROBABLE the registered owner did.

I don't see the point of asking who saw a black BMW 4-door sedan driven in a reckless, dangerous manner if the readership is forbidden to provide information. I posted who the car is registered to. The address is probably out of date, but the registration information is not. Seriously, why pretend to care about innocent pedestrians? The pretense only baits people who want to see dangerous drivers put away.
12
Uh oh, so now if I dare look at my phone in public with my kid, I risk opprobrium from strangers?

The problem, as @7 noted, is that judging someone completely based on a few minutes of observation. Kids are exhausting. They require many, many hours of attention every single day for years and years. It's okay for a parent to need and desire a few minutes away, even if it's just mental.

Of course, if the parents have a problem, well they have a problem. Nobody is going to know that based on what someone does at a park. And the comments on the NPR site are hilarious. Yep, people looking at phones is a sure sign of society's decline.
13
I am going going crazy here waiting for the next iPhone upgrade. Are we up to the iPhone 6? Please have Paul Constant write an article on its new features if an when it happens. I absolutely love my current iPhone more than almost anything.
14
@10 I have no tales of sabotage, but there have been times when my daughter has expressed hatred of my job, the fact that I _had_ to take that call, the times I had to duck out or worse make her sit somewhere with "nothing" to do, while I fixed something.

When she was younger, she didn't accept or see as anything other than normal, the various ways we were compensated for all that, although with age has come some understanding and awareness.

I think that the reality of how these kids are experiencing these "interactions" is important and impactful, but I am not convinced that it necessarily is in line with what we might consider objective reality.
15
" registered owner of the black BMW four-door sedan with plate AHL1946 (evidence over at CNN, believe it or not) has over fifty traffic charges in the city of Seattle alone"

Sounds like someone has be given a lot of social justice.
16
I saw that crazy car driving on the sidewalk at Union and Broadway. They busted the cover of their left tail light on the metal utility pole on the corner of the block with Garage on it. It looked like a bunch of douches on a joyride.

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