SkyFire is a bad mutha...

It's a mobile browser for Windows Mobile and Nokia phones and is so damned powerful, you can even navigate to Hulu's site and watch videos, just as you would on a regular pc.  I'm not talking about a Hulu APPLICATION, now.

Check out that video.

Kinda makes me wish I were a WinMo user, but I'm not and I plan for my next mobile operating system to be WebOS.   More on that later.

Celling Out

Admittedly, I'm not in the best of moods as I type this* so I may come off a bit pissier than I should. Despite that, I really do have a problem with California's new cellphone driving laws and I wanted to rant about'em right quick.

From what I understand, the law, which goes into effect today, July 1, 2008, has two main parts:
1) Driving while holding a mobile phone will result in a traffic ticket. Using a hands-free device (like a wired or Bluetooth headset) is a legal alternative.
2) Drivers under the age of eighteen are not allowed to use the phone while driving, at all - with or without a hands-free device.

I've got a big problem with both of these for reasons which I'd think would be obvious, but maybe not. One of the crafters of this law said that the same cellphone companies that tell their customers not to talk and drive also oppose this law. I don't think that's so hard to understand.

It's one thing to make a suggestion or even to warn someone, but it's quite another to make a law to limit their freedom to accept that suggestion. I've got a big problem with police pulling people over, ticketing them, fining them, or worse because they held a cellphone (without driving recklessly) instead of biting a cheeseburger, putting on make-up, or scolding their kids.

The cops say that they can also cite you for doing those things. Then, if you want, they can argue in court about it.

I'm annoyed by idiotic drivers on the regular, but I'd rather they be ticketed for doing something that results in an accident or accidental behavior - not because

It's estimated that this law will decrease the number of Californian traffic deaths or something by 300 - a 7% reduction. Yet I believe Schwarzenegger said it was the number one cause of traffic accidents. I caught most of this on the radio this morning, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. The point is that what I heard didn't seem to add up, although I guess I'd still have a problem with the situation even if it did.

I acknowledge, though, that it's hard to know when to make a law that restricts freedoms, but will probably help some people - even save lives. In this case, I'd love for the end-result to occur, but I do not want to be legislated to death.

And I really don't want the day to come when I'm pulled over because my phone alerted me that it was my Mom's birthday or something.









* - Among the reasons for this pissy mood is the fact that my lady's road bike was just stolen.

"I'm not special."

Back before Michael Richards' self-destruction, there was an episode of Seinfeld that really stuck with me. I don't recall all of the details, but I think Richards' character, Kramer, had some type of dental work done, which caused a temporary speech impediment. That, combined with what I think was another of the character's fashion faux paus, lead to certain people thinking that he was "special," if you know what I mean. Every little thing he did was a marvel and they were all too eager to help him with other tasks, big and small.

That's what I experienced this past weekend.

On Saturday, the intense coughing associated with my illness was at its peak. Speaking was all but impossible so I pretty much gave it up for the next day and a half. People at the stores and restaurants I visited were usually barely interested in helping me... until they saw that I was typing my requests on my Treo and giving them the "thumbs-up" sign to reply in the affirmative or to thank them.

In a lot of cases, I could see the moment realization dawned on their faces. Their eyes would go from a glazed-over expression to one of full attention on me and whatever I needed. It was like they were happy for me, trying to be "a big boy" and take care of my shopping and dining needs all by myself.

A server at a local IHoP went from speaking to me normally, to mouthing all of her words and using exaggerated gestures to point out things like her name-tag. Apparently, she thought I was hearing-impaired and incapable of speech.

A middle-aged Wal-Mart associate near the pharmacy area seemed so pleased to help me out, often checking on me to make sure someone was taking care of my requests. Usually, I'd be forced to respond with a thumbs-up which just cemented the impression that my vocabulary was limited to a handful of hand gestures. Later, she pulled back her blond hair to reveal a hearing aid, which I believe was a way of showing how much alike we were. Of course, that confirmed my fears and my conscience wouldn't allow me to respond to her extreme sincerity with anything short of whatever full disclosure I was capable of expressing.

I basically mouthed the word "I," performed a talking gesture with my hand, pointed to my throat, balled up my fist and twisted it, while performing silent coughing movements. I think she got the point that I was capable of speech, but that it hurt too much and caused me to cough incessantly.

There were plenty of other incidents where people who were completely uninterested in me or who seemed to be attracted to me changed their tunes (more or less) after seeing something wasn't quite right with me.

I expected most to respond like a guy in Best Buy did, a couple of days, ago. After I let him know I was sick and didn't want to pass it along to him, he went well out of his way to keep his distance from me. Fair enough, if a bit out-putting.

To my surprise, most folks seemed more interested in showing support for me (possibly because they thought my ailment was something less contagious, like being speech- or hearing-impaired).

It was hard not to be simultaneously moved by their altruism and amused by their assumptions.

It's been an interesting, if very trying, series of days.

Can You Hear Me Now?

Have you ever heard of those folks who seem to thrive on drama - who aren't satisfied with their relationships unless someone's yelling, fussing, fighting, or something? I've heard of guys who love it when their respective mates are calling them MF's and slapping them around. I've also heard of women who aren't happy unless they're questioning their mate's fidelity or he's doing them wrong in some way.

In my opinion, an example of the same thing, on a smaller scale, is when your mate doesn't give serious thought and consideration to your concerns... unless you're YELLING, SCREAMING, AND FLIPPING-THE-F-OUT!

It's like all the gentle, politely-expressed concerns fall on deaf ears. I wonder what it is that makes some people incapable of truly hearing their partners unless he or she is throwing a fit or packing their bags.

Many of us claim to want mature, drama-free, relationships supported by thoughtful, reciprocal communication but, as some expressed on my recent Bad Boys post, what we claim we want and what we actually seek out and embrace are two different things.

Maybe this post can serve as a reminder, to all of us, that maybe we could try a little harder to respect and receive our partners' feelings and concerns. Sometimes, waiting until someone reaches the breaking point is too late and you won't be able to get her to unpack her clothes and stay... or you won't be able to stop him from leaving the house in a huff.

Some say that, with regard to our biological health, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." I have little doubt that this applies to our emotional (and relational) health, as well.

"He speaks so well."

A number of Black Americans are offended by a non-Black person referring to any Black person as "articulate." According to many, it is an example of those back-handed compliments to which Chris Rock so humorously, but indelicately refers: "[Saying an educated man] speaks so well isn't a compliment. 'Speaks so well' is some $#!+ you say about a retarded person... that can TALK!"

So, many Blacks see it as an insult and many whites see it as a compliment. Tony Cox, of NPR's "African-American RoundTable," (read or listen here) refers to this difference of interpretation as "a cultural and linguistic divide." He compares it to the statement from times past, "You're a credit to your race."

In that same February 7th episode, Ron Christie, former Special Assistant to President George W. Bush, mentioned how he once participated in a good panel discussion, in which he was the only Black person, then watched as an audience member by-passed the white panelists to tell HIM how incredibly articulate he was.

Mr. Christie's reaction?

"I'm a lawyer, what did you expect?"

He's got a point. Mr. Christie went on to say he'd received similar reactions in the White House, during his time on-staff there.

What do you think?

Certainly poor usage can taint an otherwise useful word or group of words. And, given the examples I've heard on NPR and on Dwayne McDuffie's messageboard, I can understand how one could be offended by the phrase, at times. Still, there are times, I've been told, when there's no hidden meaning behind a statement.

I believe it was Jeff Obafemi Carr, host of the show, Freestyle, who mentioned that he's often used the word "articulate" to describe 3-year-olds he's heard using big words very well... for their age. I assume his point was that the compliment is relative to something else - in the case of his example, age.

I think that example is instructive in more ways than one, though. Perhaps someone who walks past a group of white people to the one Black person on a panel isn't saying, "You speak so well... as compared to other Black people." Instead, perhaps s/he is saying that "You speak so well... as compared to the other panelists."

Maybe I'm just so happy to get such a compliment that I'm blinded - unable to read between the lines. It's hard to say.

Your thoughts?