According to a recent report, human beings are becoming so incredibly stupid that they require cushioned lamppost bases so that when they run into them they don't mess up their idiotic faces. Apparently, a study in the UK found that one in ten people actually managed to hurt themselves by walking into a post while peering down at their mobile phone screen. The mishaps -- called "walking and texting" injuries -- have spurred the charity Living Streets to launch the padded-post-pilot scheme in Brick Lane, London. It seems that if all goes well, there are plans to roll out the idiot-proof system in Birmingham, Manchester, and Stupidton.
Update: Thanks Mike, video now added after the break. Did he really say "higgily hoopily?"
[Image courtesy Yahoo! News]
Reader Comments (Page 3 of 3)
Prey521 @ Mar 6th 2008 3:22PM
When NYC starts padding lamp posts for the zombies on their phones texting away, I will agree with you, till then, London takes the Moronic City Award.
blackboard @ Mar 6th 2008 11:36AM
It's inventions like the Ipod blink remote control that make padded polls more sane.
http://packratstudios.com/index.php/2008/03/06/ipod-invention-leads-to-more-car-accidents-and-padded-everything-in-the-blink-of-an-eye/#more-149
Chris
http://packratstudios.com
EMaster @ Mar 6th 2008 12:01PM
Please tell me this is a joke. Well, there is no better way to get rid of stupid people is there?
martin @ Mar 6th 2008 12:30PM
a fucking charity is doing this? ever heard of oxfam? i think thats a bit more of a worthy cause.
Dawn @ Mar 6th 2008 12:37PM
Actually, he said "higgledy piggledy" - translation "random spacing; no apparent order" - and he's right!!!
Alex McKenna @ Mar 6th 2008 12:38PM
A large expensive replacement for a small cheap device. ??
I'll stay with my EEE-pc thanks !
The_Steven @ Mar 6th 2008 12:41PM
Screw the padding, I'm going to start selling head wound care kits, and lamppost cleaning supplies!
ROFLcat @ Mar 6th 2008 12:47PM
Sorry to break it to you, but this is a viral marketing stunt and the local town council is as mad as soccer hooligans forced to drink water:
http://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/content/towerhamlets/advertiser/news/story.aspx?brand=ELAOnline&category=news&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=newsela&itemid=WeED05%20Mar%202008%2017%3A10%3A46%3A543
OneLove @ Mar 6th 2008 1:05PM
English people are dumb. lol.
Billy @ Mar 6th 2008 1:28PM
This is the dumbest thing I've ever seen. People who are too busy texting to pay attention to their surroundings deserve anything that happens to them.
Peter E Dant @ Mar 6th 2008 1:41PM
To answer the question - No.
He actually said "Higgledy Piggledy"
see: http://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-hig1.htm
mschaffer @ Mar 6th 2008 1:49PM
What a F***ing waste!
G-Man @ Mar 6th 2008 2:17PM
This would be the dumbest thing ever if real...
Allo @ Mar 6th 2008 3:23PM
Not higgily hoopily, higgily piggily.
George @ Mar 6th 2008 4:14PM
I was laughing at this, but then I remembered: a couple of weeks ago I was walking home on a friday night, pissed and stoned, when I walked into a lamp-post whilst looking at my phone.
I'm smart really. Honest.
Simon @ Mar 6th 2008 4:29PM
I believe he said "higgeldy-piggeldy." I think it's pretty common British vernacular.
kgt350 @ Mar 6th 2008 6:12PM
We have really lost are way, I give up please cant someone let me fall down in peace I really want to remember what it was like.
Kylearan @ Mar 6th 2008 7:03PM
In the spirit of Airplane! ...
"They texted while walking, they knew what they were getting into. I say, let 'em crash."
Fahad @ Mar 6th 2008 7:30PM
i foolishly remember having done this and almost having done this on a number of occasions :-P
ROFLcat @ Mar 6th 2008 8:00PM
Sorry to break it to you, but this is a viral marketing stunt and the
local town council is as mad as soccer hooligans forced to drink
water:
http://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/content/towerhamlets/advertiser/news/story.aspx?brand=ELAOnline&category=news&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=newsela&itemid=WeED05%20Mar%202008%2017%3A10%3A46%3A543
S @ Mar 6th 2008 8:24PM
God forbid you actually use your peripheral vision and pay attention to where you're walking.
What happens when you bump another human being? As we all know from car crashes, that means 2x the impact velocity!
Human airbags FTW!
Phill @ Mar 8th 2008 8:30PM
Britney Spears naked again: http://celebritieshotvideos.com/videos.php?v=Britney_Spears
undrgrndgirl @ Mar 8th 2008 8:31PM
no, he said 'higgldy piggldy'....a common british slag term for "without much thought" or "cobbled together"
randomneko @ Mar 8th 2008 10:19PM
good joke. The grammer gave it away but its still fun.
I know a guy who texts while he drives. Hes gotten so good at it he doesnt look at the phone when replying. He still scares me when I have to ride in his car.
jim @ Mar 9th 2008 1:06AM
Why not just make people wear helmets. God this world is beyond help. How stupid can you be.
James @ Mar 9th 2008 4:43AM
This is the most ridiculous story I have ever seen. Why would a city waste money trying to protect idiots who are too stupid to watch where they are going? If they walk into a pole, they are unsafe and need to have the cell phone taken away from them. It would be much cheaper to make it illegal to text while you are walking or driving. That way the city could make money by issuing tickets instead of wasting it on these idiots.
Belle Starr @ Mar 9th 2008 5:09AM
Why not train people to look where they are going . If they did that in a car while driving , they could get a ticket in some parts of the USA .
Jane @ Mar 9th 2008 5:36PM
I propose that it be made a requirement that people who walk while texting must wear a large padded ring around their heads and middles. That way there can be some protection for the other human beings they also run into at a quick walk before one can get out of the way. It shouldn't have to be entirely up to the non-texting person to have to do a quick duck-and-dodge while being borne down upon by some idiot who should be watching where he or she is going.
steelorange @ Mar 9th 2008 9:35PM
There was the GPS mishaps... and now this. I love the Brits!
Andrew Vit @ Mar 11th 2008 4:49PM
Just wait until insurance companies get wind of this "texting risk": mandatory helmets for everyone at all times!
sven tamagotchi @ Mar 17th 2008 2:16PM
this is an advert for a phone company called 118 118 - listen to the broadcast again ppl
Evan @ Apr 3rd 2008 6:27PM
Why don't they just do what we Americans have been doing for ages... Belittle and laugh uncontrollably at the idiot who hit the pole. Nothing like a little humiliation to make you conscientious of your surroundings.
On a serious note, someone should finally make a psychological study proving that over-sensitivity to other people's feelings positively reinforces weakness, stupidity, carelessness, and overall lack of accountability for one's own actions.
I say... Let the UK pad every street pole in their great cities and bring them one step closer to degenerating into a nation of Mr. Beans. Who knows, it might even bring some comic relief to the rest of the world.