Think of it as evolution in action

Distracted driving.  We all know someone who just can't seem to put the phone down long enough to take a shit, much less drive or walk.  These folks literally can't stop texting/talking/facebooking long enough to get to where they're going, so they wind up causing problems for those of us who DON'T have that particular monkey on our back. 

Some years back, me and a friend were walking home from a store after a beer run, and we were walking behind a rather attractive young woman wearing tight, revealing jeans.  My friend started commenting quietly (at first) on how she was so busy yakking on the phone, she never noticed the two guys right behind her.  He got louder and more suggestive as to what sort of activities could occur, simply to see if he could get any response out of her.  We finally wound up passing her up (she was pretty much blocking the sidewalk due to bushes and such growing right next to it, so it was either sidewalk or the street,) and she appeared quite startled by out 'sudden' appearence. 

Had we have actually been guys who were contemplating bad things for her, she would never have had a chance to respond in time before she would have been totally within the attacker/attackers power.  Oh, you might say she would have yelled out over the phone for help, but how hard is it to take a phone from a surprised person and shut it off or destroy it?  Even if she called out for help, who could possibly do anything in time to save her from a particularly bad incident?

Given the way these devices have propagated throughout society, I suspect incidents like this happen all the time, and not always with such benign results.  Hopefully, the young woman in question learned something that day about keeping ones eyes and ears open when out on the streets, rather than be absorbed in whatever is going on with her phone.

It's not just crime that poses a threat for those who are constantly obsessing over their mobile devices, normal everyday hazards are taking a toll.  Just on the news as of this writing, I've heard of a man who apparently was backed over by a large truck because he had his iPod turned up too loud to hear the warning beeper.  I've also seen men and women both step out into the street while texting/talking on the phone without looking around first.  This sort of behaviour would normally not be conducive to passing on ones genes, but these same people seem to be hauling around a fuckton of crotch dumplings.

Seriously, people?  I've said it before on other venues, I'll say it here and add something to it: Hang up and drive.  Hang up and walk.  Do your texting/talking when you're in a safe place.  A safe place is not defined as "the middle of the fucking road," you collosal fucktards.