The freaking ear buds!!!!!

[Darth Handsome]

you are making the mistake of taking Darth Handsome seriously.

5% of the time, Im not in character. This is one of those times.

 

[bolophonic]

Yip. This planet would be better off without us. Of course, it would serve no purpose, but who cares about that?

I grew up in the 70s, The "gals" had gotten out of the kitchen by then. My mother worked. Most women I knew worked.

I grew up in paper mill country. They plant more than they cut....as do lumber companies here. Third world countries, not so much.

Thousands of species went extinct long before humans came along. But I guess that's our fault too..... somehow.

The climate changed even more drastically long before we came along too. But I guess that's our fault too..... somehow.

So, I guess dinosaurs were the virus until we came along? Then we killed them off somehow and became even more.....viral....and..... stuff.

That must be it.

Seriously, though. What was the virus that caused all of the same problems on the planet before we came along? Ice ages? Forest fires? Animal extinctions? I guess all of those things were "natural occurrences" until humans came along. And then the exact same problems became unnatural.....cuz we're all like mean..... and like..... dumb..... and...... stuff.

Wow. We're worse than animals eating each other into extinction, tectonic plates crushing each other, massive volcanoes, glaciers, meteors and floods that happened over millions of years combined???? We must be pretty...... bad.... and.... stuff. That's some powerful hair spray we had developed.

Sure. Seems like an intelligent theory.

I hear you, man... it seems like every day now, a reasonable guy can't even walk down the street for one minute without some HIPPIE WALKING UP AND BLAMING US FOR THE EXTINCTION OF THE DINOSAURS!!!!!!!!11!!1ELEVEN!!!!!11!

 

[Darth Handsome]

Actually, we can debate the first part. The last part is the one you can't address. What about BEFORE we were here? According to many, anything that happened BEFORE humans was "natural". Once we came along, the SAME changes in species and climate became our fault, thus "unnatural".

So, let's say I cede you the point on the "purpose" of the planet. What about that second part? Is it "so ignorant that it isn't worth addressing"? That's the usual line when someone doesn't have an answer. Or, perhaps "foo foo" is the more reasonable response.

Bring my head out of the sand, please. Make that math work. Before humans, extinction and climate change was "natural". Since we came along, it's our fault and unnatural. We aren't intelligent or powerful enough to create rain, stop a volcano, stop hurricanes, end a drought, predict any of the preceding, but we can destroy the whole dang planet in a couple hundred years....... or actually in just over a hundred industrialized years. MILLIONS of years of CRAZY changes in climate and species. And hair spray, cars and smoke stacks are destroying the whole thing in a century.

Make that math make sense. Why were all those changes cool before human and not cool since we came along?

Ready go.

Oh, I'm sorry. My rant is so ignorant it's not worth responding to. I forgot.

It's not worth addressing if you're going to blatantly ignore facts.
Do a search on human impact if you like. Im not going to present an essay on what should be common knowledge because you've decided to be stubborn. Im not getting paid. Do a search. Or better yet, hit the library, you can chat up the librarian, all social like. We'll talk again next week once you've done your homework.

 

[Michael B]

OK, so I can't go into much of what I do. But I work around a lot of people. These people have to go into and out of a bunch of large buildings. They enter and exit from lots of doors and have to walk between buildings outside. There are lots of people who run the gamut of demographics. Old, young, short, tall, rich, poor, fat, thin, all races and genders.

And, almost to a person, they wander around with their heads down listening to ear buds! They even hide them in their clothing because they aren't supposed to be listening to anything at work. What in the crap are you people listening to that HAS to be listened to ALL the time?????

Fortunately, I don't have to park a mile away and ride a bus in like most employees. But for the first few days here I did (until I got my parking spot). Those first few days when I was riding the bus from the parking lot EVERY SINGLE PERSON (between 18 and 27 people...... I counted) was wearing ear buds and staring at their phones. NOBODY spoke. Some were in their 50s!

If you think technology is bring us together, you are sadly mistaken.

What brought this to a head was that I almost got plowed into by a (gorgeous) woman this morning. She walked in through an exterior door and never so much as looked up from her phone. She was listening to her ear buds and staring down while walking. After she said "Excuse me" and went around, she put her head right back down.

Then..... I looked up at the group of people who walked in right behind her. SEVEN people...... who were walking "together"..... were ALL listening to ear buds. Nobody was talking. Most were looking down.

Then....... I went outside to drive back here to my building. About 50 people were walking down the alley between buildings heading for the bus. All but SIX of them (I counted) were listening to EAR BUDS and had their heads down. (All six were older African American women...... don't know what that means but I found it interesting that they all fell into the same demographic.) Some people were even walking in pairs, but not speaking...... just listening to ear buds.

It was like I was on Candid Camera. I was standing there with the most perplexed look on my face gawking at these people.

Short version.

WHAT IN THE CRAP ARE YOU PEOPLE LISTENING TO THAT HAS TO BE LISTENED TO WHILE YOU ARE SURROUNDED BY CO-WORKERS?????? What do you have against human contact???? Why don't you TALK to people?????


(takes a breath)

Sorry. Rant over.
Woooooooosaaaaaah...... Woooooooooooosaaaaaaaaah........
View attachment 768429




Seriously, take those things out and say "Good morning" to people. Smile at people. Hold doors for people. It would change the world.... I think.

Podcasts.

 

[two fingers]

Podcasts.

Of..... .

 

[Michael B]

I imagine largely matching a top podcasts list.

 

[BadJazz]

From ear buds to global climate change in 3 pages.

 

[two fingers]

Never mind. Derailed my own thread.
edit to delete.

 

[bolophonic]

Hey how about just one good fact to tickle my intellect? Because your answer sounds a lot like "You're to ignorant to even respond to".

(Translation: You feel really strongly about it but the have no idea what you are talking about.)

Besides, you still haven't answered why it is that all the changes that happened before humans are natural, and yet any changes that occurred after humans came around are unnatural and bad....and caused by us.

And you didn't bother telling me what the perfect average temperature for the planet is, and how we know. Why do scientists assume that the temperature the planet was in 1843 was the optimum temperature? Why is it that the change occurring now is bad? How do they know? Maybe it's the change that is supposed to occur. Maybe polar bears weren't meant to last as long as dinosaurs did. Why is extinction after humans bad, but it was natural before? Why is it that polar ice caps melting 47 times before humans came along was no big deal, but it is now and we should try to stop it? Why?

Why is it that Africa being slammed up against South America was OK a millipn years ago but the sea level rising one inch now would be catastrophic simply because some guy in a lab coat says so today? Everything changed before we got here.

How about simply suggesting the title of the book that succinctly answers these questions?

Any of these questions could be answered in short, concise sentences. Give it a shot, big guy.

Not getting paid, you say? Another fine excuse.

Is this just a long winded way of saying that you do not believe in any science nor logic, whatsoever?

 

[two fingers]

Is this just a long winded way of saying that you do not believe in any science nor logic, whatsoever?

No. Not at all. I am simply saying that science has yet to answer any of these questions.

Can you?
Why is the current temperature the "correct" one even though the temperature has never been stable in millions of years?
Why is climate change "bad" now when it was only "natural" before?
Why is this climate change a bad one and why should we try to stop it (even if we could)?
We're all of the climate changes before humans bad as well?

 

[bolophonic]

No. Not at all. I am simply saying that science has yet to answer any of these questions.

Can you?
Why is the current temperature the "correct" one even though the temperature has never been stable in millions of years?
Why is climate change "bad" now when it was only "natural" before?
Why is this climate change a bad one and why should we try to stop it (even if we could)?
We're all of the climate changes before humans bad as well?

I cannot spend a bunch of time concerning myself with every little straw man that you can think of. Try reading this: Choose science, stewardship in understanding climate change :: WRAL.com

 

[two fingers]

Is this just a long winded way of saying that you do not believe in any science nor logic, whatsoever?

No. Not at all. I am simply saying that science has yet to answer any of these questions.

Can you?
Why is the current temperature the "correct" one even though the temperature has never been stable in millions of years?
Why is climate change "bad" now when it was only "natural" before?
Why is this climate change a bad one and why should we try to stop it (even if we could)?
We're all of the climate changes before humans bad as well?

I cannot spend a bunch of time concerning myself with every little straw man that you can think of. Try reading this: Choose science, stewardship in understanding climate change :: WRAL.com

When did questions become "straw men"?

 

[bolophonic]

No. Not at all. I am simply saying that science has yet to answer any of these questions.

Can you?
Why is the current temperature the "correct" one even though the temperature has never been stable in millions of years?
Why is climate change "bad" now when it was only "natural" before?
Why is this climate change a bad one and why should we try to stop it (even if we could)?
We're all of the climate changes before humans bad as well?


When did questions become "straw men"?

Read the article. Every one of your questions is a meaningless riddle. Earlier in this thread you were complaining that environmentally minded people were somehow blaming humans for extinctions that occurred before we existed. That is a perfectly idiotic assertion that nobody has ever made and you know it. A straw man. Your questions above are just a baffling excuse for the decision to act irresponsibly. I bet that you cannot read the article that I suggested. It explains in scientific terms what is causing the concern.

 

[bluesblaster]

the small boat drifted effortlessly across the pond in much the same way a bowling ball doesnt

 

[RED J]

Do you see it as a healthy development in society? Is it a good thing? Bad thing? Or irrelevant and has zero affect on anything whatsoever?

Anybody who uses earbuds deserves what they get. If there was ever a piece of abysmally detritical regressive lo-fi pathetic profanical tripe this is it.
The bane of society. What ever happened to component stereo and a room full of hi fi equipment that could make your ears bleed ?! Settling for this rot has reduced society to one dimensional listeners who are missing the whole world around them. Hearing everything and feeling nothing. They can't even make a real sound wave. Or sumpm.

 

[catcauphonic]

Anybody who uses earbuds deserves what they get. If there was ever a piece of abysmally detritical regressive lo-fi pathetic profanical tripe this is it.
The bane of society. What ever happened to component stereo and a room full of hi fi equipment that could make your ears bleed ?! Settling for this rot has reduced society to one dimensional listeners who are missing the whole world around them. Hearing everything and feeling nothing. They can't even make a real sound wave. Or sumpm.

Wow, nice rant . FTR, i agree .. Sacrificing bass response for portability is heresy & a modern plague

 

[bluesblaster]

How ya gonna annoy the neighbors with earbuds ? utterly ridiculous

 

[zontar]

I hate ear buds--they feel weird in my ears & hurt.
I'll use headphones if keeping my music from others is a priority or a courtesy-otherwise -speakers.
And I don' wear them walking outside--too much of a distraction & unsafe.

Most of the time I hear about someone hit by a bus or train it was because they walked in front of it--wrapped up in their earbuds & ipod/phone/whatever

 

[cfsporn]

Anybody who uses earbuds deserves what they get. If there was ever a piece of abysmally detritical regressive lo-fi pathetic profanical tripe this is it.
The bane of society. What ever happened to component stereo and a room full of hi fi equipment that could make your ears bleed ?! Settling for this rot has reduced society to one dimensional listeners who are missing the whole world around them. Hearing everything and feeling nothing. They can't even make a real sound wave. Or sumpm.

I think I'm the only person in the world who really likes the EarPods that came with my iPhone. They're better than a set of $180 AKGs imho.

 

[RED J]

I think I'm the only person in the world who really likes the EarPods that came with my iPhone. They're better than a set of $180 AKGs imho.

Knock yerself out, can't argue with success !