Selfies and smart watches
THERE was a time when it became common to hear of an accident or people getting killed because they kept looking at their cellphones. Now, it is about taking selfies. A 17-yearold from Russia gained notoriety by showing selfies of himself on rooftops and other dangerously high places in Instagram. Sadly, during his latest stunt, which was to hang from a roof by a rope, the rope snapped and he fell from the nine-storey building to his death.
Russia reports a good number of people dying from taking selfies. A place reportedly dangerous and popular is on the top of trains. A couple of weeks ago, on the famous Taj Mahal, a man died after falling down the steps as he tried to get a better angle.
But what about this? A 17-year-old boy from North Carolina was reportedly arrested because they found on his phone nude photos of himself. Now the nude photos were those of himself which he took when he was 16. It is curious that under North Carolina law, you are considered an adult if you commit a crime above the age of 16 (which he was). But you are considered a minor if you are a victim and below 18, which he was, too.
I’m sure that since this is so widely reported in the papers, people will see the absurdity of all this, and probably revise the antiquated law that made that arrest legal.
Meanwhile here’s another story where technology might be good can and saves lives. Seventeen-year-old Paul Houle Jr. believes that his Apple Watch just saved his life.
He is a football player, and after practice, he noticed that he had chest and back pain. He thought he was just tired and proceeded to rest. However, one of the things that triggered an alarm was his Apple Watch, which showed that his heart rate was hovering at 145, which was twice the normal rate. He went to the emergency room, and found out that he had rhabdomyolysis, a disease where the muscle suddenly breaks down and floods the system with protein and could be life threatening.
He was able to get medical help. If not for that alarm, he would just have died in his sleep, according to his doctor.