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Streetpong [video]

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Re: Streetpong [video]

#81

Post by 1stop »

fit2rule wrote: post #47
michaelmior wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not necessarily. I think the way the sentence was originally worded is also correct. It means in general, Germans are stopping at traffic lights on an ongoing basis. I don't think the immediacy on the part of the speaker. is a strict requirement.

Are you describing something happening right now, posessively (i.e. right in front of you?) Then the sentence "they are stopping in front of the traffic lights" is correct. But are you describing a general activity, which you have observed, and which you do not currently possess, in front of you, at the moment? In which case referring to the definite possessive form "they are" is incorrect - who are 'they'? Are you o…

Actually you just came across like a tool.

You understood their point, had nothing to add, so you thought you'd be a tool instead.[0]

[0] Just as I have done.

Re: Streetpong [video]

#82

Post by deletes »

nacs wrote: post #79
deletes wrote: post #3

The fact that you eventually meet your opponent when the light goes green is awesome.

Wonder how many people will take the game far too seriously and start a fight in the middle of the road..

That is a horrible mentality.

I don't see how the game has anything to do with it. If a person is capable of physically retaliating to a complete stranger over a game of pong, that person is mentally ill and has serious problem existing in society regardless.

Re: Streetpong [video]

#83

Post by fit2rule »

1stop wrote: post #81
fit2rule wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you describing something happening right now, posessively (i.e. right in front of you?) Then the sentence "they are stopping in front of the traffic lights" is correct. But are you describing a general activity, which you have observed, and which you do not currently possess, in front of you, at the moment? In which case referring to the definite possessive form "they are" is incorrect - who are 'they'? Are you o…

Actually you just came across like a tool. You understood their point, had nothing to add, so you thought you'd be a tool instead.[0] [0] Just as I have done.

I live surrounded by Germans making this mistake. I'm their tool.

Re: Streetpong [video]

#84

Post by benjamta »

tghw wrote: post #35
tbirdz wrote: post #16

This looks a little dangerous to me, because it makes the pedestrian take their mind off the road. Just last week, a car accidentally drove up on the side walk part of the crosswalk and would have hit me had I not been paying attention and jumped out of the way. From what I understand this is not an uncommon event either. It's not like the lip of the curve is really any protection against the cars, a car can easily d…

It is an uncommon event. If it were common, we would be protecting every street corner with large bollards or a concrete wall. How many cars pass through an intersection on any given day. How many end up on the curb?

It's common enough that many crossings in the UK are protected with metal barriers. It's not at all uncommon to see those barriers bent and twisted where a car has hit them.

Sure thousands of cars can pass through a crossing every day with out on mounting the pavement. But road safety is all about improving the odds.

Re: Streetpong [video]

#85

Post by aaronsnoswell »

tbirdz wrote: post #16

This looks a little dangerous to me, because it makes the pedestrian take their mind off the road. Just last week, a car accidentally drove up on the side walk part of the crosswalk and would have hit me had I not been paying attention and jumped out of the way. From what I understand this is not an uncommon event either. It's not like the lip of the curve is really any protection against the cars, a car can easily d…

For this reason I tend to position myself behind the nearby traffic pole relative to traffic on my side of the road while waiting for the 'cross' light.

Re: Streetpong [video]

#86

Post by desas »

kanamekun wrote: post #54
tghw wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is an uncommon event. If it were common, we would be protecting every street corner with large bollards or a concrete wall. How many cars pass through an intersection on any given day. How many end up on the curb?

In parts of the world, bollards are much more common. But in New York City, they are much more rare: http://www.streetsblog.org/2005/10/14/making-nycs-streets-sa... There have been a significant number of cases where cars end up sidewalks near where I live. It's not just drunk drivers; it's often distracted drivers who are texting or using an app. Bollards are a great and fairly cheap solution, but many bureaucrats a…

It may be unlikely but it does happen. I know someone who drove off the road (60mph single carriageway) at high speed and into a bollard. The bollard went through the air, smashed through a house window and caused the inhabitant to have a heart attack.

Re: Streetpong [video]

#87

Post by desas »

Dirlewanger wrote: post #36

Yeah, sure, it's cool, but take a step back and it's actually kind of sickening. All plays back to society needing constant stimulation of some kind. We can't just wait , or be bored , heaven forbid, anymore. Our phones aren't even enough now!

"If a Victorian gentleman arrived in present-day London, he'd think we'd been invaded by glowing rectangles"

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/aug/24/charlie...

Re: Streetpong [video]

#88

Post by kanamekun »

desas wrote: post #86
kanamekun wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In parts of the world, bollards are much more common. But in New York City, they are much more rare: http://www.streetsblog.org/2005/10/14/making-nycs-streets-sa... There have been a significant number of cases where cars end up sidewalks near where I live. It's not just drunk drivers; it's often distracted drivers who are texting or using an app. Bollards are a great and fairly cheap solution, but many bureaucrats a…

It may be unlikely but it does happen. I know someone who drove off the road (60mph single carriageway) at high speed and into a bollard. The bollard went through the air, smashed through a house window and caused the inhabitant to have a heart attack.

If someone hits a pedestrian at even 40 mph, it's 85% likely to result in a fatality: http://www.streetsblog.org/2010/04/27/waiting-for-raymond-de...

If that same accident happens at 20 mph, there's only a 5% chance of a fatality. That's a big reason why London lowered the speed limit in the heart of the city to 20 mph: http://www.streetsblog.org/2013/09/13/the-heart-of-london-ad...

New York is pushing for a similar change... hopefully if and when it happens, more bollards can be put in place without endangering others. http://www.streetsblog.org/2013/05/16/neighborhoods-across-n...

Re: Streetpong [video]

#89

Post by YokoZar »

lostlogin wrote: post #80
YokoZar wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The risk of someone dying due to distraction and a failure to avoid an out of control car is dramatically less than the risk of someone dying due to getting bored and jaywalking into traffic.

Not sure how many countries have jaywalking type laws, but in every country I have lived in or or been to, bar the US and (after reading the below link) Singapore, it's just called 'crossing the road http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaywalking

The legal situation isn't particularly relevant so much as whether or not people will decide to cross the street before the light tells them to, and whether that has a higher probability of accident.

Re: Streetpong [video]

#90

Post by wahsd »

aestra wrote: post #67
0m1cr0n wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think what you're describing is a "scamble" crosswalk. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedestrian_scramble They're a nice way of balancing foot traffic with the need for vehicles to turn at a light. I'm not sure why they're not more popular around the world.

> I'm not sure why they're not more popular around the world Because they tend to prioritize pedestrian traffic.

Can't have those poor people taking over our streets, now can we? Feet don't make rich people money, cars do.
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