[Carrie]iPhones and Drive Cams

Sunday is my day to put my road bike on a trainer and ride. I can’t do outdoor rides without having to pay a babysitter. But my kids know that Sundays are for two things: riding on the trainer and watching golf (or football, depending on the season).

Alas, yesterday we had a birthday party. All day. It was fun, but I missed my Sunday.

So, this morning I take the girls to school and hop on my bike for an hour. No golf. The View is a repeat. ESPN doesn’t interest me. So I turn to CNN, which I realize I haven’t watched in months.

This was the most disturbing bike ride I’ve had in a long time.

First, the people on the mid-morning news aren’t really journalists; they’re personalities. Well, I get the feeling that they are journalists, because they didn’t seem too comfortable yucking it up, which made all the yucking up that much more uncomfortable to watch.

Then they did a story about iPhones. This mystifies me. First, where does the “story” end and the hype begin? I mean, Apple couldn’t have bought as much publicity as the iPhones got last week. For a day or two, they even eclipsed Paris Hilton.

But what I really don’t get is what the fuss is all about. I bought an iPod about four years ago, and frankly I think it’s a piece of crap. The battery runs out within what seems like an hour—I don’t think it’s ever shown a full charge. You could be listening to something, and the iPod will accidentally bump and click you to an entirely different playlist. Most problematic for me is that the recording function is very poor. It’s for recording “voice memos.” If you want to record anything of quality, you have to buy a separate mini disc or other mp3 device. And I can’t transfer anything from my iPod to my computer. So what do you do when you buy a new computer?

The story today on CNN was about how some iPhones weren’t working properly. Uh, yeah. They’re still iPods. Actually, the story mentioned that some iPhones weren’t working properly. The story was really just a promotional piece for Apple.

This made me sad. But not as sad as the next story, which was about drive-cams that mount on your car so parents can keep an eye on their teenagers—literally.

That’s right. Teens get in the car and a camera records their every move and discussion. And if a teen goes over a set speed limit, an e-mail is sent to his or her parents. It’s supposed to be for safety. It’s supposed to make kids learn to drive better. And, it probably does.

The entire report took the stance that this was a good idea. It was, essentially, a promo for the drive-cam. The reporter said things like, “It’s big brother, but the teens say it helps them be better drivers.” Then they showed a clip of the reporter practically coercing a teenager to say exactly that.

We can have all sorts of debates about privacy and whether teens are entitled to it. What disturbs me most is that this is a first step to people being ok with being watched all the time. These teens are going to grow up, and possibly face some other assault on their civil liberties, and they’ll be less likely to be outraged that they’re being watched or listened to or followed. They’ve already been through it. They’ve already become enured.

I tried to pedal harder, but I just couldn’t run away from these stories. I should have watched The View. At least they don’t pretend to be anything but entertainment.

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