# "Where r u" -- "In mnhol hlp" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 12, 2009, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-r-u-in-mnhol-hlp/502771 "2009-07-12T18:08:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-r-u-in-mnhol-hlp/502771/1 "2009-07-12T18:08:31Z")
Don’t walk and text, if you’re a [clueless 15-year-old](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31853449/?GT1=43001). Then again, with a good lawyer, it might pay for your Paris Blues, Mudds, Uggs, and BP flats for years to come…As long as you can put up with the “gross factor.” ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-r-u-in-mnhol-hlp/502771/2 "2009-07-12T18:15:58Z")
I think a valuable lesson was taught here. But of course they’re going to sue when they should be paying tuition. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-r-u-in-mnhol-hlp/502771/3 "2009-07-12T18:21:56Z")
Nelson Muntz is never actually there when you need him. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-r-u-in-mnhol-hlp/502771/4 "2009-07-12T18:34:59Z")
Once again Mel Brooks was right. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-r-u-in-mnhol-hlp/502771/5 "2009-07-12T18:38:01Z")
Is the fact that she was texting relevant? I mean, I don’t always look straight down when I’m walking–would it be funny if I fell in? ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-r-u-in-mnhol-hlp/502771/6 "2009-07-12T18:43:43Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Is the fact that she was texting relevant? I mean, I don’t always look straight down when I’m walking–would it be funny if I fell in? Theoretically you’d notice the manhole much sooner since you’d be looking forward at where you were walking. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-r-u-in-mnhol-hlp/502771/7 "2009-07-12T18:50:33Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Theoretically you’d notice the manhole much sooner since you’d be looking forward at where you were walking. But manholes are on the ground, not at eye level. Even my eye level (I’m short). ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-r-u-in-mnhol-hlp/502771/8 "2009-07-12T19:05:46Z")
There’s this thing called “perspective.” Turns out that if you look ahead, you can watch the ground, the people, and other obstacles _all at the same time_. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-r-u-in-mnhol-hlp/502771/9 "2009-07-12T19:41:15Z")
> [@Nametag](#): > > There’s this thing called “perspective.” Turns out that if you look ahead, you can watch the ground, the people, and other obstacles _all at the same time_. Maybe I’m just uber clumsy, but I’ve definitely tripped over stuff on the ground despite looking ahead. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-r-u-in-mnhol-hlp/502771/10 "2009-07-12T20:02:33Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Maybe I’m just uber clumsy, but I’ve definitely tripped over stuff on the ground despite looking ahead. There must be an error condition in your eye/brain/foot interface. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-r-u-in-mnhol-hlp/502771/11 "2009-07-12T20:07:46Z")
> [@Chez\_Guevara](#): > > There must be an error condition in your eye/brain/foot interface. You’ve never not looked where you were going and tripped over something? ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-r-u-in-mnhol-hlp/502771/12 "2009-07-12T20:14:01Z")
> [@Nametag](#): > > There’s this thing called “perspective.” Turns out that if you look ahead, you can watch the ground, the people, and other obstacles _all at the same time_. Maybe a better term would be [saccade](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saccade), by which a “fixated” gaze actually shifts around to take in various parts of the field of view: [QUOTE=Wikipedia] Humans and other animals do not look at a scene in a steady way. Instead, the eyes move around, locating interesting parts of the scene and building up a mental ‘map’ corresponding to the scene. One reason for saccades of the human eye is that the central part of the retina, the fovea, plays a critical role in resolving objects. By moving the eye so that small parts of a scene can be sensed with greater resolution, body resources can be used more efficiently. [/QUOTE] I.e., so that your body doesn’t fall into a manhole, even when your primary attention is (normally, not while texting) focused on, let’s say, a traffic light, etc. > [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Maybe I’m just uber clumsy, but I’ve definitely tripped over stuff on the ground despite looking ahead. I think we all have, especially things that are a lot smaller than a gaping manhole, or things that we encounter at such close proximity they can’t enter our field of vision. But when you’re walking on the street, you really need to look at the ground, if for no other reason than to avoid dog feces. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-r-u-in-mnhol-hlp/502771/13 "2009-07-12T20:16:03Z")
All right. I’m going to check and see what I bump into when I go out later. In all honesty, I trip or bump into a lot of things, though. Yes, when it comes to walking, I’m chock full o fail. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-r-u-in-mnhol-hlp/502771/14 "2009-07-12T20:17:02Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > You’ve never not looked where you were going and tripped over something? There’s a big difference between tripping over a slight difference in the heights of different sections of sidewalk and not noticing a 2 to 5 foot in diameter hole right in front of you, particularly with workers scurrying around, a work truck parked nearby, and the hole cover lying on the ground next to it. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-r-u-in-mnhol-hlp/502771/15 "2009-07-12T21:31:47Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > All right. I’m going to check and see what I bump into when I go out later. In all honesty, I trip or bump into a lot of things, though. Yes, when it comes to walking, I’m chock full o fail. ☹ Okay, let us know. But don’t send your post on a PDA while walking through the streets. ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-r-u-in-mnhol-hlp/502771/16 "2009-07-12T21:38:56Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > All right. I’m going to check and see what I bump into when I go out later. In all honesty, I trip or bump into a lot of things, though. Yes, when it comes to walking, I’m chock full o fail. ☹ I guess that, unlike us, the rest of the Dopers all have perfect coordination and never trip or fall or anything. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-r-u-in-mnhol-hlp/502771/17 "2009-07-12T21:43:49Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > … things that are a lot smaller than a gaping manhole … I politely request that you do not use those two words together ever again. ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-r-u-in-mnhol-hlp/502771/18 "2009-07-12T23:13:46Z")
goatse? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-r-u-in-mnhol-hlp/502771/19 "2009-07-12T23:36:13Z")
The best part is that her family is planning to sue. Why not, that’s the American Way! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2009, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-r-u-in-mnhol-hlp/502771/20 "2009-07-12T23:58:34Z")
To be fair, I think the utility workers were negligent in not blocking the open manhole. What if the pedestrian had been blind or distracted for some reason other than texting? Would we be similarly unsympathetic? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-r-u-in-mnhol-hlp/502771.md?page=2)