Jogger Hits Tree While Tweeting, Hurtles Toward Global Infamy
James Coleman of Bristol, England became the “laughing stock of the office” after he got a black eye while using Twitter on the go. His humiliation could get so much worse than that. Coleman’s story illustrates tidily what so many people hate about the microblogging service: Narcissistically documenting one’s life all too often interferes with leading said life.
In Coleman’s case, reality literally smacked him upside the head. He was jogging to work and tweeting on his BlackBerry when he cracked his skull against a low-hanging branch, according to the Daily Telegraph.
“One minute I was running along posting a tweet, the next I was lying on my back on the pavement in agony.”The branch came out of nowhere and hit my face hard.”
Coleman has suffered what the Telegraph calls Britain’s first “twinjury.”
You can watch the fallout unfold on Coleman’s Twitter stream:
Now UPI’s picked up the story, and Coleman’s fast on his way to becoming the poster boy for careless tweeters worldwide. Somebody had to do it!
(Pic: Daily Telegraph)
Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
@BxgrlJeri: At least you have that awareness.
As funny as this story is, there was a young man in Victoria who died a few days ago, the result of injuries sustained after a very bad collision. As it turned out, he was sending a text message on his Blackberry when he crashed.
What a senseless waste.
@Claire Buoyant: At least he has a sense of humor about it.
@mattchew03: I deplore Americans saying it. Very twee, very effete.
/Who the hell asked me?
Once again, Andy Warhol was decades ahead of his time. His book "Philosophy of Andy Warhol" was a long series of short bursts of observations - basically pre-computer twatting. Of course he had his assistant write the actual book, but he just put his name on it forgoing the dangers such as this.
uncle_wiggly
"Narcissistically documenting one's life all too often interferes with leading said life"
Why I do not. and will not tweet.
Enough trouble leading a real life without documenting it in all it's inanity.
@Colonel Mustard: this is the best thing I've read all day.
blonderedhead
"goodbye my friends! i am off to glory!"
shostakobitch
Wouldn't a "twinjury" be the ultimate jury of one's peers?
Don't you mean twitjury?
CreampuffTKO
Evolution in action.
As much as I think that cell phones and texting are stupid and people are complete idiots for doing it while running, driving etc. and I probably use my phone, do texting and email much less than most people, I find that when I rent a car to go out of town for the weekend I have to leave the iPhone in the backseat otherwise the temptation is too great.
That's one scary thought right there.
@crumb-bun: I don't know about you, but I heard that it was absolutely STUNNING in DC that day...
I can't stand it when those tree limbs come out of nowhere like that.
NormaPlease
@crumb-bun: So blessedly free of references, so you feel the need to bring her back up.
Seriously, people, do you really think you can have your cake and keep eating it too?
@Colonel Mustard: seriously, what a let down.
rahelio
@rahelio: I'm also pretty partial to "shan't." I was watching some Barbara Walters special a few years ago (maybe her "Most Embarrassing Moments" one, can't remember) and saw a clip of her interviewing a woman, though I can't remember who it was. Babs asked a ~probing~ question and the interviewee broke down and pleaded with her to not "go there" or whatever. Immediately, Ms. Walters responded solemnly with "I shan't... I shan't." It was magic.
I will not specify the name because this site has been so blessedly free of references to her of late, but I will say that I am confident that there are many here among us who only WISH that the twingery victim was a certain Twitterer who claimed recently to have gone for a "jog" on "The Hill."
crumb-bun
He can't have been in that much agony if he's still tweeting.
I'm just sad that the first tweet isn't 'Can't believe how late I am for w823#######'
@mattchew03: i use it in conversation more than I would like admit.
rahelio
@VoxPopuli: Oddly enough, those were my wedding vows.
RollsRoyceRevenge
I'll give him some credit for not tweeting:
Ow!
3:13 a.m.
Oh no!
3:13 a.m.
That hurt!
3:14
Someone just asked if I'm OK. Can't they see I'm tweeting right now??
3:14
Saying "whilst" out loud to myself is an oddly pleasurable experience.
@jkinatl2: Thanks for documenting your life's inanity here instead.
@swagv: Don't forget to turn on the gas.
"Twittering", according to that funny cartoon thing on Current:
Randomly bragging about your inconsequential life
Said, and done.
@swagv: Awesome. So much easier to point and laugh that way.
Big deal, I ran into a tree while walking home reading a book when I was in the third grade. Have the scar on my eyebrow to prove it. Wanna see it?
Public spaces need no-Tweeting zones like non-smoking areas.
Just round them up in a glass-walled room.
swagv
I'm not anti-Twitter, but this weekend a friend who doesn't even watch tennis revealed the results of the Nadal upset while I was watching it on NBC. I was annoyed as hell by that.
fuzzywhat
So many things are just WRONG here.
1. texting/emailing/twittering while running or driving is now acceptable? I already told a young relative that i will never step in her car again if she texts while driving. It's just insane. Wanna die? Okay, but not with me in the car.
2. Have people become so lonely that they must be attached to those blasted devices 24/7. Let me tell you. That in itself is a psychological problem that one needs to address. Grab a freakin book sometime, or just take time to think to oneself. You'll be surprised how refreshing that can be.
3. As a previous poster wrote, constantly blogging about one's life: is that the only way you can feel important? How about, umm, like, you know, accomplishing something significant instead. Or if not that, umm, like, oh my god, how about um, helping another human being in need. Break out of your narcisstic twittering.
Excuse the ravings of a middle-age man, but someone who is outside of it needs to say it to the younger people, who need to hear it. Don't get me wrong. I love the younger generation. I worked with them the last few years. I deal with them socially too. They're superior to my generation in so many ways. But there's some dangerous behavior going on there, both physical and psychological on the part of some of them, and the rest of us are just nodding our heads and going, um, okay.
hatchetman
I just looked at his twitter. ALL his tweets are about him running to work. Bound to happen at some point that he would have an injury.
LL gtt lv tht gd l Twt!
RT
www.rl-nnymty.pr.tc
Spammy Jones