Now we can be just as stupid as cagers!

Warning! I am going to be politically incorrect in this post. If you read on you agree to the condition that you may be offended. It's been a real tough last few days and now I come across this helmet.

I have to tell you that every few days I'm feeling overwhelmed by all the things in my life. Not in the sense that I can't handle them. In fact, it's just the opposite. I'm always in attack and conquer mode. It leads me to a point where a lot of my time is filled with activities that take a lot out of me. At those times things I could cut out of my schedule cross my mind. This blog is one of them. Time and again, though, I am drawn back. Blogging is my pop-off valve, I guess.

Contrary to what my involvement in teaching might lead you to believe, I am not a "people" person. I like my own company, thanks, and I neither need nor want someone else's complications. I come home to Katie. She fills the part of me that's missing and makes me complete. When I say complete I mean I don't much need anyone else. My middle son drives me crazy because he likes his life to be a social freeway. He and I are polar opposites. I have empathy and enjoy personal interchanges with others. It's just that I don't feel a "need" for socializing. This blog has become a strange creature, though.

Grandma reminds me that she used to get on me because I didn't socialize much. My reply to her was that "only animals were meant to be in herds". In life I keep to myself and seldom let others get a glimpse under the Warrior surface. Weirdly enough, though, blogging pulls things out of me that I don't share otherwise. It's become sort of an alter ego. I can't stay away. I've become addicted to whatever adventure I find in this format. I'm on a journey of self discovery that I've never undertaken before. I have to keep coming back to find out where this road goes.

Today the road goes toward Condemnation Corner.

The picture above is of a Dianese Air Stream Bluetooth Helmet. Yes, you read this right. This helmet has a microphone, earphones, and a rechargable battery built in. A rider can talk to a passenger, receive MP3 signals with a device manager, listen to the voice outputs of a GPS type device, or talk on a cell phone!!

Yes, now you, too, can be just like a cager. Only dumber. Forget the fact that riding is a lot more dangerous than driving in the first place. Forget the fact that riding is a lot more complicated in the amount of attention it demands. Cycle World calls it a "Brave New World". Right. If you are as incredulous as I am, click here to go the website.

Here's my succint opinion on the matter:

In my opinion, for a company that prides themselves on a history of providing safety gear to riders, this is totally irresponsible. Sure, people will say, if a rider wants to talk on the cell phone while on the bike they'd find a way. At least they'd have to work a lot harder to be that stupid. By making it much easier to do Dainese has compromised their integrity. The only thing that can be behind this is money. Sooner or later some manufacturer was going to stoop this low. Why not be one of the first and reap the financial rewards?

This is totally wrong and I am outraged both as an instructor and a veteran rider. In an ideal world riders would band together in protest. Dainese sales would take a nose dive. You and I know that isn't going to happen.

Once again, a quote from a Starbucks cup sums it up. I can't remember it exactly so this may butcher it up a little. But it goes something like this:

"Morality is the picture of what we would like the world to be but the reality is that economics determine the actuality."

Like I say, it is most likely butchered but the truth rings out however a person writes it.

We now have a new motto: "Boycott Dainese. Friends don't let friends ride distracted!!"

Miles and smiling, ( or maybe grimacing )

Dan