he must have really pissed you off to dedicate an article about incident.

Smug face, douchey move, and running away — hope this guy gets a lot of ridicule or fired.

Waiting to see if the Internet Hate Machine (TM) gets activated over this and tracks this guy down…

it was the smugness that put me over the top.

did you tell him who you were? is that why he ran away?

Dude, the guy was just trying to get a date. Does everybody have to wear daisy dukes to get you to notice?

I’m sure that this used to be a blog about technology, not breaking the law.

That is the kind of people Goog hires!!

God, that guy looks like such a smug prick.

You should’ve run him over. Typical acting the big man until you went to get out of the car. I hope someone names this penis.

How are those RSU’s working out for you Googldouche. Oh wait, too late, none for you.

he really looks like “that guy,” doesn’t he?

I like this part best : “So I put the car in park, open the door to get out and discuss the situation with him”

Using a cell phone whilst driving negatively impacts your ability to drive safely in much the same way as drunk driving.

Just because the fine in that state is only $20 doesn’t mean that it is clever to ignore that law.

The law is there for the safety of other road users and pedestrians.

There are several people killed each day through drivers being distracted by something else they are focused on inside the car rather than looking at the road.

To make light of this and treat it as though it doesn’t matter as you can easily afford to pay $20 is highly socially irresponsible.

Using your logic … if you have $2000 dollars you are entitled to keep flouting this law 100 times, which might perhaps lead to 5 people being hospitalised and 1 killed.

Do you really think that having $20 in your pocket to pay the fine somehow entitles you to break the law and put other people’s lives at risk?

heh, I know who it is. Free shirt if I reveal?

The picture looks like he is trying to pull a gun or something. Quite funny he ran away. I guess you’re a tall hunky guy then michael. That maybe scared him off.

What was he reaching for in his waistband? Looks like he is either getting ready to write you a ticket or draw a gun or maybe it’s just his Google-cuffs and he was getting ready to arrest you.

I linked to the fines to illustrate that his solution to the problem was much more dangerous than the problem itself.

Self Righteous, Douche! You should have run him over. I will say you perfectly captured his smugness.

$167 in British Columbia for same offence.

hilarious posting – what complete and utter pansey

obvious PR stunt. he’ll call you tomorrow about his startup.

Right. So about $20 USD ;)

I kid, I kid :P

a mear $20.00 for talking on your cell while driving. In BC it’s a $275.00 fine and there are no excuses or reasons to be talking on the phone while driving.
Im glad someone took the time to make you stop. You should be thanking him, not making little of what he did, and I find it very distasteful what other’s are saying. Good luck to you, oh and have you seen the damages driving while on the cell phone causes? Never mind texting.
Oprah has a great heads up for this one.
I’m surprised Google doesn’t have words for you on this one.

the obvious thing to say is what would you say if it was a policeman instead? it’s OK to break the law as long as the police is not looking?

“yea i have a blog. I ‘m gonna tell that maggot alrite!

plus it’s friday, need some eyecatching title to raise some eyebrows”

Hunky!!! LOL.

What’s the fine for putting the car in park and getting out to, umm, clear the obstruction in the road?

plus this article might be breaking the record for mentioning the word “google” 6 times in the 3 first sentences.

How do you know your cell phone had anything to do with why he was standing in front of your car?

And pointing out that someone else has broken the law excuses you breaking it?

Should we let out all the rapists cos at least they didn’t murder someone?

Have you even thought about the impact / consequences of making light of this?

- Your blog is one of the widest read on the net.
- You are endorsing and encouraging readers to break this particular law.
- You could well influence a very high number of people to take the same approach.

If you multiply up the huge people who read this blog and the negative impact it could have on the safety of their driving, then this blog could directly lead to one or more extra road deaths.

I would be interested in any geeks out their running the numbers on this.

Here is another thought…….

How many of YOUR readers will have had a family member or close friend killed by a driver who wasnt concentrating!!! ??? <<< I am willing to bet that this number is into the hundreds.

As I said …… seriously NOT a smart blog.

This is awesome.

I think you are both idiots, but you in particular because you didn’t even read the law that you cited:

“(g) This section does not apply to a person while driving a motor vehicle on private property.”

Google Campus is private property as far as I am aware.

With regards to the report you cited -that is an industry commission/authored report. If you would like I can can dig up some counter reports that can show you that, that report is basically BS.

Even Nokia -who wants to sell you the hands free kit- says that any sort of talking while driving is the dangerous -it is in their terms and conditions- Bottom line is that your argument that he is a worse law breaker than you is a bit disingenuous.

In your defense the guy came across as having a bit of a smarmy look on his face. Just chill a bit baby on the attitude. I heard a joke years ago that applies to you.

So Steve Job’s dies and goes to heaven -stay with me- and St Peter meets him at the gate, St Peter orientates him with the rules and the best hangout spots, next of all Steve, see’s Michael Arrington and says to St Peter “wtf Arrington is dead?”, St Peter Replies, “No Steve, that is God, he just thinks he is Arrington” :) ZING

I wonder if he walked by and thought “OMG Theres Michael Arrington!! I wonder if I can get on TechCrunch today?” or if he just made an ass out if himself in front of one of one of the mod popular bloggers on the net.

If you think he doesn’t know you work at TechCrunch you must be the most naive person in the world.

This was clearly a stunt.

I did far worse when I was at Google and nobody said anything. And I’ll do it again this year.

Micheal, I myself own a large website – and often ask this question – “is it a journalistic right to vent out my personal experiences on a public platform I control” – the fellow however wrong or right has now been ridiculed by you in a major tech platform.

You should have sent this photograph and incident to Google HR – where he could have been warned or even fired. This will probably destroy his life.

Of course I look like a programmer nerd. MArrington on the other hand looks like an attorney.

Very easy to spot at Google. Had it been somebody else from Techcrunch it would not have happened.

Hate to be the grammar police here, but you were “flouting” the law, not “flaunting”.

Anyway, I probably would have chased after him and left my car there, only to return to see that it was towed.

Maybe this guy had a family member killed by a distracted driver !!??

You have so not thought this through.

A blog with no point and one HELL of a high potential for seriously backfiring.

I sure hope our education system is good enough that people know Tienanmen Square without requiring a link to Wikipedia

Not a smart comment.

I don’t know anyone who died in a cell-phone related injury.

I *do* know people who have died and been severely injured because some jack-ass decided to ignore the rules of the road and caused an accident.

As I said …… seriously NOT a smart comment.

Get a grip mate.

When it wasnt against the law to drive on a mobile, people were driving around on phones and not killing every pedestrian in sight.

Now that it’s against the law, suddenly pedestrians are likely to die from the use of a mobile in a car? … Get a grip.

It probably takes more concentration for someone to fiddle with their radio or sat nav, than it does having a phone up to your head when driving.

http://www.linkedin.com/in/shields

Last time I saw a guy standing in traffic, I phoned 911 and reported a possible suicide attempt.

Looks just like every other self-righteous, arrogant code monkey who thinks they know better than you. What a fucking prick.

Fines aren’t really a measure of danger are they? In the UK the fine is way higher.
And one statistic doesn’t mean too much either.
The fact is talking on your phone is dangerous whilst driving. If you’d hurt someone then you wouldn’t be smug yourself, like you are now. (get him a shirt>>)
More people should stand up against things they don’t believe in. Shame you’ve decided to try and have the last word by bullying someone on your blog to thousands of people. Well done.

Seriously. This twerp is a douche bag of the highest order. I’m glad Arrington kept the “run him over” as an option.

Uhm, did you folk even read the fine article? There is no evidence, as of yet, that the banning cell phone use improves safety.

Asking “Should we let out all the rapists cos at least they didn’t murder someone?” isn’t right. A more correct analogy would be “Should we let out all the innocent people cause at least they didn’t murder someone?”

To which I would reply, “Yes.”

$5 says you were in the audio visual club.

Listen I am not trying to say you are a virgin, ok that is a lie, that is EXACTLY what I am trying to say.

Might I suggest you knock the box of some hot chick, guy or goat -whatever really not judging you…much- and lighten up.

It is not like this is venture beat or anything lol

Hey, I know that guy!

But I’ll never tell!

Haha… My 7 years old, used to name is WoW characters like you chose yours. Until he got a message from Blizzard ordering him to change it because gibberish is not allowed.

I would have loved to witness this incident as it unfolded.

MA – WTF? This guy is blocking my car. i don’t know what to do. I know, I’ll take a picture of him!

I think it’s pretty clear that he wasn’t making light of the severity of distracted driving. It is abundantly clear that the point Michael is making is that smug pricks who think they are doing a service for society are actually putting more people at risk. It is not much unlike someone driving the speed limit in the fast lane, which is incredibly dangerous.

LMFAO@Google -don’t be evil- cuffs! Thanks for that.

This was my favorite Facebook share I saw today, thank you Laura B. Sir, I can only aspire to the level of douchebaggery and traffic your posts generate. Would that I were so lucky in my own blogging efforts.

This was so good I’m trying to decide if it was satire – not that the average American recognizes satire anymore.

Let me guess. You are the boyfriend of the douche pictured at the top of this page? LOL!

You two seem like a match made in heaven.

that looks like the former TC intern who loves laptops…

and maybe you should be a cop to enforce the law!
douche…
I see cops all the time using the cell while driving.

what’s the difference of using the cell phone while driving and eating while driving? are we to make drive thrus unlawful too?

I see more people creating accidents without using the cell than with it.

I don’t make the excuse that breaking the law is correct, but you’re not the enforcer and stopping traffic like that can cause more accidents.

Maybe he was starstruck with you?

I am just trying to point out that based on the number of readers there WILL BE a lot of people who read this blog who have had family killed by drivers not concentrating and will have to read that Michael thinks its no issue cos he can afford the $20.

As for the ‘less accidents’ link :
Well duh – a cell phone ban isn’t gonna reduce accidents if everyone ignores it cos $20 is nothing to them.

It seems that the logic is “you will only get caught 1 in 200 times and the fine is only $20 so that works out at only a cost of 10 cents a call – bargain!!”

I guess the only answer seeing that no one on this thread is at all bothered by this would be to raise the fine to $2000.

On second thoughts – i doubt that would bother Arrington either. He could still easily afford to run over people.

Google knows best.

Lord preserve us!

Until I read it, thought it was a Googler in their Beijing office and something to do with their recent China issues. Great post!

nice idea, run him over and say it was a suicide…

ops… did I say that out loud?!

i kind of doubt this will destroy his life. But it may stop him from causing an accident in the future.

You were stopped at a crosswalk, so why would other vehicles need to swerve to avoid you?

Also, my reading of CA law doesn’t tally with what you have stated. Section 21971 does not cover pedestrians who stop in the middle of a crosswalk, so he wouldn’t be fined under 42001.18.
And regardless, his lawyer would (probably successfully) argue that your breach of the law justified his actions.

But I’m impressed by the flagrant abuse of your platform. Sarah Palin would be proud.

That was quick. Nice reveal/find.

If I saw you, I’d probably ask for your autograph. Don’t let that inflate your head though.

Mike, I think you’ve found your guy.

If you’d read the links in the post, you also might have noticed that the cell phone bans haven’t resulted in fewer accidents in California.

On the other hand, standing in front of a car, blocking a lane of traffic, in the middle of the day, is clearly dangerous — not to mention, a self-righteous di**-move. It isn’t Smug Hipsters’ Perogative to enforce the laws they like so they can feel better about making a difference in the world.

The dude’s got some balls. Promote him.

Dude this is the lamest article I have ever seen on TC.
You must have a pretty thin skin to do something as a lowball as this. If you have an issue with him, take it up with him or Google.
Don’t call yourself a journalist after this – can you imagine kicking off a reputable news show with a sotry on the guy who pissed you off in the carpark.

Why drag Google into this? This is a bad situation between two individuals.

really does look like him, assuming he’s lost some weight.

How about a caption contest… here is my entry:

http://twitpic.com/11lfm9

when i backed up he followed me, way out of the crosswalk. but those details are sort of irrelevant.

I stand corrected it’s a mere $167.00 fine in BC

Yeah, he has a smug, hipster douche look on, but isn’t also pretty smug to write about?

(Also I don’t see anywhere in the CA code that suggests there is a $220 fine for standing in a crosswalk. The section you point to refers to an entirely different matter.)

According to the Human Factors quarterly journal, “Cell phone distraction causes 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries in the United States every year” (2005). The same study reported that motorists who are engaged in cell phone conversations while driving are less capable than drunk drivers with blood alcohol levels exceeding .08. These statistics are frightening considering how pervasive cell phones are in our society.

This guy is probably going to get Fired for this.. being that you were a visitor to Google.

i sort of doubt that.

You should have pulled out your gat, yelled “Thug Life!” and emptied the clip!

Let he who has not talked on the phone while driving throw the first stone.

http://twitter.com/shields

http://www.msrl.com/blog/

Hey, free publicity for you Mike Shields. :)

How many points is a single person again? 50? I know the highest score are pregnant women pushing strollers. Maybe you don’t know that game in the US?

Michael admitted breaking the law so how in your analogy does he suddenly become ‘innocent’.

He plainly disregards that particular law as it is inconvenient for him to comply with it and the punishment for being caught is laughably low.

I find satisfaction in the fact that Arrington WOULD have run him over, but was simply deterred by the criminal code.

FREEDOM!

LOL!!!!

Once again – the cell phone ban wont work if EVERYONE ignores it cos you all have $20 to pay if you ever got caught.

This doesnt change the fact that thousands get killed each year by drivers on cell phones but it seems that no-one in the US sees this as an issue as you can all easily afford to keep killing people.

Hilarious. Is this guy a martyr or hero?

Is this because you know him? Or did you just find a linkedin photo that looks like him?

Thanks for the post. If you want to be able to use your cell phone while driving, then you should write your congress person. Until then, follow the laws.

All this goes to show that when Arrington sneezes, the world reacts.

And he is a person of interest!

http://twitter.com/shields

This google employee is a loser, they think they own the place because the work for this biggest scam in the history of the internet.

We should all ask google to open their books — the real ones. I remember when all these “tech” people complained about “big brother” microsoft, shhhh, microsoft is a REAL company making REAL products.

If one day the internet shuts down, we will still have microsoft products to work with out computers — if the internet shuts down google will stop to exist, that is why they are INVADING other companies territories because they know what I say is true.

By the way, I found this post following this Twitt from ANT: Over-Egoed and Overpaid Google Employee Takes the Law in His Own Hands; Decides to Stop Traffic to Make Point — lol!!

Wow this is getting pretty ridiculous and there are so many trolls here. Would I take the effort to stop a person talking on the phone while driving? No. Would I feel bad if they got in an accident or was pulled over and given a ticket? No. Would I secretly laugh to myself and think silently “that’s what you get”. Not for talking on the phone but for getting caught.

Personally I think if you are using a phone while driving, yet fully conscious that it is illegal and doing everything they can to make sure they are not caught, are probably more alert and aware of their surroundings than normal drivers. When I’m on the phone while driving on the rare occasion that I forgot my bluetooth headset, I’m like the Terminator, “I see everything”

Btw, the fine is not $20 for violating cell-phone usage while driving. I paid frigging $175 for this violation. Mind it when you do next time.

Michael is completely in the right here. If this happened on the Google campus, he should be fired.

why don’t you just hit him :p, just kidding.

Doesn’t this guys work in PIC – Pure Ingredients Café?

Racist talk.

“Should we let out all the rapists cos at least they didn’t murder someone?”

Worst analogy ever…

His name is Douchebag.

Was he wearing a FourSquare douchebag button?

Haha it’s Michael vs Michael. I say it’s a draw due to the same first name cause.

*Any* distraction in a car is going to reduce drivers’ awareness of the road. I’ll take the cell phone ban seriously when this guy agrees to stop talking to his carpooling passengers, listening to music, and drinking his mint tea on the road.

Meanwhile the smug ranks of the Right-Thinking Enforcement Police deserve to be ridiculed. This guy is 2010′s version of the 50′s hall monitor.

What a Wanker

Maybe he saw a rough cut of “Kick Ass?”

Closer to $200 USD. Not kidding. :)

Highest score is for Blue Haired old ladies with blue poodles..

I always wondered what happened to Steve Urkel, guess he went the Michael Jackson route and bleached himself.

What, to early to make jokes about MJ?

The statistic on the lack of safety improvements does add to the sense of defiance of the law though, especially since it is not pointed out how flawed that statistic is.

The CA law only applies to handhelds, but hands-free cell phones are no better than handhelds in terms of driving safety (google it if you missed this news). Also, the CA law cannot be effective as long as people willingly flaunt it since the penalty is so low.

I think you are the douche here. I find it pretty admirable that he stood his ground. WTF is with this arrington-is-god-and-we’re-his-fanboys attitude on TechCrunch?

Arrington is WRONG and even if the guy is not entirely right in his stand, at least he did something. What if Arrington had run this guy or someone else over while being distracted over the phone (or having a heated argument)??? Would we be having the same discussion then?

I could not have imagined such a response to this act on the part of this guy. I applaud his guts and his taking a stand.

Is everyone here seriously so stuck up and over their head in upholding the wrong?

Any of you saying he will be disciplined or warned do not know how Silicon Valley or the tech industry in California for that matter.

If this person did not violate the code of conduct in the handbook, which I don’t see how this could be covered in, then nobody at Google will probably say ANYTHING to him, even if this is on TechCrunch.

That’s just how it works. It’s a veil of protectionism offered to programmers at many companies.

There is no way to pressure them externally like this.

Here is the official Google code of conduct, perhaps not the one agreed to in the hiring contracts, but most likely modeled after it:
http://investor.google.com/conduct.html

Funny, funny, I am sure at least one of his friends reads TC and someone already saw his picture.

1.- Mike was wrong in taking by cellphone while driving, check TC and other blogs to buy a blue-tooth headset ;).
2.- The other guy was wrong AND coward, if he was so tough about making his point, why not discuss the fact with you.
3.- The best thing the guy could have done was tapping into Mike window and ask him to turn off the Cellphone.

Look at the background, they are in the middle of the campus but on public streets.

He’s a pretty well known network tools developer and a standup guy. Maybe you guys (including Arrington) should pause before condemning him.

I agree. And of course our hero can no longer stand to work for the evil Google, whose CEO blatantly disregards the no-cell-phone-while-driving laws. right?

So Michael’s justification for breaking the law is that the other guy broke it too.

Your justification for continuing a very dangerous driving behaviour is that other people are doing other dangerous things in the car.

Meanwhile 330,000 people a year are injured because of attitudes like yours and 2,600 killed.

Very clever.

First sentence should be:

“Any of you saying he will be disciplined or warned do not know how Silicon Valley works or the tech industry in California for that matter works.”

He is definitely “that guy.”

Check your spelling before wondering if our education system is good enough. ;-)

I think he’s kinda cute…in a pushy bottom sorta way.

First sentence should be:

“Any of you saying he will be disciplined or warned do not know how Silicon Valley works or the how tech industry in California for that matter works.”

I am pressed for time, sorry. I have an Eclipse code editor open in the other window.

You are an arse, comparing your little upset with Tiananmen.

Do you really believe the Tiananmen comparision?

Scum bags like you no doubt put the holocaust down some tetchy moment in a car park.

You guys certainly deserve each other…
I did enjoy the heaven joke…

On the one had Mr. Arrington you are being a douche driving while talking. As a motorcyclist I see first hand and have been a victim of the results of cell phone gabbers paying more attention to the phone and not the road. Your inattentiveness can get someone like me killed. And before you say again “it hasn’t reduced accidents” I ask you: how many people have to die as a direct result of cell phone gabbing drivers before the law is valid. Be specific, as an update to the Hurt report is being worked on and I’ll want to see if their total meets your criterion.

As for the other douchebag in the equation, Mr Shields, his stopping of traffic could have gotten me in an accident more easily. When traffic stops unexpectedly people don’t react well (Or at all) and motorcyclists tend to get hit and killed.

If that was private property I would report his actions to his employer and the needless risk he imposed on all the drivers in the area. If it was public property I would have called the cops. In either event I would have handed copies of the video (I ride with a video camera on my helmet. Makes for great evidence) to the appropriate people and follow up.

So Mr Shields: When are we going to hear you side of the story here?

Old and lame joke, dude.

Michael, you’re taking a personal attack on a person on a very publicly read site. You should be fired for this.

Reminds me of the Sylvester Stallone movie catchline, “You’re the disease. I’m the cure.” In this case, say it with an Elmer Fudd accent and you’d have this dork nailed!

Ditto. Apparently, he never bothered to say anything to you. Perhaps he was mentally disturbed.

I think you have made it all up in the face of viral marketing…
if not you are an idiot for driving while talking on the telephone and he should be hired by the police, paid loads of money and do that 8 hours a day catching other idiots like you who still have not understood that is bloody wrong…I bet you text as well while driving dont you??

“And pointing out that someone else has broken the law excuses you breaking it?”

He never said that. Did you even read the article? He admits that he was wrong. All he is saying is that two wrongs don’t make a right.

That said, I am sick of people playing police officer. If you see someone breaking the law, then call the cops. That Googledouche is not a law enforcement officer and someone having a bad just might kick his head in next time he wants to make a statement.

I really can’t be fired.

FWIW, it looks like MA is on Charleston Rd. While its in the middle of ‘Google land’ its still not private property.

that only happens when a kitten gets killed…

Just end the argument, dude. You know you’re simply pissed off because he stood his ground and you were on the wrong side of the law.

Stop getting so defensive, you have nothing to defend and it’s making you come across as a weak and sore loser.

You should have actually had a chuckle about it, let it go and written a light hearted post about it.

yeah. the point is that he felt exactly the same level of self righteousness.

“So Michael’s justification for breaking the law is that the other guy broke it too.”

No it isn’t… you are clearly an idiot.

You’re leading an awfully impassioned crusade for a law that is not proven to be effective. I guess you gotta believe in something.

I bet you think this is about you, don’t you? LOL. Video camera on your helmet? Really? You seem to be more douchey than the guy in the picture!

Really? “Tiananmen Square moment”? That didn’t strike you at all as being out of context, hyperbolic, or maybe even a little offensive?

I thought maybe this would be about Google China or an employee accusing his company of being unethical. Perhaps a Googler did something to commemorate the hundreds of students who died in China while fighting for freedom.

But no, it’s about Mike Arrington having some passive aggressive spat with some guy standing in front of his car.

The whole thing is just funny, I mean the incident.

Wow, you don’t get the point, do you?

You seem to enjoy acknowledging the danger that the employee was causing by blocking a lane of traffic while conveniently ignoring the danger you were creating talking on your phone while driving.

i’m not feeling very pissed or defensive. but maybe I am.

Hrm, I believe you should of rolled down your window and yelled “Screw You Michael Arrington! err I mean Google Goon” to coin a phrase and confuse the dim witted employee. Most likely he is a top custodial engineer. No toilet unconquered.

It’s my favorite post of all-time on
Tech Crunch. Really. Bravo for doing this Arrington. It is the first post that caused me to ever comment.

I don’t know if I’m more pleased that the guy in the photo is getting ridiculed, or if the humorless, overly serious types on here are getting all hot and bothered by it, LOL.

no, he didn’t.

Vin you know you are condoning vigilantism right? You are making a terrible point.

Imagine the next time you go jaywalking (very dangerous) some guy stands his ground right in front of you and wont move. How would that make you feel?

This kid is lucky he didnt stand in front of a car down in Florida with his hand in his pocket like that, he could have justifiably been shot and killed.

This is only a light hearted story because MA kept it that way. Someone could have easily been freaked out by some dude crazy enough to stand in front of a car motionless while the lights changed over and over again.

I didn’t ignore it, I admitted to it.

this dude surely needs some attention.

Actually, there’s no evidence that using **Hands Free** phones improves safety.

When you are on a cellphone, there is significant evidence that it is indeed dangerous.

Or do you seriously expect us to believe that you’ve never been behind a driver — said to yourself “WTF?” and then found out later that they were on a cell???

Are you frakking kidding me? Hi Google goon from the pic! Did you not get your mocha latte this morning or what?

Arrington, you arrogant bastard, how dare you compare this situation to the one at Tiananmen Square. How dare you make light of that massacre to your stupid daily experiences. You are a sad and depraved individual who, without remorse, thinks he is absolutely better than everyone else in the world. I simply cannot believe how callously you refer to the senseless death of 3000 people as a fucking joke and how you were inconvenienced. I don’t care if you drive with your cell phone and I don’t care what this person did or how they almost caused a traffic accident, you have a duty to issue an apology for this comparison and related commentary.

As an aside, is Techcrunch for news or is it your personal blog? Please separate the two.

sigh.

@yup hmm, actually goog is at about what $530 or thereabouts. Those RSUs are doing quite well I’d imagine. This of course presupposes you actually know what RSU’s are.

let me try that one last time:

“Any of you saying he will be disciplined or warned do not know how Silicon Valley works or how the tech industry in California works for that matter.”

This happens when you are posting comments in between writing lines of code in Eclipse.

Darn you Eclipse!

Oh, My!

Don’t use the bloody phone while driving! Simple.
You say the law has made no difference to the accident rate, well that may be because arrogant fools such as yourself are ignoring it!

Michael,

You should really just delete this post. I understand that this was an unpleasant event/incident. And, obviously, not very good for your ego. But. I am not sure that what this guy deserves all the negative publicity that he is now getting (or as someone else posted, we’ll be waiting for his next startup now that he is famous).

At first, I didn’t think much about your post, and found it funny if anything, but the more this develops, it seems to me like you are using the power of site for pure revenge. We don’t know what the impact of this will be on this guy, but I am not sure that it is deserved.

Let it go.

Considering Google’s academic workforce, I think they would likely laugh at the folk science going on in this article. It isn’t really news to the research community that cell phone usage while driving impairs one’s ability to react and it has nothing to do with holding the phone (hands-free phones are just as bad). Sure messing with the radio or having riders in the car that are not cooperating with the drive (think about a crying child as many riders actually help the driver instead of hinder) are dangerous too, but that doesn’t magically make your cell phone usage safe for people crossing the street.

I believe the best solution is to get auto-piloting cars if we really want to make the roads safer. Otherwise we are just going to have silly rules that are unenforcible anyway. Putting this article up on Techcrunch is making me consider un-subbing from your feed.

And for good measure the first research paper hit I found backing up my points, instead of just leaving you with folk science.
http://www.hfes.org/Web/Pubpages/celldrunk.pdf

Getting fired for something unrelated to your work which you did outside of the office, I am surprised some even consider that this would result in getting fired.

Would be interesting to hear a statement from the guy and how Google’s reaction to this was.

I realize that timing is everything, but Michael, you might want to do a little Photoshop….cuz clearly, there is a red light behind the dude, which (in the context of this picture) would imply that he wasn’t breaking the law.

If that were airbrushed into a green light, however…

I’m equally impressed with your straw-woman.
Very Karl Rove! :)

Spike-Hair dude blocking my right of way while trying to pull something out of his belt (look at the picture)???

I am sorry, but he would’ve been DEAD in 5 seconds, and I would claim that I felt my life was in peril for the aggressive actions of this m*****f***er.

He is not a cop, his job is not to enforce the law. He has no training in that. He’s a retarded engineed that uses very tiny pliers for sexual autogratification

I am amazed how many techcrunch readers still dont get it.

Cell phone distraction causes 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries in the United States every year.

Thats close to the same number of deaths as occurred on 911.

And it happens EVERY YEAR.

Your response to 2,998 deaths at 911 is to spend $billions to make the world safe again.

Your response to the 2,600 deaths by cell phone use every year is …. ‘its a stupid law so im gonna ignore it and people will big me up on my blog for being so cool’.

Jesus.

Sounds like he never said a word to you. How did you realize that the whole thing was about using your cell phone?

I agree but think it would also be totally gangster to yell “Blog Life!” as he snapped the photograph.

I get your point, but it’s based on a logical fallacy.

You’re saying that by standing in front of your car, this guy is trying to invoke Tiananmen Square and is therefore a douchebag.

I’ll grant he’s a douchebag, but he isn’t necessarily trying to pretend he’s tank-man. Guy standing in front of your car does not naturally equal political protest. You ever see a guy nearly get run over? Half the time, he makes a scene not unlike this one (there’s usually more shouting involved though).

For that matter, how do you know he’s trying to make a point about your cellphone? If that was the case, he would have left as soon as you hung up. I think he was just messing with you.

This idea that he thinks of himself as some Tiananmen Square like protester is, most likely, entirely within your own head, constructed to elevate things and ridicule him because of your own angst over the incident.

In other words, your post is the logical equivalent of me posting this comment instead of just groaning and walking away.

Yes, that was me. I had no idea who you were, but it’s nice to meet you.

Once you ended your call, I continued walking to lunch since I had only wanted to stop you from driving dangerously and that was accomplished. I didn’t realize you wanted to keep talking about this, but if you still do, let’s do that at some time when your car is not abandoned in the middle of the road.

Yea. Michael Arrington is infallible.

“And I’ll end with this. If this Googler feels smug enough about cell phone usage to stop traffic and nearly cause an accident, then of course he’ll be quitting his job at Google soon.”

Yes, I’ve run into the smug types in past. I recall strolling down a NYC street very late at night having a conversation with a friend when some garbage was thrown out of a parked vehicle filled with beefy guys. Without missing a bit, my friend picked up the trash and threw it back into the car and continued the conversation. I braced for the worst, but I think the guys were so shocked they failed to respond.

Re the google guy, I’ve heard studies indicating driving while texting or on cell phone (even hands free) as dangerous as driving while drunk. Certainly some can do it without being distracted etc., but its a nationwide problem in view of the growing number of accidents. In the LA Times article cited, the reports author also states:

“Lund was quick to point out that the study does not suggest that driving with a cellphone, hand-held or hands-free, is safe. “No one should kid themselves that this isn’t a distraction, because it is,” Lund said.”

Moreover, who knows what he’s experienced in the past (a friend or relative hurt in an accident).

In short, we all need to stop driving while texting or on phone.

Wait, aren’t you a smug person by nature? (I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing, just trying to see where everyone stands).

Ah come on Michael, you are completely pissed off and that is perfectly fine. I think but putting the guys pic on the internet on a site with a bunch of traffic is way, way, way out of order.

You and I both know the nut bars that are out there i.e. for every french scum bag that spits on you, there is a lunatic that will do something to garner your approval i.e. stalk the google campus on shoot the guy.

I know that is not likely to happen, but you have to admit you are a polarizing figure. For example, the french guy is one, then there are the guys that broke into your house.

All I am saying is that I think you could be playing with fire. I have already said that the guy seems like a smarmy prick, but if there is a .0001% chance some nut will harm this guy, is that actually worth the risk?

Arrington, Welcome to the “Googler attitude”.

First of all, how do you confirm that this guy is a Googler?
I have a bunch of those Google Tee’s and jackets bought from the Google store.

I know him! That Douchey McDouche of Douchville Doucheland.

OK my bad

This guy’s got the perfect name to get into law enforcement. He should start his own Citizen’s Arrest show (a la Cops).

I say this whole thing is a staged diversion to take attention away from the techcrunch-intern-gate drama.

think about it …

vigilante

Learn to use a headset: it’s not that hard.

I’m about 86% sure I would have run him over.

Shouldn’t that guy been in his cube fixing Gmail or something?

Fake.

Heh, OK, it’s that simple. If you weren’t talking to the phone we all would not have to go through this.

Anyway, it is clear that he recognized you and though: “Man, this has to be that guy from TC… who he thinks he is breaking the law, I’ll show him. Say hello to… “. Haha!

His Twitter bio is “Person of interest”
How’s that for smug?

“Stood his ground?” What part of running away now passes for standing your ground?

ya’ know… it is a little on the ridiculous side — his actions, that is.

1. He is just a boy
2. He is certainly lacking a little in the common sense department — I guess he has never heard of the “California Road Rage” that exists, in that he would just choose to stand in front of a random car — with no discernable purpose, since he never spoke — and thought nothing bad might ever happen to him.
3. He ran away like a pussy when confronted in the situation like any normal person would have done — to ascertain why the hell he chose to stand in front of a car.

me thinks he should both go back to his mommy’s protection (if she is not too busy hugging the nearest Redwood), and then spend a little more time discovering the world outside his apparently small coccoon.

finally… what would have happened to him if he had attempted this in “small town” Alabama — and the guy happened to be driving his pickup truck with the filled 2-gun rack in the back window?

When he ran away he lost any high ground he thought he had.

No worries. A smug little bastard like that is bound to get well pounded one day.

As my day used to say “You can be a a$$hole for many, many years before it all catches up with you in only one day”.

Ok, but if he was making a citizens arrest, then surely any ruckus is attributed to the party with original sin that was obviously resisting the said arrest. I rest my case.

The Tiananmen analogy does not quite fit. This obama bot douche would be the kind that would be driving the tank taking away freedom. Steve Jobs was right about Google and this guy demonstrates why.

I would have driven over him. And who gives a f*** that Mike broke a simple law? I’m 100% sure you guys have broken the speeding limit more than once. What a bunch of babies!!!

Mike next time drive over him and tell the cops that you think he attempted to kill himself.

I beg to differ…

Maybe the idiot may learn that standing in front of a random person’s car without stating the reason is actually not the most potentially life prolonging thing to do.

Stopping the car and yelling at the driver (albeit also not really that bright either) would at least have been smarter than this “rocket scientist’s” choice of actions.

That kind of smugness can only be the result of a history of a lack of punches to the face. Man up, California, and punch your smugs.

FYI…govt cell phone study methodologies are suspect at best. What they don’t tell you is that the great majority of that impaired driving is from under 20 year olds. Drunk driving is obviously over that age so to compare these two constructs is flawed as you have less experiences drivers compared to more experienced drivers. You stratify by age and you see an immense dropoff in cell phone related accidents +20 years of age. It appears yet again californians and other left leaning states have been suckered into buying into increased government control over their lives without even a single questioning of these “studies”.

Also, if this guy did this to me I would have been out of the car in a heartbeat. To say him blocking traffic as such is not more dangerous then a grown man on a cell phone is absolutely stupid. Man, some of you hippies are flat out freaking ignorant. Do any of you ever really research a study’s methodology and analysis technique or do you just buy into what the mainstream news headline tells you.

Thank you for that. Succinct and very accurate.

that was hillarious

… and the actions of the other person? Get off your podium and look at both sides of the situation.

Man standing in front of a stranger’s car ON A CORPORATE CAMPUS (with speed limits of 30, I am guessing), blocking forward motion of that car, with no offer of explanation — is actually more dangerous in today’s world.

geez…

The “fine” is $20 but you end up paying over $120 more in “administrative fees” despite what is written in the law.

“And the cell phone ban hasn’t actually resulted in less accidents.”

Because of the lack of enforcement, the above may be true right now as it was when DUI laws were passed but not enforced. Whenever we start getting serious about distracted driving, we will have fewer crashes (not “accidents”) related to cell phone and other similar uses.

1. I don’t know why this is relevant to Google.
2. He may be wrong obstructing the traffic flow, but I think he serves you well that I believe you will forever be reminded not to use the cell phone while driving.
3. Whether or not he is leaving Google, this is not in question.
4. Even if you report this to Google HR, he shouldn’t be disciplined. Again, this is irrelevant to Google.
5. He was wrong, you were wrong. Learn the lesson.
6. Whoever that knows this guy, tell him he should have just signaled the ban of using cell phone while driving, instead of obstructing traffic.
7. Send him a TechCrunch tee.

Smugness is a bay area thing, this could have happened anywhere up there. They even made a South Park episode about it.

sue him for intimidation… if he did that to a woman, he’d probably be charged for something

A “Tiananmen Sq” moment of a Googler would only be complete with a “Human Flesh Search Engine.” Go look it up on Wikipedia, if you don’t know what it is. Pretty soon you’ll know his name and his math/verbal split on his SATs.

I don’t see what the big fuss is about, but I think this is a cute incident! This doesn’t happen every day, and it’s not every day someone chooses to take a stand against people who use cell phones while driving, so if I were to put myself in Micheal Arrington’s shoes, I would promise myself (not to the person blocking my car) NOT to repeat this offense.

As for the person blocking the car, I think he should at least verbalize his statement: “Hey whoever you are, would you please get off the phone – what you’re doing is dangerous.”

It all boils down to making your intentions known, and whatever expression he bore shouldn’t even be in the discussion.

This is exactly why we need a law that will allow citizens to carry loaded weapons in their car.

It’s not a Federal law it’s a state law so not sure what purpose calling a Congressman will do. You’d want to call your Assemblyperson. Next time you try being smug online do some basic research before confirming you are an asshat.

Props to Michael for not beating this guy to a pulp.

I am glad I live in Georgia; he looks like a the typical liberal who wants to change the way others live. Here, (down south) it would not even have been a question as to if we would have just hit the gas the question would be- would we swerve and chase to get the points and the high fives.

That guy is idealisic, young, pedantic & ridiculous. Just like Google.

I think this guy was just trying to detain you, like a thief in a Walmart, until the police arrive and arrest you.

If it caused any more traffic crashes or injuries you should be charged for them.

You are wrong and you are the moron.

his name is James Daring. he works at google as a nightwatch crash guy

Are you kidding me. This dude is a nerd folk hero right now. “The man who stopped Arrington (for a minute)”

You, people, are all nuts there, in SV. I’m telling you.
Believe me, the rest of the world views you like a real freak show of idiots and I don’t quite disagree.

Actually, driving with a cell phone and / or texting is worse than drunk driving. Drunks usually pay more attention to the road than those who are on the phone or texting. Many people take their eyes off the road for as long as 5 seconds when they are using the cell phone. Many studies have proven this over and over again. So, GET OFF THE FRAPPING PHONE and drive please!!!!

“And the cell phone ban hasn’t actually resulted in less accidents.”

I’ll see your one newspaper story and raise you two hard science reports on real research (Oh and a video)

http://www.edgarsnyder.com/car-accident/cell/statistics.html

http://www.livescience.com/technology/050201_cell_danger.html

Oh and when you kill yourself I just hope you don’t take anyone else with you.

P.S. The Google guy is a tit as well.

LOL OK so he stopped in-front of the car both parties are in the wrong. one is endangering himself apparently to uphold the law a job that should left to the police and not the general public thats why i believe the police exists. the second person is endangering the general public by driving while using a cell phone. Though i doubt this incident deserves the attention its getting. However You should have put the Google product you were going to get briefed on in the article it would have gotten some much deserved publicity as it was the cause to this event.

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