They've been banned in many theme parks, museums, and funeral homes. What seemed like a good idea once upon a time has now become the bane of the traveling public. It is the selfie stick. Basically it's a device that allows the user to hold his or her camera, aka smartphone, at a longer than arms length distance away from them. Them reason is to get a better self taken photo.

Why are selfie sticks so dangerous? Besides the fact that many people around you would like to yank the thing from  your hand and wrap it around your neck. The fact is that many people forget to pay attention to their surroundings when they are using a selfie stick. It's almost like the device allows them to place their brain an arms length away from their head.  Did you know that in 2015 selfie sticks were responsible for more deaths than shark attacks?

One of the most frightening selfie stick incidents happened when the user wanted to get a picture of himself and a passing train. The camera was fine. He was not.  Another incident occurred when a passenger on a motorcycle decided to stick the selfie stick out in to traffic. Let's just say it did not end well.

Credit for the invention of the selfie stick belongs to Wayne Fromm. He was said to have come up with the idea while on vacation with his family in Italy. I can  understand Mr. Fromm's predicament. I have a lot of pictures of our travels but none of them seem to include me.

I think the most compelling evidence that selfie sticks are even despised by the almighty was an incident that happened in Wales. A young man was hiking a mountain in the Powys.  That's when a thunderstorm moved over his location. Hoping to catch an amazing photo of himself and the power of the storm, he lifted his selfie stick into the air. He was promptly struck by lightning and died instantly.

Our personal suggestion is that you go out and make a friend. Allow that friend to take a photo of you. Not only will the picture be nicer but I am sure you'll enjoy the company of another as opposed to the scorn of those around you.

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