1. 1 John™ 3 December 2008 @ 7:47 am

   It would seem to me the problem with cell phone use while driving comes down to the interplay of receptive language and expressive language. Receptive language being that form of language that informs our brains of what info is being thrown at us, what to keep, what to ignore, etc….and expressive language being that the form of language that gets someones attention, determines how best to get a point across, assesses the audience, monitors non-verbal cues, etc.
   When someone is in the car with me, I don’t feel obligated to speak as opposed to when I am on the phone (which is why I hate talking on the phone). Both my receptive and expressive language skills are in overdrive while on the phone. Also, a passenger is a “captive audience” (per se), so I don’t fear them hanging up on me.

2. 2 Tom Trude 6 December 2008 @ 1:05 pm

   I think this MIT News story would make a fine addition to your show. http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/trees-0923.html

   Are there eletric tree farms in our future?

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