Cell phones are making riding too dangerous...

[Mike]

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> still just me wrote:
> > On Wed, 9 Jan 2008 11:12:12 +1300, Mike <[email protected]>
> > wrote:
> >
> >
> >>> And eating really seems to be a different part of brain function...
> >>> something that's just a mechanical action that multitasks without
> >>> difficulty. Talking on a phone distracts a vital part of you brain -
> >>> part that you need to drive.
> >>>
> >> Yeah - true. Of course buttering a slice of toast or stir-frying while driving would be another matter entirely.
> >> Mike
> >
> > I think that steps into "cooking while driving" - a known danger.
>
> I use this, "http://www.sportsimportsltd.com/12volporfryi.html", to save
> time in the morning. I can fry an egg while waiting in traffic. For
> toast, I use "http://www.sportsimportsltd.com/12volporovan.html".
>
> The problem with these appliances is that they are very slow because
> they can only draw 120 watts or so from the lighter socket. So you need
> to have a long commute in order to cook a full meal while driving.
>
I can imagine that, for example, roasting a turkey would be particularly problematic.

Mike

 

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per John Forrest Tomlinson:
>I was riding down a long hill in New Jersey

Hills??? They have *hills* in New Jersey? -)
--
PeteCresswell

 

[[email protected]]

On Tue, 08 Jan 2008 21:23:58 -0500, "(PeteCresswell)" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Per John Forrest Tomlinson:
>>I was riding down a long hill in New Jersey
>
>Hills??? They have *hills* in New Jersey? -)

Dear Pete,

Yes, New Jersey has hills and pine barrens and black bears and all
sorts of things:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Point_(New_Jersey)
or http://tinyurl.com/2685kq

I'm used to similar incredulous comments when I mention mountains in
Pueblo County:


http://www.coloradocountybirding.com/county/bird_a_county.php?name=Pueblo

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

 

[Brian Huntley]

On Jan 8, 6:30 pm, SMS <[email protected]> wrote:
> still just me wrote:
> > On Wed, 9 Jan 2008 11:12:12 +1300, Mike <[email protected]>
> > wrote:
>
> >>> And eating really seems to be a different part of brain function...
> >>> something that's just a mechanical action that multitasks without
> >>> difficulty. Talking on a phone distracts a vital part of you brain -
> >>> part that you need to drive.
>
> >> Yeah - true. Of course buttering a slice of toast or stir-frying while driving would be another matter entirely.
> >> Mike
>
> > I think that steps into "cooking while driving" - a known danger.
>
> I use this, "http://www.sportsimportsltd.com/12volporfryi.html", to save
> time in the morning. I can fry an egg while waiting in traffic. For
> toast, I use "http://www.sportsimportsltd.com/12volporovan.html".
>
> The problem with these appliances is that they are very slow because
> they can only draw 120 watts or so from the lighter socket. So you need
> to have a long commute in order to cook a full meal while driving.


Imagine how long your car-commute would have to be to make this
(http://sports-imports.stores.yahoo.net/12voslco.html) slow-cooker
seem like a good idea.

 

[Michael Press]

In article
<[email protected]>,
still just me <[email protected]> wrote:

> On Tue, 08 Jan 2008 08:37:42 -0500, "(PeteCresswell)" <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> >Makes sense to me. With the passenger, there's an unspoken
> >covenant that when the driving situation demands more attention,
> >the conversation will lapse until things get better. Not so with
> >the person on the other end of a phone conversation.
>
> Testing has definitely proved that it's more distracting. My own
> theory is that with a phone you are using part of you brain to
> "imagine" the other persons's appearance, facial expressions,
> demeanor, etc and that part of the brain in somehow linked to driving
> attention.
>
> I'm not sure how it works. But, different areas of the brain are
> linked in odd and unexpected ways.

Mostly the other end of the mobile telephone conversation
has no interest in the driver maintaining any focus on
the driver's environment; rather, the other end demands
that the driver give all the driver's attention to the
telephone conversation. _And_ it is fun to stir up the
driver emotionally to the point where the driver loses
control.

--
Michael Press

 

[still just me]

On Tue, 08 Jan 2008 19:38:57 -0700, [email protected] wrote:

>
>Yes, New Jersey has hills and pine barrens and black bears and all
>sorts of things:
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Point_(New_Jersey)
> or http://tinyurl.com/2685kq

New Jersey is actually a nice state, once you get away from all the
parts that suck (every place you've heard of).

 

[SMS]

Brian Huntley wrote:

> Imagine how long your car-commute would have to be to make this
> (http://sports-imports.stores.yahoo.net/12voslco.html) slow-cooker
> seem like a good idea.

I don't know, maybe on a trip from San Francisco to LA, you can make a
nice brisket.

Actually the slow cooker may be the one 12 volt appliance where the
cooking time isn't all that different from a 120 volt version.

 

[* * Chas]

"dabac" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> (PeteCresswell) Wrote:
> > ..If you think the talkers are dangerous, wait until you've seen a few
> > doing text messaging and/or email.... -)
>
> Let's not forget the Ipods. I passed (with difficulty and trepidation)
> a very wobbly cyclist the other day. Turned out that she'd put her
> Ipod(or other slim mp3 player) on the handlebar, put her hand on it and
> was navigating through playlists or something with her thumb while
> riding through city traffic. Gve me a strong feeling of the ghost of
> Darwin hovering nearby...
>
> --
> dabac
>

A while back my ridding buddy wanted to get one of his 20 something lady
friends interested in cycling. She's athletic and has long legs so I let
her ride one of my road bikes.

The 3 of us took off on a 20 mile urban ride. She had her Ipod earbuds in
and was oblivious to passing vehicle traffic when we were riding on the
street.

When we turned onto a bike trail I had to tell her to turn the friggin
thing off because she couldn't hear other cyclists coming up from the rear
calling out "On your left".

Chas.