Mr. Dark: Copy and paste your post to the webform if you want your views in the book...

HI Robert. I actually copied and pasted it from the book into the post. I really like the idea of having people post their (in my case, at least partially uninformed) opinions in the book. I'm sure there will be a wide variety of opinions expressed. A neat idea. I hope the effort is successful and that all sides are published.

RM Blevins, I never said ignore the problem, I asked, what's more important? Everywhere is the controversy of cell phones popping up, yes or no to their use in the car. The news media and poll data seems to clearly say that cell phone use is the most terrible thing a person can do while driving. The fact is that the use of radio and CDs while driving is nearly the same in causing accidents as cell phone use. So why is there not a resistance from safety organizations of radios in cars like there was when Motorola first tried placing radios in cars? Think of what a cultural upheaval that would be.

Concerning global warming, anyone know Ray Bradbury's take on the subject?

Cell phones in cars...yes. Those people scare me. The two most dangerous situations are when you are sitting at a stop light and see someone coming up behind you...you always wonder if they will actually stop.
The other is when they are yakking away while waiting to go from a cross street on your right.
Reason why cell phones aren't banned from use in cars: Heavy contributions and lobbying from cell phone companies. They would lose a ton of money...

Mr. Dark,
in reply to your post on the previous page, may I say, "Rat Own!"

("Right On!")

Back to Bradbury and his literature, indeed!

Oh, Mr. Braling II and Mr. Dark as well, I just can't help putting my one penny shilling in as well....

... yes, first placing radios in new cars was a big controversy years ago simply because they proved to distract drivers. Statistics for today, as I happened to read in Monday's newspaper, bears out the fact that cell phones and radios distract nearly the same amount, and cause about the same in accidents, injuries etc. So why not ban radios as well?

I say the reason why they won't ban radios because it has long been historically entrenched in society. Or maybe because just far too many love their radios, AM, FM, XM, CD's, shall we dare mention 8 track? Like saying, ban cars. Millions and millions of injuries every year from car accidents.

Chilling most of all is the 'boom boxes' in the car trunk. Car windows vibrate four and five cars away while waiting in traffic. This is not funny. It's absolute obnoxious to everyone nearby.

Back to cell phones:
Why must I give up my cell phone because someone else doesn't know how to handle theirs? Person doesn't know how to handle their cell phone, then give them a really hefty fine. But, please, let me use mine.

Lastly...
...if global warming was not enough, now scientists for several years have been agonizing over the meaning of why light is slowing down. Add that to the growing list of things to worry over.

Okay, NOW we can get to Bradbury.

So, how many stories can we name that uses a telephone in it that Ray Bradbury wrote?

rrringg...
...riiing
rriiinng...
Hello, is this Barton? Hello, Barton....?!!

Back to Bradbury? Not quite yet. In regard to cell phones--it was about 20 or 21 years ago and I was a college recruiter for DeVry Institutes (now University) and they had a fantastic program for high schools highlighting electronics and computer science and career opportunities.

In the slide presentation there was a photo of a cell phone half way out of a shirt pocket. My line was "Believe it or not, some day you will be able to carry a telephone in your pocket." And the kids just laughed, they thought that idea was the funniest thing they had ever heard. Now we can't cross the street without one.

In that same slide presentation was the map in the dash of the car. I have a friend who is an engineer for Motorola and I wonder what he is working on now for the future.

You didn't think I could let this pass without weighing in? Although studies show that cell phone use equals drunk driving in number of accidents, I still can't equate the two. One thing that really alarmed me was awhile ago a ban on smoking while driving was considered. If they can ban smoking, eating is next. Be careful behind the wheel, and beware Big Brother....

You wouldn't believe how many people have made eye contact with me on the road while yapping away on their cells...just before they pulled out in front of me.

At least drunks tend to be more careful, and usually look...since they know they stand a good chance of being pulled over.

You can pass cops on the Autobahn at 160 mph, but if they see you on a phone, they'll pull you over for a big ticket.
Get off the phone. Pay attention. You're supposed to be busy controlling two tons of moving steel...

Speaking of cars, have you seen the new Benz?

http://www.jibjab.com/JokeBox/JokeBox.aspx?Id=116331&JokeId=41482

Not the only site, but it's a fun one.

I just have to weigh in with my 1864 two cent piece here. Yes sometimes these threads stray from the original topic and even outside the sphere of Bradbury. But we are a community of people who revere Bradbury and communicate about it in this medium, however, that said, we are also just people in an ongoing conversation basically and sometimes the dynamics of conversations dictates that they stray occasionally. To me, that's not a detraction but a welcome addition. Some of the most interesting threads of all on here are the ones where everyone jumps in on whatever is at hand at the moment on here and the world at large. We all do it, in my opinion, thats what makes this one of the best sites I've found on the web bar none.

Regarding cell phones, I think the best procedure to use is to pull over and park if your going to have an extended conversation. I try and do this whenever possible, but I am guilty of that stray call periodically. The headphones and speaker seem to be safest(don't have yet). Remember when cell phones were huge and looked like army walky talkies, or when they made fake phones for people who couldn't afford them, but wanted to look cool. What about the ear phones? I was in J.C. Penney's department store one day and a man near me was apparently babbling to himself. I started to fearfully shy away from him when I noticed he was just "talking" on his phone. A little creepy still when you have to "wear" your phone all day long. I have noticed a few people at my work use their phones as a shield to not interact with other people on break or so it seems. I thought by now that we would all have the picture phones that they predicted when I was a kid. It just goes to show that in some ways we as a race are very advanced and in some ways very lacking too. Okay, I drank too much coffee this morning. My spiel is complete!

The phone on the ear thing, called bluetooth, is fine. The problem is the people who abuse the cell phone in the car bit stick out the most. But when everything is said and done, it's the teenage driver that causes the worst traffic mess. Get rid of them, the older drivers, the cell phone users, the drunkards, those on drugs, those without a valid driver's license, those without insurance [add a few yourself that come to mind] and the highways will not only be safer to drive on, they'll be hardly anyone on them.

Cell phones have helped me out of some bad spots, such as car trouble in a bad neighborhood, a recent flat tire, getting hopelessly lost, etc., but otherwise, I don't much care for them. I see so many people nowadays that can't just run errands, shop, etc. without babbling away on their phone the whole time. It seems that they're not comfortable in their own skin, just enjoying their own company. To tie this back to Bradbury--it reminds me of one of my favorite short stories, "The Murderer," when the main character says something like, "My whole life has become one big listen." And think how long ago Ray wrote that story. The man is a genius!

Similar to "The Pedestrian" where the man's crime is in wanting to be alone and go for a walk. One of Bradbury's visions is that people need to be able to be who they are, and that is difficult if you are CONSTANTLY in the presence of others.

The phone-in-the-ear thing is galling to me. It reminds me of the Borg in the newer Star Trek films (next generation), where they become, assimilated into the "community" (I can't remember the word they use). They become Borg, a piece at a time. When I see people that walk around with those things in their ears, it makes me think (1) They have been assimilated, (2) they cannot exist without constant affirmation from others, and/or (3) They are afraid or incapable of extended thought and reflection.

Robert M
Blevins
I would be interested your take on MWP, since you discussed elsewhere your thoughts on Global Warming!