Cell Phones and Driving

There has been a recent upswing in the prohibition of the use of cell phones while driving. While only a handful of states have outright banned it, 10 others have enacted legislation restricting the use of electronics by teenage drivers. To this I say, "Thank God".

I do not know if this is a true statement, but I have heard from a number of people that texting while driving is worse than drunk driving. At least with drunk driving, your eyes (while not clear) are on the road ahead. If you're texting and driving, your eyes probably aren't completely on the road, and your mind is thinking about what to text back, not about the driver in your blind side or what exit to get off of.

Right now in the state of Pennsylvania, there is a bill that is currently in the state's senate that would ban both talking and texting while driving. If the bill makes its way into becoming a law, a $50 fine would be assessed to the driver. The bill excludes calls made in an emergency situation. Hand free phones and GPS's would still be legal.

The National Safety Council, a nonprofit, nongovernmental public service organization, is looking to ban all use of mobile phones while driving. Even hands-free devices should be banned, according to the group, as they do not make driving any safer.

A study from the Harvard Center of Risk Analysis estimates that cellphone use while driving contributes to 6 percent of crashes. President and Executive Officer of The National Safety Council, Janet Froetscher says that translates to 636,000 crashes, 330,000 injuries and 2,600 deaths in the United States each year.

"When you're on a call, even if both hands are on the wheel, your head is in the call, and not on your driving," Froetscher said. "Unlike the passenger sitting next to you, the person on the other end of the call is oblivious to your driving conditions. The passenger provides another pair of eyes on the road."

The reason people don't turn off their cell phones or wait until they get home is simple; we live in a connected, information addicted society. From the television shows fed to us (reality tv is geared toward keeping us entertained), to the devices we use on a daily basis (a phone with internet and more), we are a set of people who constantly need something to fill our lives. These bills limiting cell phone use will help us in the long run. These days, everyone has a cell phone, and I mean everyone. Limiting our use can only be a good thing.

Is society going the way of Star Trek?

As society becomes more advanced with technology on a daily basis, new innovations and techniques are being presented to help improve society. There is widespread thinking that by improving technology, we will become ultra-efficient individuals.

Are we getting to the point where telecommuting to work will become a normal occurrence? I sure hope not.

While businesses may save money, and it may be considered more efficient, I believe that you should be obligated to physically go into work. The only circumstance in which telecommuting seems acceptable is in gathering people around the world, or if an employee is deathly sick and an assignment or meeting must be completed.

Technology is both a blessing and a curse. Kids and adults alike are both becoming integrated with the future of our society. It is, however, extremely alarming when seeing 10-year old's sit inside on their laptops or video game consoles. Although technology is expanding rapidly around the world, America is still the leader when it comes to establishing what's new and what's yesterdays news.

If you've ever seen the movie, "Wall-E", planet earth is no longer livable and all humans live in outer space aboard a gigantic ship. The humans are all obese, as all they do is sit and their chairs and do things virtually (like golf). Well, eventually the ships captain realizes that the ship has taken a hold of everyone on board, subsequently not letting them leave their exercise-lacking lives.

Great movie. Nevertheless, I worry about society in general terms. If we become so accustomed to technology, could it eventually take control of our lives?

Spring Break 2010

As I enter the final weeks (not sure how many, but I know it's not a whole lot) of my Susquehanna career, I still cannot wait for Spring Break. Even if I was driving home for the eight-hour ride to Maine, I still would be overjoyed to get away from class and get away from Selinsgrove. It's not that Selinsgrove is a terrible place - it is safe, grassy, and warmer than Maine - but it can just get way to repetitive and boring.

Nevertheless, in a few days I will be across the country in Clayton, CA. Where is Clayton? It is about 35 or so minutes from San Francisco and a bit closer to Oakland. Why Clayton? My girlfriend lives out there. Her family moved there a few years ago from Downingtown, PA. A couple summer's ago I went out there and it was gorgeous. During the summer the temperature regularly reaches the upper 90's and low 100's. Unfortunately, Spring Break doesn't fall during this time, and the weather will be a bit colder. After checking weather.com, it looks like the temperature will be high 50's, low 60's, and sunny. I'd take it in a heartbeat.

While on break, there are few things we have planned. I would love to go to a Golden State Warriors game (I'm an NBA junkie), we're going into San Francisco at least once, eating at In-N-Out Burger (it's amazing), going hiking a few days as they live right next to a mountain, and go golfing. Her dad also has business in Lake Tahoe, where we are staying at the Harrahs Casino , so we'll go skiing one day and maybe utilize the casino the next. On a side note, my great-grandparents loved gambling, as do my grandparents, so I may have that in my blood too. I don't have a lot of money right now, but I do love Texas Hold'em, Blackjack, Roulette, and especially gambling on sports.

I hope I don't go broke, and plan on having a great time away from reality for a week. California is truly different from anything on the East Coast, it just is. All I want is some nice weather and a fun time, and I will be truly pleased.