I know I’m not the only one who sometimes hears about a study and says either, “Well duh” or “Somebody spent money to find out that?” or both. We’ve had several in recent days.
One study concluded UV rays from a tanning bed are just as harmful as UV rays from the sun. Well duh. A UV ray is a UV ray and my common sense told me that, shouted it to the point that I once declined a nail salon’s offer of a quick dryer with a UV light bulb.
And there was one from Britain that concluded little kids who run around and play all day fall asleep at night more quickly than toddlers who aren’t active. Well. Duh. Every babysitter in the world knows that. I’m no scientist but I’ll go out on a limb here and say it’s probably true of most people of all ages. I know it’s true of golden retrievers.
Of course we also learned, thanks to another formal study that cost money, that if you’re behind the wheel and doing something else that requires your eyes, brain and fingers, it’s not very safe and you’re likely to have an accident. Somebody cue the eyeroll smiley, please. But don’t text it to me if you’re driving.
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Ed Gamble
Florida Times Union Jul 31, 2009 |
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
When it comes to driving, I think there’s definitely this thinking that it’s an activity that can be multitasked. I’ve certainly been guilty of this on occasion . It’s one of those few daily activities where you’re forced to just focus on doing one thing and our tiny attention spans just scream out against the monotony of it all.
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It is monotonous, isn’t it? I don’t like driving and that might be why. I admit to taking a call every now and then when I’m driving; on an Interstate here I once pulled over for what was turning into a long call and next thing I knew a cop appeared and told me it’s against the law in NH to be in the berm for anything other than car trouble. But driving and talking on the phone was okie dokie with the law.
Hah! You two are busted!
I had read the multi-taking driving one, and yeah, duh, indeed! I have a friend who calls me while driving and I won’t talk to her. It drives us both crazy, because that’s the only time she uses the phone! (What’s wrong with home?) I will not answer my cell phone, and she will not answer email. No wonder we don’t see each other much.
I’m always amazed when I see people in parking lots start to dial while they’re pulling out of a parking space. Not just talking, but dialing! I mean, they were Parked!
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Yep, guilty!
I love your point about people not dialing while parked. What’s with some people? It’s like those ahead of me in a long line at the market who wait until everything is unloaded, rung up and the cashier announces the total before even opening their purses to pull out their wallets. When that happens I always pray that it won’t be one of the many people here who still use checks and will then spend another eon writing it. The New Yorker in me always wants to say (as people really do in NY in this situation) “C’mon, lady, you’re holding up the line!”