Part of our discussion centered on a question from a caller named Sarah from Lancaster, who asked why some people say “soda,” while others say “pop.” (Not to mention those who ask for a “Coke” but they want it to be a Sprite). Fortunately, this is just the sort of debate for which the Internet was born. Check out The Pop vs. Soda Page, which offers a less-than-scientific, yet entertaining geographic breakdown of who says what where, based on voluntary online responses (you can fill out the form and respond yourself if you’re so inclined). It would seem “pop” is more often reported the further north you go…Coke as an all-purpose description of a soft drink tends to happen more often as you travel south (and in particular, to the southeast)…and soda respondents are spread out a little more evenly. If you follow the link to the county map breakdown, you can see the distribution within Pennsylvania. Dauphin County respondents overwhelmingly favored “soda” – Erie and Allegheny counties are all about “pop.” Overall, Pennsyvlania respondents slightly favored “soda” over “pop.” My only quibble with the site is its conclusion: “People who say ‘pop’ are much, much cooler.”

---No, Thank You---

Last week’s ‘Farewell’ series, bidding farewell to communications industries and traditions included a program Thursday (July 30th, 2009) dealing with the impact changing technology, attitudes and habits have had on personal communication – and as part of that discussion, we talked about the value of letter-writing. I happened to let slip that one of our semi-regular Radio Smart Talk guests always writes me a thank you note after each appearance, and my guests discussed how the personal touch of a written note leaves an impression.

I wasn’t hinting that our panel should follow the lead of that semi-regular, and yet, that’s just what they did! So, thank you for your thank yous…and for taking the extra time to put pen to paper. As soon as I remember how to write in cursive, I’ll try to write a letter to someone, too.

- Craig