Stim,

My understanding is that 'cool' media require more engagement in order to get anything out of it, and 'hot' media tends to 'grab' you.

I'll have to explore that again to see if I might be mistaken.

But one thing I do know is that McLuhan did originally coin the phrase of "The Medium is The Message", and in 1967 wrote a book by that name. When it came back from the printers, there was a spelling mistake, and it read "The Medium is The Massage". McLuhan, being the creative soul he was, decided that this was actually a better title; it wasn't just a play on 'message', but it also illustrated the mass age, and "massaged" the senses.

Listen to his amazing album of 1968, produced by JOhn Simon. Here's a link. It makes his ideas so much more accessible.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0443FDB9D46F2A73