Experience Design - Separation of Content/Control on the left or right?

Robert Hoekman Jr asked some questions about the "left-versus-right" placement of content and controls on the Caledon Bank account finder... [I] guess the first idea, is the concept of "Separation of Content and Control". By creating pods (using the Flex Panel) and grouping controls into control bars within the pods, we help to focus the controls as the principal subject for manipulation. The idea of content/control separation is one of "perceived affordance", or setting the expectation of the user before they even reach for their mouse, what is to be manipulated, and what is to be interpreted.