As I sit here hand-writing a "thank you" note to my grandparents, I realize something: I've officially lost any skill involved in handwriting. Thank heavens this blog is digital.

I hear all the time that people (and Americans in general) are far less empathetic than the preceding generations have been. A story breaks about a tragedy overseas, and most of us think "Oh! How terrible!" for about three seconds before returning to our normal, daily routine. I just did a quick search on Google news for "murder," and found ~135k stories posted in the past hour. The past HOUR. And yet, I'm not even slightly perturbed. I'm surprised on an intellectual level, but I'm not even slightly worried, concerned or paranoid. My apathy, frankly, is overwhelming.

Part 2 in my short series on favorite websites: Dailylit.com - Here is a site for both those of us who love literature, and those of us who put off reading for pleasure because "we don't have time." People today check their e-mail several times a day and probably spend an average of an hour, give or take, reading and answering messages. So why not double up and fit some good old-fashioned literature into your daily routine? At this site, you can pick out a novel you've always wanted to read, or been told you should read, and subscribe. …

Here at the university, I have a job that deals heavily with telecommunications. Naturally, it requires sophisticated means of communication amongst all the employees. We must have ways to collaborate on projects, share files, and communicate ideas. Fortunately, Google has answered those calls. If you already thought Google was taking over the world, brace yourself. Google [...]

With the onset of my new job, I've become very aware of certain Luddite leanings I have. I don't like that my initial reaction to technological innovations is resentment and contempt. Yet, since I've been working in a media-heavy environment, I'm forced to face my my fear and reservations on a daily basis. At [...]

I have a game that I like to play sometimes in public. It's a game that combines some of my favorite things: people watching and technology. The game is called "Bluetooth or Crazy?" and here's how you play: When you see someone walking alone and talking to seemingly no on, you have to guess whether [...]

his week I'd like to start a series on my favorite websites. Why should you care about my favorites? Because I'm extraordinarily picky about where and how I spend my leisure time. I spend vast amounts of time on the Internet doing research and writing papers, so any website that I would visit during [...]

A friend's Facebook status message states the following right now: SAYS EVERYONE NEEDS TO ADD HIS RECENTLY ADDED GROUP. IT TAKES YOU BACK TO THE OLD FACEBOOK!!! HAHAHAHA BTICHES!!!! I BEAT THE SYSTEM!!! Neglect the fact he can't properly spell a swear word, and let's dig deeper. The group he raves about offers users to the opportunity [...]

In my class on periodicals we've spent the past two weeks reading all the scholarly articles on theory to give us a good background in the historical and social contexts of magazines. The most recent of these articles brings up something that as an English major, I always hesitated to talk about, fearing to [...]

I can say that for the most part I am very conscious of what is happening when it comes to the advancements that have been made in media technologies and products. That mouthful being said, I can also say that at times I am very far behind the curve when it comes to use. Youtube [...]