The title of this post refers to an epiphany I had over the New Year's weekend. The realization was about my relationship with technology, namely, I was exhibiting some of the symptoms of technology addiction. And I wasn't the only one in my family with email and Internet issues. My wife, who doesn't own a [...]
The Web, the Internet, and all of the new computer and communication technology that has sprung from them, have been a boon to the information age, making information available at our fingertips instantaneously. The sheer volume of information now accessible on line is staggering. As of a few weeks ago, there were more than 21 [...]
Pete Cashmore, the founder and CEO of Mashable, the well-read social-media blog, suggested in a recent CNN column that real-time Web is one of the top 10 Web trends of 2010. Real-time Web means being able to send and receive information almost instantaneously. Mr. Cashmore (great business name, by the way) argues that real-time Web [...]
For those of you who follow my Psychology of Technology blog posts (especially here and here), you know that I'm a bit cynical about how technology is impacting us, particularly when it comes to how we define relationships. My worries aren't so great that I'm looking to wipe out our communications grid with an electromagnetic [...]
The recent appearance of a racist image of the First Lady Michelle Obama during a search on Google?s search engine raises an interesting question: Should search engines have a conscience? Obviously, search engines, like Google, Bing, and Yahoo!, that rely on highly complex algorithms to determine search results, have no intentional bias or inclinations that [...]
A fascinating new book, The Nature of Technology: What It Is and How It Evolves, by the economist W. Brian Arthur, was just published that challenges much of the conventional wisdom that we hold about the relationship between science and technology.? Most notably, the notion that science is the horse to technology's cart; in other [...]
Does anyone feel the least bit unsettled by the emergence of cloud computing as the Next Big Thing in computer innovation? Yes, it looks like a great idea on paper (or monitor): less computer hardware, common applications on line, cost savings, easy networking, a pooling of computer resources. Sounds like win-win, doesn?t it? Not quite. [...]
I recently participated in a PBS Panel Discussion called 5Across (so named for the five panelists who participated). The guests included Twitter co-creator and author Dom Sagolla, io9 editor Annalee Newitz, Soul Tech workshop co-creator Leif Hansen, tech consultant Deborah Schultz, and me. Key quote: "There are profound psychological and social ramifications of technology. What's [...]
Of all the areas of life that computer and communications technology seems to be impacting the most is its influence on relationships. Mobile phones, texting, facebook, and Twitter are just a few of the ways in which relationships are being redefined, established, and maintained by technology. We have entered a new era of Relationships 2.0. [...]
No, I'm not talking about the U.S. Open Tennis Championships being held in New York recently. I'm talking about the invasion of Web site real estate by all manner of ads. Have you looked at your most frequently visited Web sites lately, I mean really looked at them. Go back to a few and take [...]