Technology: Can You Disconnect from the ‘Matrix’?
Yes, you heard me right. I asked whether you are capable of disconnecting…from your smartphone, PC, laptop, tablet, or mp3 player! I realize that is a shocking and perhaps heretical suggestion in a time when most people are connected 24/7. I’m not saying that you have to be thoroughly disconnected; that’s not realistic in today’s […]
Read MoreTechnology: Is Technology the New Opiate of the Masses?
Karl Marx famously called religion the “opiate of the masses.” Well, to paraphrase Reggie Hammond, Eddie Murphy’s character in the film 48 Hours, “There’s a new opiate in town and its name is technology.” Yes, folks, everywhere you look these days, you see people “shooting up” their technological “drug” of choice, whether emails, text messages, […]
Read MoreTechnology: Is Technology Stealing Our (Self) Identities?
Our self-identities, that is, how we define and see ourselves as unique individuals, play a vital role in who we are and the direction that our lives take. The self-identity encompasses the totality of knowledge and understanding that we gain about ourselves as we develop including our personalities, aptitudes and capabilities, intellectual and physical attributes, […]
Read MoreTechnology: Bad Decision Making 2.0
There has been some egregiously bad decision making in the news lately, highlighted by the revelations around now-former Congressman Anthony Weiner’s ongoing sexually explicit Twitter conversations and photo sharing with six women. And just to show you that this post isn’t a partisan attack, let’s not forget the similarly bad decision making of also-recently-resigned Republican […]
Read MoreTechnology: Is a Low-resolution Life Worth Living?
I just started writing a new book that focuses on the impact of new technology on children. As I was writing one particular chapter, it struck me that the ideas within had relevance to all of us as we navigate the growing digital landscape. I see two fundamental differences between connected life, that is, life […]
Read MoreTechnology: Caught in the ‘Net
If you’ve followed my tech-related blog posts over the last few years (if you haven’t, you can catch up here), you know that I have real concerns and what I consider to be some healthy skepticism about the impact of new technology and social media on people, particularly their biggest consumers, children and young people. I […]
Read MoreTechnology: A New Smartphone for My Wife: Part III (Motorola Atrix)
This post is the third (and hopefully final) in an unplanned series on helping my wife choose a smartphone to replace her Palm Centro (with no data plan). As the family CTO, I must strike a delicate balance between making sure my wife is comfortable with her new phone and “informing” and “encouraging” her about […]
Read MoreTechnology: A New Smartphone for My Wife: Part II (HTC Inspire)
As I noted in Part I of my “A New Smartphone for My Wife” series, I am in search of the best smartphone for my wife. She is NOT a techie and just came from a Palm Centro without a data plan, so getting a smartphone is big technological step up for her. And, despite all of […]
Read MoreTechnology: A New Smartphone for My Wife: Part I (iPhone 4)
About a month ago, my wife decided it was time to join the 21st century and upgrade her Palm Centro (with no data plan) to a real smartphone. I had just completed her transition from separate phone contacts and calendar on her Palm and another set of email contacts in her Yahoo! account to a […]
Read MoreTechnology/Parenting: Generation Tech: Where are the Parents?
The march of technology is inevitable and inexorable. We can’t stop it or even slow it down and we definitely can’t reverse it (nor should we want to). As I have noted in a previous post, one of my concerns is that this progress is so rapid that we don’t have time to determine or […]
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