Media Fast Puts Family in the Slow Lane
Remember the last time your power went out? Maybe it was during a storm that the TV, Xbox and lights flickered off, leaving you fumbling for a match and muttering, “Greaaat.” Well, lights are awesome. Big fan here. And media tech is great, too. But what would you think if someone … gulp … voluntarily […]
My, What Pointy Ears You Have
OK, I’ll admit it. Back when such things were more unusual, I flinched imperceptibly—I hope—whenever I noticed hooks in someone’s eyebrow or massive gauges in their earlobes. And when I saw my first surgically split tongue, the sighting caused my knees to sway like a dancing lady tattoo on a biker’s stomach. Today, about 15 […]
Fiction: Now With More Street Cred
Was Yosemite Sam based on a real, historical person? And was Elmer Fudd a caricature of an actual hunter? To my knowledge, no (and bunnies everywhere breathed a sigh of relief). But if you needed to think for a second, you’re probably not alone. Over the years, various studies have indicated that most students recall […]
Cyber Hope for Dateless Dudes?
You know the buzz that happens when someone changes their status to “in a relationship” on Facebook? Sometimes it’s like confetti and a bouquet of helium balloons were released over the Internet. It seems as if people almost ache for their single friends to find love. Now even dateless men can have that “glory.” The […]
Facebook Blues
A new study from the American Academy of Pediatrics says Facebook might send teens who have a tendency toward mood disorders into depression. Researchers call it (none too originally) “Facebook depression,” and they don’t know whether it’s an extension of an already existing condition or a unique disorder. In any case, they claim Facebook’s friend […]
All Dolled Up
A few months ago, a little girl and I were watching a cartoon on television while her mother got ready to go out with us for breakfast. Of course, there were commercials. Some jingles (and products) were annoying enough to make anyone groan and, possibly, bang their head on a coffee table. But what surprised […]
Shame on Us… If We Remember What That Means
I watch sordid reality TV (only because it’s my job to analyze it). And when I see people who’ve achieved fame through lewd behavior, drunken rambling (ahem, Jersey Shore on both counts) or by any other means that bypasses actual talent, I wonder about what it’s all doing to our brains. After years of such […]
Bad to the Bling
See if you can find the U.S. connection to this story: Gidion Mbuvi , a 35-year-old lawmaker, was recently thrown out of the Kenyan parliament for wearing earrings and sunglasses. Members of the African country’s parliament typically wear suits, and they expect Mbuvi to dress with more dignity. Mbuvi is fighting the decision, telling the […]
Driving Under the Digital Influence
When I lived in New York, a rather twisted pleasure of mine was to drive in Manhattan during rush hour—at least when the gridlock was fairly broken up. Even 15 years ago, the challenge felt akin to living inside a video game: don’t crash, don’t hit innocent (or guilty) pedestrians, beat the taxi before he […]
Mark Zuckerberg Now Naming Babies
People with unusual names are often asked about their names’ origins. I know a woman named Esmeralda, and many wonder if her parents’ inspiration was a bit character on the 1960s sitcom Bewitched. (To say my friend gets tired of this inquiry is to say that the Hindenburg disaster was a mere spark.) But imagine […]