Where is society headed?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GYatZ322Y4

In this Kia commercial you'll notice one very important thing, robots. In the commercial a man kicks the tire of a car and the robot proceeds to assault him. The important thing to notice though is that the two robots are up next to the car in place of the usual human models. What does this say about society? Is this beginning to become acceptable, replacing humans with robots? I think this commercial really ties in with what Sherry Turkle talks about in alone together and the direction the class as a whole has gone in.

"7 Ways Your Cellphone Is Screwing With Your Body and Mind"

7 Ways Your Cellphone Is Screwing With Your Body and Mind


I'm not sure how familiar a lot of you are with Cracked.com.... it is website with very funny articles that are actually very surprisingly well-researched and credible... now, this DOES have a bit a of "foul language"  in it... but we're all adults here ;)

I found this article amusing, because it covers a lot of topics that we have been talking about in the past couple weeks, and is a fun, yet intriguing summary of our class discussions. I would highly suggest you all check it out.

http://spectrum.ieee.org/riskfactor/computing/it/technology-2013-as-predicted-in-1962-and-1988

Interesting article looking at how some old predictions about technology have panned out. One of the predictions was recently released from the CIA. The prediction was made in 1962 and has some ideas that are not far off. The second, found in the LA Times, was written in the late 80's. It presented a "day in the life" scenario from an average family in 2013. It accurately predicts driving to work "following an electronic-map system in a car that was highly automated." Some of their less accurate predictions involve robots being as common in homes as a sound system was in the 80's. I think these types of articles are always interesting to look at. 

Twitter and Facebook 'harming children's development'

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/9620117/Twitter-and-Facebook-harming-childrens-development.html

 Article discussing the harmful effect on children's development due to online social networking.  I think that these harmful effects are partially the fault of the parents.  They can keep their child from spending 30+ hours a week using video games and computers. If the parents teach the children to use these things in moderation, then perhaps these problems wouldn't be as serious as they seem to be.  

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/19/education/colleges-assess-cost-of-free-online-only-courses.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Technology, especially the internet, has allowed for information to be abundantly available to all who can access it.  This article shows the pros and cons to online learning from both a financial standpoint and an intellectual one.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2012/10/02/the-new-mental-health-disorder-internet-addiction/

Interesting article concerning internet addiction.  The article states that the internet has an addictive quality about it, much like a drug.  Much like Turkle suggests, I think people are developing a need to be connected with others and the internet has allowed for constant connection.  I think that internet addiction will become a much bigger problem the more it is available and the more connected one can become with others through the internet.

Addicted to Technology?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/debbie-woodbury/unplugging-from-technology_b_2967250.html

This will be short and sweet. This article talks about the advances in technology and how it affects interactions with others in person to person situations. Having technology has made us rude and obnoxious when it comes to social behavior. It seems that we can say whatever we want and act as rude as we want as long as we have our phones out and say we are busy. Advances in technology should not correlate to how we treat each other. The fact that having a smartphone has a direct relation to our manners is somewhat disturbing. Where will we be in ten years if this slope keeps up? Will we be attacking each other if someone want to interrupt our game of angry birds 32?

My aunt went out of tow and asked me to be responsible for my cousins. I had no problem with that as they are well behaved. however not 5 minutes after i walked in the house i didnt like what i saw. they are 13 and 11. both with their own video came consoles (ps3) complete with two flat screen tvs. to make matters worse they were both playing grand theft auto and everything knows you can pretty much do anything you want to do. That is not good for two kids that age to be exposed to things like that.

They also had their own smart phones. I didnt get my first cell phone until i was a sophomore in high school and it was a garbage phone for basically emergency or to keep in touch with my parents. they dont play sports they dont go outside they play video games all day every day and dont have any idea what they are missing out on and thats what bothers me about that generation.

Smart phones at sports events

I recently went to a reds game and could not believe what I was seeing. I got tickets from a friend who gets seats 7 rows up from the reds dug out so its not like these are dollar seats. The whole game people were on their phones and when I would cheer for the reds they'd ask me to quiet down because they were on the phone. Or when the reds hit a home run and fireworks started to explode they'd look at me and ask "oh what happened"?

That blew my mind. I have always been a sports fanatic so when i am t the game I am almost impossible to get a hold of unless its an emergency. the fact that people will spend that came of money and not have any clue what is going on in the game is an issue for me. all because of smart phones.

The last thing that bothered is that people were more concerned about getting something cool on camera with their phone so they could post it to social media rather than just watch it and tell them about it. and its not like their aren't 500 cameras at games so they'd see it anyway....

Images and focal point

Some one did a project that surrounded the idea of focal images in nature. He focused on the idea that technology gets in the way of seeing other things in nature. He had pictures of geese that were blurry and clear. It also had the phone in the picture. The geese was blurry in the picture demonstrating what often happens when people are out in nature. I am definitely guilty of this. A lot of times we get consumed by the technology that's in hand instead of stopping and enjoying the scenes around us. You will see parents who are out at a baseball game or some other sort of sport that they are supposed to be watching their child, but they will be on their phone instead. This is sad to me because they don't take the time to enjoy their children and maybe don't realize that they can't get those moments back.

I think that it is important to stop and smell the flowers every now and then. I enjoy that saying! People could learn from it in respects to getting off of their phones and enjoying life outside of technology.

Social Consequences of Advancing Technology

Technology, particularly the smartphone, has become a pivot part in the average persons life. We have developed a dependence on our devices and use them to solve most of our problems whether that be driving directions, answering a curious question, or settling a riveting debate with someone else. The smartphone has eliminated some of our most basic human to human interactions because anything we need can be found in the palm of our hand.  Today we see people sitting next to each other not even interacting until something interesting arises from their mobile device.
This type of living hurts our social skills because it eliminates our need to interact. Smartphones, although very useful for many reasons, can be more harmful to our way of living than helpful. Some people even will go as far to say that they feel like something is missing from their lives when they are separated from their cell phone. This type of dependence on a device hurts our social skills and we should make an attempt to take a break from our technology see the world outside the screen.

A day Made of Glass

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cf7IL_eZ38

The link above is a video produced by the Corning Company (a touch screen technology company), about their predictions where the future will be in not too many years. Their vision of the future is an almost completely touch screen glass world. From dashboards to windows, from bus stops to cell phones everything thing in a persons life will be completely touch screen capable and interactive with all of their surroundings.
This type of world will be incredibly simple to operate and energy efficient. The solar cell technology will turn everyday households into self sustaining energy sources. Bigger buildings such as schools and grocery stores can produce an excess of energy for other buildings therefore actually becoming small power plants in the area. After watching the video do you think that this type of world is possible in the next twenty years as they predicted or do you think that this type of technology is too advanced to mass produce throughout the entire world.

OK Computer

A common theme people don’t seem to pick up on in music is the theme of technology and its effects on society.  One example of this is the album OK Computer.

OK Computer is a Radiohead album released in 1997. Although Radiohead does not consider the album a concept album, the album shows a clear consistency of the theme technology and its effects on society. The album is an attempt to open the audience’s eyes and get them thinking about what is going on around them, and if it is a positive thing or not.

Airbag, the first track of the album, is similar to the video we watched in class where it was mentioned that the advancement of medical technology allowing transplants to save lives is followed by the need for car crashes, and therefore technology is very contradicting. The character in the song is surprised he survived, because of the danger of the car crash which would have never happened without technology in the first place, but his life was saved by the same technology that endangered him because of the airbag.

Fitter Happier is a track on the album that is actually a little disturbing. The voice is that of a computer automated voice, which is speaking of a person tracking their behavior and referring to the previous song Paranoid Android where the character repeatedly says “I may be paranoid, but not an android,” showing anxiety relating to the technology around him and how closely he’s being watched. In Fitter Happier, the characters new behaviors are being observed and noted, and the song ends with the conclusion that the man is “calm, fitter, healthier ,and more productive a pig, in a cage, on antibiotics.

The album seems to suggest that technology provides us with a false sense of security and advancement, when in reality we are setting ourselves up for disaster and/or danger.

"Ok Computer" (1997) 

·         Airbag

·         Paranoid Android

·         Subterranean Homesick Alien

·         Exit Music (For A Film)

·         Let Down

·         Karma Police

·         Fitter Happier

·         Electioneering

·         Climbing Up The Walls

·         No Surprises

·         Lucky

·         The Tourist

OK Computer is definitely an album that will hold your interest if you think about the meaning of the lyrics, and sometimes even disturb you. A song from another album that may spark interest is Idioteque. Nobody seems to know its true meaning, but it can cause your imagination to run wild with possibilities.

Digital vs. Analog

Last class we talked about digital vs. analog technology.  Growing up we used the disposable cameras that you had to drop off at the local store to have developed.  I always remember being anxious to see the outcome of the pictures and hated waiting for them to return.  I never experienced the phenomenon of a black room, but I understand the concept.  Now, we have cameras were we can see the picture as soon as we take it, make edits, and print them off all in the comfort of our own home.  Does this take away from the experience and art of taking pictures?  For some yes, and for others know.  It just simply makes their lives easier.  One day there will be a point were no one even remembers the disposable cameras.  Our society progresses based on our impatient needs.  One day there might even be an upgrade from the digital picture taking.

Sound Ecology! Groovy!

Today , we talked about a concept known as "Sound Ecology" and I thought it was the coolest thing ever.

Its basically the idea that new technology eventually blurs our concepts of history, culture, and ancient traditions. For example, we may have some sort of idea of what a village from the middle ages sounded like.... but we have no concrete evidence (such as a recording, for instance).

I have always wondered and imagined what life would be like if I lived in one of the ancient Mesopotamian city states, or how it would compare if I lived in New York in the 1700's. This has always been speculated upon, and many movies and television shows have delved deeper into this subject of course, but it definitely sparked a cord of adventure in me; I am now really bugged by the fact that I won't know what the daily life of Ancient Rome sounded like, or what living in Feudal Japan REALLY was like.

I'm not even a history major and I think this is the coolest stuff ever.

Technology allows us to have some sort of idea what this was like, but we will never TRULY understand what daily life sounded, felt like, and seemed like back then... and with the loss of focal things from daily life nowadays, future generations might lose an idea of what it was like to live WITH focal things and practices... and that in itself is a very scary thought.

Communication

http://www.forbes.com/sites/susantardanico/2012/04/30/is-social-media-sabotaging-real-communication/

The article above from Forbes goes into social media and its effects on our communication. I think the six bullet points at end can really help us in maintaining true conversations in order for situations like those at the beginning of the article do not occur.

Retail and Technology

Changes in technology have also affected the business environment (not just the social aspect). I work in retail, and they have begun to introduce the iPad into some stores as a trial experiment to replace our much outdated signing devices. I have noticed that other retail stores, such as Kohl's, have digital signs instead of paper signs. As one who knows how annoying changing paper signs are, I feel this advancement would make things so much faster. Whereas this store has already implemented this change, my store has only begun to talk about it. Change is very slow in coming, and this is what will make the difference between a successful company and an unsuccessful one. Being quick to change was not a skill-set businesses in the past had to really worry about too much, but in this new era of change, a slow-moving company may be left behind. I feel what makes a company successful is by setting trends, not following them. Ipads are expensive, and that is money that could be used to update other areas of our store, such as using digital signing, replacing our old registers with newer ones, or replacing our signing devices with something less expensive and more durable—because it won't be long before the iPad is “out”.

Sound Ecology: Different Sounds in Cities from the Past and Present

I would be extremely interested to hear the difference in noise in Times Square 100 years ago compared to now. It is amazing to me how loud and busy one place could be and it is only getting louder. One hundred years ago I guarantee there wasn't live music being played, hundreds of taxi cabs crowded around two blocks honking their horns mercilessly, and there definitely weren't as many people coming and going from work every single day. I think technology is no doubt to blame for the vast increase in commotion. There are multiple digital and video boards in Times Square now and there are always light up signs illuminated 24/7. This was never the case 100 years ago, and probably not even 50 years ago. My point is that  there are a ton of places where people can still sit back and relax with some peace and quiet and then there are many places like Times Square and The Strip in Las Vegas where loud noises and excitement are what it is all about. Neither are right or wrong, there is just a different world and technology is to blame and thank.

Unnecessary Technology Usage

I was at the Reds game a week or so ago and I saw something that really disturbed me quite a bit. A father had brought his two sons to the game, they couldn't have been older than 5 or 7. Initially it really brought back memories of the first Reds games that I went to with my Dad and then something hit me that wasn't quite right. For a vast majority of the game the two boys were sitting in their seats playing games on their Dad's iPad. This made me feel so sad and also a bit frustrated. Here this kids were at an event that I remember as one of the best bonding experiences I could have with my Dad and these kids were treating it as just another day where they could be beating high scores on whatever games they were playing. I initially was mad at the kids but then realized that they are so young and immature at this point in their lives that they don't even realize the memories that they were wasting that they would never get back. My blame then shifted to the Dad, who was also on his iPhone a good amount of the game. If your kids are going to play on the iPad all game then why not save some money and watch from the living room. Obviously he should understand the problem with what was going.

I hope that doesn't end up being the norm at sporting events and other activities like that. People don't even understand the memories that they are missing out on, just for a stupid game that can be played whenever. The point here is that there is a time and a place where these tools should be used. On the subway, right before bed, when you need someones phone number, etc. But it needs to be understood that this technology is not meant to be day fillers, rather, day helpers.

Online Education

I have taken a few classes online and they are really convenient, cheap, and it's great to work at your own pace.. however, do you really get as much as you should from an online class? There is talk about online classes and that one day there will be no more class rooms, it will all be online classes or virtual classrooms. I think that this could cause many problems, one being that if students have computers sitting right in front of them there is no telling what else they are going to be on (games, twitter, facebook, etc.) This is going to lead to them not taking in the information needed and while they are trying to multi-task with their assignment and their game, they are not going to be retaining information. Another problem is that school is not just a place to learn, it's a place to grow socially, personally and in some lives eventually find out who you really are. It is a way to grow into who you are going to be. If someone is looking to just take a few classes online to make it more convenient I don't see the problem, but to earn your degree online with no face to face contact with students, teachers and the atmosphere of learning I do not believe it is the best idea.

Medical Technology

I have read a few posts about Medical Technology and I was actually thinking about writing one of my papers about this topic. I agree with what most people are saying about medical technology advances that are happening at this moment. I am beyond thankful for the advances in medical technology, people are given a new life by simply having a "robot" arm or leg. I believe that the accuracy and the precision that these machines have are unbelievable and are saving lives every day. However, a full blown robot doing surgery on me or any other human is a scary thought. Humans make mistakes, we all know that. So, who says that the robot a human builds won't make mistakes?? That is a big issue to me, a robot isn't always going to be perfect and more importantly if they did make a mistake are they programed to react to a mistake and the situation and fit it?  A human can react to a mistake and fix it or at least get help from someone who can. Although I am thankful for robots in many ways, I do not like the thought of a robot completely taking over the job of a doctor!! I am not even going to go into the fact that a robot taking over the job of a doctor creates a completely different issue!! In the end, my point is that I would rather a human do surgery on me than a robot.

Does the Internet let us know too much?

Our baseball coach was finishing up his post game speech after another good conference series win yesterday. The speech mentioned how well we had played and how consistency is going to be our key to success in the upcoming weeks. All of this was pretty normal and routine for a post game speech after a win, positive but with words of advice about not letting it get to our heads and how we need to make sure we don't change anything. The part that really made me think though was at the end when our coach made it a huge priority to explain that we should not be looking at the standings and how other times are doing over the next two weeks. We knew that we had put ourselves in good shape, but we didn't know exactly what shape we were in and I think our coach knew exactly what was going through our heads. It has become commonplace nowadays to be able to check schedule/results, statistics, standings, etc. all with a few keystrokes. Just a few years ago this wasn't the case. There are websites for everything now and it is very easy to get caught up in all of the different scenarios where our team could win the conference championship. I wondered to myself if five years ago our coach had to say the same things to his team, or if this is just another thing that needs to be added to the list of changes due to technology. While I couldn't agree more that the internet is vital, sometimes I do wish that it could limit our knowledge on some things.

Advances in Medicine

Technology has helped medicine advance tremendously and has saved many lives.  It has allowed amputees to have a second chance and the precision of surgeries are even more exact now.  With that said, I don't know how comfortable I would be knowing that a robot is performing surgery on me and has full control.  In the back of my mind I would be concerned of if something was to go wrong, how would the robot react or will the robot have a malfunction in the middle of surgery?  I know that a human can still make a mistake, but the fact is a human can react to a situation and alter it or fix it when necessary.  The thought of robots performing human tasks to this extent is still mind blowing to me and I tend to just brush it off because it sounds so insane.  I am naive in that aspect because technology is always advancing and one day, if not already this will happen.  Ultimately, if I had a choice in a real doctor or a robot doctor, there would be no hesitation: real doctor wins!

online classrooms

the questions that we have to ask ourselves with regard to online education the virtual classroom idea that we discussed in class. we need to see and understand the costs and the benefits that are provided through a way of learning such as this. i would have to argue that online classrooms do not demand enough. classrooms online do not demand participation, anybody can lie or cheat on an online class. classrooms are meant to be a place to stimulate thought and ideas outside of ones normal realm  online people do not truly have to become engaged. the benefit of efficiency does not out weight the damage to society and the formation of an individual.

Mass Media in relation to nonsensical violence during the Modern Era

A multitude of tragic events over the last 5 years has many blaming mass media for giving those responsible a motive to commit these acts of violence. While this may have a small accuracy to it, it is not as extreme as most claim. In fact it is more accurate to say that mass media demotivates such acts of violence because of the strong solidarity response movements that follow. Take the most recent act of senseless violence, the Boston Marathon, within 8 hours a movement had been organized by a running organization that called for all runners in america to wear blue and yellow or a race shirt all week. With social media the word was quickly spread across the country and has a wide following amongst the running community. A day later the Boston Red Sox organized a B strong movement that was also immensely popular all over the country in a very short amount of time thanks to the spread of it through media outlets. In conclusion Mass Media does more good than harm in relation to such violent tragedy's because, while it does spread word of the crime and give it attention, it also brings thousands of Americans together in a strong show of support for all victims.

A Satirical Look at Technology

The film we watched in class took quite a satirical look at modern technology and its effect on society.  Through the third person perspective we get a view of the lives of people as they are affected by technology.  There are two sides to this, best shown by the contrast between Mr. Hulot and Mr. Arpel.  Mr. Hulot lives a life devoid of most forms of technology, until he is forced to be integrated through his new job.  Mr. Arpel and his wife are quite up to date on the newest technology, best seen by their fancy new age style home.  Any form of automation, no matter how ridiculous, is appealing to the Arpels.  The film spends a good deal focusing on the conflict of the Arpels' son, Gerard, who is infatuated by the childlike life of his uncle Mr. Hulot.  His parents, especially his father, disapprove and urge him to avoid such activities.  The films satire is used to create comedic situations, and it creates a general feel that gives technology a negative connotation. The scenes in the market where Mr. Hulot live are lively and joyful where scenes with technology are ordered and cold.  The imagery creates a general feel of negativity surrounding technology.

Prosthetics Help After Boston Bombing

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/bostom-bombing-amputees-benefit-wartime-prosthetic-technology/story?id=18981301&page=2#.UXCpbKXhDL8

This article talks about how advanced prosthetics will be used to help those who were injured in the Boston bombings. One prosthetic in the process of being cleared by the FDA is the DEKA arm. The goal is for it to look, feel and move like a natural limb. There are already around 700 Americans using some type of advanced prosthetics, mostly wounded soldiers. Users of this prosthetic arm "can fine tune the movements from an app on their cell phone in real time until it's right." It's really amazing how far this technology has come. This is an example of a way advances in technology can really benefit society.

Classroom Technology

I posted a comment on anothers' post, but I didn't go into much detail in my comment.
Long story short, my old high school just got iPads for all its students and I've asked some what they think of having the iPads. They all say that it's cool but all they do is play games. I believe them. I remember when I was in high school. It was so easy to get around the security or "blocked" websites to play games or go on Facebook. I know that when I'm in a class, even today, that allows cell phone (or other technology) use, I am not paying attention in class. I take full advantage of the freedom I am given because it's far more interesting to sit and read tweets than listen to a professor teach (no offense, Dr. Langguth). I'm sure that many other students feel this way too. Actually, I know many of them do simply because I can read their tweets about how boring class is or how they wish they were outside. Though I know technology can be useful in a classroom, I think it hurts us more than it helps. Even if I am not using my technology in the classroom while another student is, I am distracted by them. I don't know why we as humans are so drawn to technology but it may be hurting us in the long run to have technology in our classrooms.

Future of Technology

I know this website is giving scenerios as to what will cause the end of the world; but I found it very interesting that almost all of the scenerios the author gives involve the advancement of technology. The website really speaks for itself, and was an interesting read that definitely relates to many concepts and topics we discussed in class. It even has a few comments about AI, which we watched in class. Personally, I find it scary and also fascinating that we all think technology is so helpful, useful, and futuristic; but this technology and other advances could potentially lead to our demise. Clearly, not all technology is "innocent" (for example, drones) but when most of us think of technology, we don't think of the dangers or possible consequences of technological advances, which this website addresses. It definitely got me thinking of where we are going and if there will ever be a end to making new advances in technology.

WEBSITE

Attention Span Dwindling: The Busier, The Worse It Gets

The worst part about the end of the semester is the realization that we as college students have no attention span anymore. Everywhere I look, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Vine, other college students are complaining that they can't seem to lock in and do their final work of the year. The causes differ greatly, for some people its the internet, where blogging sites and Facebook rule, for others its simply just their phone and the endless amount of Twitter updates that come along with it. Any college student will admit that they are guilty of this feeling, some more than others, but all would agree that it happens. I think if someone asked college students 10-15 years ago how hard it was to complete an assignment most, if not all of them would probably say "not too hard at all." Nowadays it is the first thing out of any current college students mouth that they can't sit down for an hour to study or to type a paper without taking a social media break.

The problem with this is that there isn't a real way to avoid this loss of attention span unless you just get rid of everything altogether, or maybe just leave it wherever you aren't. Students are extremely hesitant to just dump their social networking apps because that is their way of interacting with their friends that maybe they don't see that often or maybe just people that they like to have some sort of conversation on a daily basis. Without a doubt social networking is a great thing and it helps friends stay connected for years and years but when it comes to schoolwork I think it has become one of the biggest hindrances to plague students.

2013: The Year to Dump Your Smartphones?

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865577739/Dumb-is-better-Kicking-the-smart-phone-addiction.html?pg=all

I stumbled across this article that was extremely interesting to me. The general idea behind the whole story is that all of these tech-savvy individuals are getting rid of their smartphones or just disabling sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. to get rid of all the meaningless stuff in their life. The article is definitely worth a read and will undoubtedly give you something to think about. I don't necessarily think that 2013 is going to be the year to dump the smartphone but I do believe that people are being a lot better at recognizing their problem with cell phone addiction and also looking for ways to solve their problems.

Some of the people interviewed in the article talk about their loss of attention of span and feelings of stupidity and scrambled thoughts. Writer Robin Sloan had this to say,  "For me, the iPhone had become a toxic compulsion. It had completed its invasion and occupation of my interstitial time — all those minutes riding the train, waiting in line, that used to be such fertile territory for daydreaming and storymaking. So I canceled my AT&T plan and switched to a bare-bones Nokia on a pay-as-you-go plan."

It definitely gives the reader something to think about, maybe not getting rid of your smartphone but maybe limiting the usage. 

Technology in the Classroom

A few people in our class have posted infromation on this topic and I believe that this is one of the most important topics in technology. How do students in the classroom learn the best? Many have said that the problem is that children need to be "entertained" which I agree with to an extent. The younger the child the shorter their attention span, this is true, but is technology the answer? Should laptops and ipads be allowed in the classroom? Should they be considered a learning tool or are they just a distraction or a way of "not being in class". Just with my experience, I honestly believe that laptops and ipads are more of a distraction than a tool used to make progress in the classroom. Children and even older generations use laptops to get on facebook, twitter, and all of these other social networks because they are bored of the information being taught to them in class. I do believe that we as a society need to find a new way of "entertaining" students but, I am not quite sure technology in the classroom as a primary source of learning is the answer.

VIdeo Games

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/12/science/studying-the-effects-of-playing-violent-video-games.html?_r=0


There has been much research about video games for a long time now.  They have come to the conclusion that it does affect the brain, but what about the affect on society?  This article address the issue of whether or not children who play video games, especially those that are violent, will commit a violent act at some point in their life.  By letting our youth be so involved in these games can cause problems in our community.  Instead of letting these games be babysitters, have kids go outside and enjoy the world around them, not a violent filled combat imaginary world. 

Cell Phones

When we talk about technology, it is hard to leave out the evolution of the cell phone.  I remember watching an episode of "Saved By the Bell" one Saturday morning and saw Screech but a gray block next to his ear.  I asked my mom what that was and she just laughed and said "That is a cell phone."  Fast forward several years and now we can virtually do anything we want on our Smart phones.  The Internet and by default the world is at our finger tips.  Try and imagine our world without cell phones.  It is hard because we are so used to having them, that I don't think we would be able to function properly or efficiently.  Although these smart phones have many positives, they have almost hurt our social interactions just as much.  People can have multiple conversations all at one time, but are they really personal through a screen?