Need I say more?
Showing posts with label random. Show all posts
Showing posts with label random. Show all posts
Monday, December 7, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
To twit or not to twit?
Okay, I know I will offend some people with this post, forgive me for speaking my mind - but I just don't get it. Yes, I know blogging can be very self-centered, since it is a forum for talking about oneself and bragging - showing everyone how wonderful the blogger is - but for the most part that is not it's main purpose or use. I have found most blogs I have read to be uplifting, informational, encouraging, and wonderful resources for ideas that have inspired many aspects of my home school.
I can even see the advantages of F*cebook (sort of ;)- though I have no desire to participate. I understand how nice it is for families to be able to connect and share photos and their lives with friends and family living far from them, or to allow a person to reconnect with old friends they have not seen in years (though when I hear people talk about it, it sounds a lot like high school all over again - "will -fill in random name- 'friend' me?" or "did you see what -fill in random name- is doing this weekend, can you believe WE weren't invited!"). But, when it comes to "tw*tter" I am still not seeing the advantages. The name alone is more than I can take - could I really not feel silly thinking "oh, I need to tw*tter this"? At least the founders of tw*tter were honest in what this creation was when giving it a name. Here are a few definitions taken from Webster's online.
twitter
1. to utter successive chirping noises
2. to talk in a chattering fashion
chatter
1. to utter rapid short sounds suggestive of language but inarticulate and indistinct (like squirrels)
2.to talk idly, incessantly, or fast
twit
1. an act of twitting
2. a silly, annoying person
To "tw*tter" also requires me to believe that everyone really cares where I am at every moment, or wants to know where I will be getting my takeout from this evening. It reminds me of the quote - not sure who said it first - "You wouldn't worry so much about what people thought of you if you realized how rarely they really are thinking about you!" We worry all the time about what someone meant when they said something, or whether someone is judging us, or talking about us, when most of the time, we don't even cross their mind. Now, our ego centrism has reached the point that we believe the world wants to know where we are at any given moment, and what we are thinking.
Perhaps the most disturbing thing about it is that it magnifies the problem I have always had with email. I love email, I love to be able to send someone a quick note about something, but I have also learned that each word must be selected carefully, since there is no way to convey tone. I would never have a serious discussion over email, since too often meaning can be misunderstood, feelings hurt, and black and white words on a page can often look much harsher than the writer intended. Now, combined with texting, we have a form of communication that restricts the number of words, and is designed to give a direct path from impulse thought to "speech". I am not even going to go into the impact this will have on future generations and their interpersonal communication skills, grammar and spelling abilities. It allows (encourages) the "twitterer" (I will stop short from calling them "twits" :) to send what you are feeling or thinking at that instant, without any thought to content. There is no "proofreading," no editing of the brain. It is pure impulse communication. I am reminded of the warnings in scripture of the dangers of the unbridled tongue. "But I say to you that every idle word men may speak they will give account of it in the Day of Judgment" (Matthew 12:37). How much more dangerous our world is now, as we are able to spill out meaningless, thoughtless communication not merely to the person standing directly in front of us, but to anyone who is bored enough to "follow" us. How much more self focused will we become as a society, when we are constantly being told that everyone around us is interested in every aspect of our lives? How much more self-important will we feel because we get replies to our tweets? (How many more words will be bumped from the children's dictionary to make room for the new "twitter" vocabulary - how appropriate we have lost the words "bishop" and "chapel" to make room for "celebrity" and "MP3 Player"). I realize that technology is a magnificent tool, and to survive in our world today, we must understand it and participate in some degree. I am sure there are some positive uses for this technology - and I do not want to condemn the individual who chooses to participate. But I think it says a lot about the world we live in today.
I often stop and wonder what it would look like if we could actually see all of the invisible wireless messages travelling throughout the world - all the emails, texts and tweets that are constantly flying overhead. Imagine what the air around us would look like. Imagine what the sky would look like. In my mind I picture this writhing mass of black Times New Roman type, swirling around, causing far more pollution in our world than any "carbon footprint."
I can even see the advantages of F*cebook (sort of ;)- though I have no desire to participate. I understand how nice it is for families to be able to connect and share photos and their lives with friends and family living far from them, or to allow a person to reconnect with old friends they have not seen in years (though when I hear people talk about it, it sounds a lot like high school all over again - "will -fill in random name- 'friend' me?" or "did you see what -fill in random name- is doing this weekend, can you believe WE weren't invited!"). But, when it comes to "tw*tter" I am still not seeing the advantages. The name alone is more than I can take - could I really not feel silly thinking "oh, I need to tw*tter this"? At least the founders of tw*tter were honest in what this creation was when giving it a name. Here are a few definitions taken from Webster's online.
1. to utter successive chirping noises
2. to talk in a chattering fashion
chatter
1. to utter rapid short sounds suggestive of language but inarticulate and indistinct (like squirrels)
2.to talk idly, incessantly, or fast
twit
1. an act of twitting
2. a silly, annoying person
To "tw*tter" also requires me to believe that everyone really cares where I am at every moment, or wants to know where I will be getting my takeout from this evening. It reminds me of the quote - not sure who said it first - "You wouldn't worry so much about what people thought of you if you realized how rarely they really are thinking about you!" We worry all the time about what someone meant when they said something, or whether someone is judging us, or talking about us, when most of the time, we don't even cross their mind. Now, our ego centrism has reached the point that we believe the world wants to know where we are at any given moment, and what we are thinking.
Perhaps the most disturbing thing about it is that it magnifies the problem I have always had with email. I love email, I love to be able to send someone a quick note about something, but I have also learned that each word must be selected carefully, since there is no way to convey tone. I would never have a serious discussion over email, since too often meaning can be misunderstood, feelings hurt, and black and white words on a page can often look much harsher than the writer intended. Now, combined with texting, we have a form of communication that restricts the number of words, and is designed to give a direct path from impulse thought to "speech". I am not even going to go into the impact this will have on future generations and their interpersonal communication skills, grammar and spelling abilities. It allows (encourages) the "twitterer" (I will stop short from calling them "twits" :) to send what you are feeling or thinking at that instant, without any thought to content. There is no "proofreading," no editing of the brain. It is pure impulse communication. I am reminded of the warnings in scripture of the dangers of the unbridled tongue. "But I say to you that every idle word men may speak they will give account of it in the Day of Judgment" (Matthew 12:37). How much more dangerous our world is now, as we are able to spill out meaningless, thoughtless communication not merely to the person standing directly in front of us, but to anyone who is bored enough to "follow" us. How much more self focused will we become as a society, when we are constantly being told that everyone around us is interested in every aspect of our lives? How much more self-important will we feel because we get replies to our tweets? (How many more words will be bumped from the children's dictionary to make room for the new "twitter" vocabulary - how appropriate we have lost the words "bishop" and "chapel" to make room for "celebrity" and "MP3 Player"). I realize that technology is a magnificent tool, and to survive in our world today, we must understand it and participate in some degree. I am sure there are some positive uses for this technology - and I do not want to condemn the individual who chooses to participate. But I think it says a lot about the world we live in today.
I often stop and wonder what it would look like if we could actually see all of the invisible wireless messages travelling throughout the world - all the emails, texts and tweets that are constantly flying overhead. Imagine what the air around us would look like. Imagine what the sky would look like. In my mind I picture this writhing mass of black Times New Roman type, swirling around, causing far more pollution in our world than any "carbon footprint."
Monday, January 12, 2009
Overheard at breakfast
How many 4 year olds are well versed on Dr. Who? This morning at breakfast, the queen (4) had an argument with crocodile hunter (9) and the little princess (7) over whether or not the great Doctor was real or not. She insisted he is, though the jelly bean monster is not!
And on a completely unrelated note - enjoy these amazing photos from the Tarpon Springs Theophany celebration. There is something incredibly moving about the photo at water level of all the boys in the water, one arm reaching triumphantly up into the air with the cross. HT to Monica for the link.
And on a completely unrelated note - enjoy these amazing photos from the Tarpon Springs Theophany celebration. There is something incredibly moving about the photo at water level of all the boys in the water, one arm reaching triumphantly up into the air with the cross. HT to Monica for the link.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
NOT an apology (see BWO in sidebar)
I have not posted in a while for several reasons. One, if you don't have anything good to post, don't post anything at all! Not that things aren't good around here, but it has been chaotic, and that combined with me being sick with a nasty cold/allergy thing, I have not been very productive . Second, my internet has been spotty over the past week or so, which has been a huge frustration. It makes me realize how much I rely on the internet for little things - like earlier today, the kids brought in a bucket full of green apples they picked from the yard, and wanted me to cook them for dessert tonight. My first thought was, oh, I'll just go*gle a recipe for an apple strudel. Oops, can't, internet's NOT working. I have to actually get out a cookbook and look it up, or call mom and get her ideas. Last night I was trying to make plans for vacation - we are heading to the beach in a week with my husband's family (10 children under the age of 9 all in one condo :), not to mention the adults. I thought I would look up local photographers to see about having some pictures done on the beach - oops, can't, internet's NOT working. When did "go*gle" become a verb? And when did I become so dependent on the ability to instantly get what I need (want)? I love internet access, and have quickly come to rely on it for everything from recipes and party ideas to directions to get anywhere. It shows the generational divide too, I think. My mother (who has a master's in physics) couldn't go*gle if her life depended on it. The idea of finding something out by looking online is completely foreign to her. It makes me stop and wonder, when will my kids pass me up in the technology march?
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