I have an interesting relationship with technology. I don't like to pay a lot of money for it or be too dependent on it. I worry that the kid love affair with technology is keeping our youth from experiencing some of life’s simplest pleasures: discovering a wild patch of blackberries, walking down the railroad tracks, swimming in the hot sun all day and then having the best sleep of your life. You know, the good stuff.
But technology is fun. And it’s exciting. It’s making my life more connected to the people I love and care about. And I'm managing my life more easily.
You can play cool games, including ones that make you play with language and solve puzzles. I like Words With Friends, Wordoid and Crossword. I play scrabble with my former Penn State women’s studies advisor/teacher/friend. What a fun way to reconnect with the people who mean so much to us!
You can discover new music with SoundHound when you’re out dancing or watching a movie, and then instantly stream it in Rhapsody. You can save songs and entire albums to a playlist that you’ll later listen to in your car or while grading papers at a coffee shop.
Information is more accessible than ever and I’m an info-junkie. I love learning. I’m having so much fun using new apps and assessing their professional and personal benefits. These are a few that I’m trying out:
Google Sky to study the constellations
Mint to manage finances
Dictionary
Flixster for local show times, movie trailers, reviews
MagLite Led Torch for when you need a flashlight
Appolicious to find new cool apps
NPR to keep up on the news
Skyfire as my browser
AllRecipes for meal ideas
Blogger to keep up to date with this endeavor!
EverNote for reminders and lists, two things I can’t live without
Gmail & YouTube
Netflix Queue to add films when people make suggestions
I’m sure that our brains are changing due to the way we are constantly receiving information in fast, small, often disconnected bytes. I want to know more about how the brain is changing or could change if we don’t temper this “shallow” information bombardment with something else. Like reading novels, taking long quiet walks in the woods, camping for a weekend with nothing more technologically complex than a campfire.
What do you think? How do you balance your life? Are there forms of technology that you're avoiding? What are you loving?
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