Web/Tech
The essence of a New England Patriots fan and a Bostonian in 5 tweets.
This is a beautiful story. If you ever lived in Massachusetts, and especially in the greater Boston area, this will ring so true. People in the Boston area are hardcore. It’s Marathon Monday in Boston. As the runners make their way along the race route, a man stands on the side of the road,…
Read MoreRogue One on VHS: A taste of the perfect childhood
I am happy that I live in a digital, HD, Internet-infused world. I am also happy that I grew up in an analog, low-definition, Internet-absent world. I did not touch a computer or the Internet for the first 18 years of my life. After graduating from high school, I left home, moved in with a…
Read MoreThe Internet has certainly evolved in the last 20 years
1997: Never, ever get into a stranger’s car. Never arrange to meet people from the Internet in real life. 2017: Literally summon strangers from the Internet to get in their cars.
Read MoreThe mix tape was something special
I overheard a woman telling her friend about a Spotify playlist that her new boyfriend has curated for her. She practically swooned as she rattled through the list of songs. And yes, she used the word “curated.” I rolled my eyes, not because I don’t approve of young love or romantic gestures or the power…
Read MoreAt last I am a Beautiful Person. Verified and confirmed by beautifulpeople.com.
In 2013, I applied twice for acceptance to beautifulpeople.com, a social networking site designed specifically for attractive people. Access to beautifulpeople.com is granted only if the members of the network deem you attractive enough to be a member. I was rejected both times. I cataloged my rejections in blog posts in both August and September of that…
Read MoreThe Internet is kind and crazy and kind of crazy
Last week I wrote a piece advising that you avoid shopping at multiple grocery stores in a given week, arguing that time is more valuable than the marginal differences in taste and quality of food. The argument is more complex than that, but you can go read the piece if you’d like. It was also…
Read Moreinternet at last
On November 23, 2009, I wrote a post arguing that it’s stupid that the word “Internet” needs to be capitalized. Seven years later, The Associated Press—purveyor of the AP Stylebook, used by journalists for the last century to standardize mass communications—has made a pronouncement: No longer will the AP insist on capitalizing both “internet” and “web.” It’s…
Read MoreI’ve switched from PC to Mac. I have six complaints.
About a month ago, I switched from PC to Mac. This was a momentous change for me. Terrifying and frustrating. Like landing on an alien planet. It was also necessary. My PC was on its last legs. The shift key was broken and I was starting to get about one blue screen a day. And between…
Read MoreA man who is proving that nothing is as complicated as people think or want it to be.
A phrase that I say often and believe strongly is this: “Nothing is as complicated as people think it is or want it to be.” That second part of that statement is the one that people don’t always realize but is tragically true. There are people in this world – hordes of them – who…
Read MoreAre you faithful to your spouse? It’s less common than you might think.
Ashley Madison, the online affair facilitator with the slogan, “Life is Short. Have an Affair.” was hacked this week. Hackers are threatening to release the personal information of its 37 million members. Did you hear that (in your head, since I am not reading this aloud to you)? 37 million members. That may sound like…
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