The latest thing with the cyber-generation is…hugging.  But some see this as a dangerous trend.  WHAT!  So why the war on hugs?

As the online generation comes of age there has been much speculation about how they will turn out.  This is a generation that doesn’t know a world without the Web.  They all have cell phones, mastered texting, and created a new form of flirting called “sexting”.  For those not hip enough to know about sexting see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexting.
Their music is downloaded and they listen to it on MP3 players or iPods.  Email is almost considered quaint preferring to communicate via social networking with sites like MySpace and Facebook.  They multitask and are ADD with even their basic cable packages packed with 60 to 70 channels.  There has been much concern that this bombardment of technology will yield a generation that is cold and distant lacking in even the most basic etiquette…like using a fork.

But not to worry.  What are the kids doing?  Like a perfectly choreographed song and dance routine from a High School Musical they are breaking out in spontaneous hugging.  Bet you didn’t see that coming.  (more…)

Something about this video made me laugh!   Matthew Fox and Jimmy Kimmel in a staring contest with some lipdubbed Peter Gabriel.  Enjoy!

If you use social media such as Facebook is it okay to defriend?  What about ignoring a friend request?  Keep in mind that when you interact on a social networking website you are not interfacing with a machine, but with people with real feelings.

So keep in mind that real people with real feeling are attached to those profiles.  I am not going to try to be your mama and tell you have you should behave in cyber-space.  But I would like to offer some simple reminders of things you should already know.

In the biology of technology equation, I have always found it interesting that we often hide behind technology to avoid the reality of the human condition.  When we are buffered with a layer of technology we feel more liberty to be less human and more animal.  Traffic is a good example.  Whenever you cut off a car in traffic in reality you are cutting off a person.  Because, you know, people drive those cars.  If you cut someone off at the mall you might at least utter “excuse me” instead of blasting an obnoxious horn or flashing the finger.

Here are some things to think about for social networking relationships. (more…)

How do you find the latest hot web videos?  Are there people who sit around all day just scouring the web for the next “leave Britney alone” YouTube star?  Believe it or not, the answer is yes.

There are websites that act as a concierge recommending what’s hot in viral video.  The New York Times featured an article of these cyber-curators.
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/15/curating-the-best-of-the-web-video/

To save you a few clicks, here are some of the websites showcased in this piece and others that I like.
http://nizmlab.com/ A “best-of” YouTube
http://chunnel.tv/ More artsy if you are feeling a bit abstract
http://videos.antville.org/ Featuring music, like when MTV actually had music videos
http://www.todaysbigthing.com/ Showcasing one hot video a day.  Good for a quick fix
http://www.internetvideomag.com/ Self Explanatory

Here’s a good collection of the top web videos of all time:
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/top10/article/0,30583,1686204_1686303_1690876,00.html

Hopefully this will help you save face on Facebook from putting a link to the “cat playing a piano” video with the caption, “Look at the really cool video I just found.  OMG  LMAO!”

Here’s one I got from http://www.todaysbigthing.com/ about “divorces greatest hits” that made me chuckle.

I have been and shall always be a Star Trek fan.  There, I said it.  And while Trek tech is cool, it’s more about the biology than the technology that makes Star Trek soar.  The new Star Trek movie energizes my geek brain with all that cool gadgetry, but the heart of Trek is about relationships.  The real power and hope is that we not only see a possible future with technology that meets our every need, but that we use this technology not to blow each other up, but to help each out.

There has been must attention given to the fact that the gee-whiz technology from Star Trek has inspired real life innovation.  It is easy to see how Bluetooth is a descendant of the iconic wireless earpiece Lieutenant Uhura wore.  And the flip phone is so much like original series communicator.  “The fun in Star Trek didn’t come from copying science, but from having science copy it,” wrote Leonard Mlodinow, a former writer for the “Next Generation” series and former physics faculty member at CalTech, in the April 25 issue of Newsweek. “My job wasn’t to put real science into Star Trek, but to imagine new ideas that hadn’t yet been thought of.”

Other out-of-this-world technologies seem galaxies away such as transporters and faster-than-light warp drives.  But who knows!

It has always been my contention that technology solves problems.  But I have always found it interesting and even disturbing that we have made huge medical advancements for treating conditions such as malaria, asthma, and infection, yet millions across the globe still suffer and die without treatment.  As Spock would say, “It is not logical.”

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It was just a matter of time before we see headlines like “Facebook causes lower grades”.  But before you hit the social networking panic button, this type of scare tactic is nothing new.

Here is a list of other things that supposedly will destroy the fragile mind of the young.
TV
Video Games
Comic Books
Harry Potter books
The Twilight books
The CW’s Ultra-Rich Kids
Rock Music
The Daily Show/Colbert Report
Craigslist
David Lettermen
Paris Hilton (Umm, I may give you this one)
The Internet
And now…Social Networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter.

Hey, here’s a thought – instead of protesting the latest technology trends by spending all our time writing blog entries (posted on the “evil” Internet), appearing on 24 hour cable news shows (shown on “mind numbing” TV), and printing books (that are in book stores along with “homo promoting” Harry Potter books), why don’t we just talk to our kids.  Why don’t we just teach them the good and the bad of these things?

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Here’s a cool clip that shows a neat merger of technology and art:

Okay, it’s a commercial for Sony.  But you have to give it points for it not being an in-your-face ad leaning more on creativeness than ravenousness consumerism.