Dec 13, 2011 Posted by john

A Farewell To Facebook, Reason #3: Obsession & Stupidity

This entry is part 3 of 3 in the series A Farewell To FacebookThis is the last in my posts about why I left Facebook. No, really, I promise! Like many things I write, they’ve come off a bit as “explanation” and/or “justification,” but– also like many things I write– they were meant more as “exploration.” They are a personal exploration, through writing, of my... read more

Dec 13, 2011 Posted by john

A Farewell to Facebook, Reason #2: Interaction

This entry is part 2 of 3 in the series A Farewell To FacebookIn a previous post, I described the confusion of the term “friend” as a primary reason I left Facebook. Another reason I left was confusion over the term “interact.” It just seems that much of Facebook is not “interaction.” It’s short anecdotes that people comment on. That’s not interaction.... read more

Dec 8, 2011 Posted by john

A Farewell To Facebook, Reason #1: Friends

This entry is part 1 of 3 in the series A Farewell To FacebookRecently, I deleted my Facebook account. Deleted. Completely.1 When I did this, many friends and family expressed surprise, sometimes outright frustration, that I would leave Facebook. According to them, there were a number of reason I should not have left, but primary among them was that I’d be eliminating that important way to... read more

Oct 5, 2011 Posted by john

Today, I Bought an iPad

I remember this day 25+ years ago, when my mother came home with it. It was a box with a silver keyboard looking thing that said “TI 99/4a.” That big, blocky hulk of a purchase that was one of the best decisions of my mother’s parenthood. She wasn’t always the best role model, my mother, but this decision was superb. It came with intent, a reason: She told us that she couldn’t... read more

Nov 1, 2010 Posted by john

Free WiFi is Dangerous

I’m gonna cut to the chase, and since this is a blog read by primarily non-technical people,1 I’ll lay this whole thing out in a non-technical way: Using your laptop, phone, or iPad with free WiFi is dangerous as hell. I know, you love your free wifi. You love being able to post your whereabouts on Facebook, and constantly connect to your email. Trust me, I do to. But all this free wifi comes... read more