5 ways to maximize computer use — and happiness

Q: How many computers does it take to enjoy a relaxing evening at home? A:  7.  Five to use simultaneously, a sixth to blog about how you’re doing that, and a seventh to keep your spouse entertained while you do. Yeah, I know, it reads like a formulaic joke. But...

Do ebooks help or hurt children’s literacy?

Print books may be under siege from the rise of e-books, but they have a tenacious hold on a particular group: children and toddlers. Their parents are insisting this next generation of readers spend their early years with old-fashioned books. This is the case even...

Trust, disclosure and social media

Two of the most frequent criticisms of social media hinge on the quality and quantity of information people disclosure through blogs, Twitter, Facebook and other social tools: Why does s/he think anyone cares? Asked about people who blog their latest meal, tweet their...

TedX Victoria: Stop apologizing for your online life

I’m delighted to be participating in TedX Victoria this November 19th.  I’ll be speaking about the 10 Reasons to Stop Apologizing for Your Online Life, and look forward to helping TedX participants give up the notion of IRL (“In Real Life”),...

Bored by your boyfriend? Try having sex.

This is my best effort at scrupulous transcription of a conversation I was fortunate to overhear in the locker room today, between two young women I initially assumed were roommates. I wasn’t sure whether the locker room was covered by a cone of silence, so I...

What you can learn from your tech defeats

When I was a small child my mother dropped me onto a hard, stone floor. Miraculously, I was uninjured.  As soon as I stopped crying, it seemed, I was as good as new. It would take years before the long-term repercussions of this fall became apparent: the tumble had...