Somehow I ended up here, in the midst of completing my Social Theory Paper - yet all I can think about are the Twits (a new "pet name" for Twitter users... seriously, why???) and how communication in America has fallen to a new low... I was IMing with a guy from that site I'm on... We were just talking about who-knows-what, when he brings up meeting IRL (they all do... I wasn't too surprised about that...) It got me thinking -the idea of intentionally meeting someone who is (essentially) a complete stranger- or are they? How well can you know someone you meet online? Is the internet just a way to schedule a future liaison? Do we truly communicate over the internet? I took a Sociology of Cyberspace class my freshman year of college. I should know better than to question these things now... Yes, we can communicate quite well over the internet... At least, we used to. While browsing through the site, I noticed several patterns. I would get annoyed if a person did not post a picture, or only had 1 not-so-great one. I rely so heavily on body language, that I simply could not get a feel for their personality without a picture. How are they standing, what are they wearing, how are they wearing it, where are they looking, what are they doing, who are they with-- Words can't be trusted alone. Even in the age of webcams - who are you when the camera's on, when it's your face on the screen? Who are you when you're alone? Is this the same person you present to the world?
If I met you in person, would I stop to say hi, or just pass you by? Would our conversation really begin with "hi, how are you today?" If I converse with you online, for months, would I ever really know the real you? I used to think it was possible. Now, I'm not so sure.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
The Single Greatest Invention of the 21st Century
This has to be the single greatest invention of the 21st century. (Seriously, it puts everything we've done so far to shame- literally.)
The Slingshot
Need I say more? No, but you know I will anyway. Just a little. While here in the U.S. our biggest dilemma is generally "bottled or tap?," there are countries where clean, drinkable water is a scarce commodity. WHO and the UN estimate there to be 1.1 billion people in the world without access to safe drinking water.
Each year, 1.62 million children under 5 die from diarrhea caused by unsafe water*; 1.17 million children under 5 die from malaria. 2/3 of these children are in Asia.
And just how many children in the U.S. die from diarrhea? Googled it, since no one really seems to know-- because it's practically unheard of. Let me put it this way: I found the stats on some random medical website; they were "Not Applicable." The most recent one they had for the U.S. was 3,100 people in 1985**. And WHOSIS (WHO Statistical Information System) doesn't even have an option for it in the U.S.
Help contribute to sustainable water projects! Support WaterPartnersInternational and World Water Day 2010! Also, WHOSIS is interesting to mess around with. Take a look for yourself.
P.S. - Tap water in America is generally better than bottled water- it must pass higher standards. Buy a filter and a reusable bottle. It's considerably cheaper in the long run.
* WHO Facts and Figures Updated November 2004 - These figures above were figured out by me! (It's basic math. 90% of total. Just letting you know.)
** Wrong Diagnosis. Best I could find - and that's really saying something... There were a few journal articles, but they stop at 1987.
Need I say more? No, but you know I will anyway. Just a little. While here in the U.S. our biggest dilemma is generally "bottled or tap?," there are countries where clean, drinkable water is a scarce commodity. WHO and the UN estimate there to be 1.1 billion people in the world without access to safe drinking water.
Each year, 1.62 million children under 5 die from diarrhea caused by unsafe water*; 1.17 million children under 5 die from malaria. 2/3 of these children are in Asia.
And just how many children in the U.S. die from diarrhea? Googled it, since no one really seems to know-- because it's practically unheard of. Let me put it this way: I found the stats on some random medical website; they were "Not Applicable." The most recent one they had for the U.S. was 3,100 people in 1985**. And WHOSIS (WHO Statistical Information System) doesn't even have an option for it in the U.S.
Help contribute to sustainable water projects! Support WaterPartnersInternational and World Water Day 2010! Also, WHOSIS is interesting to mess around with. Take a look for yourself.
P.S. - Tap water in America is generally better than bottled water- it must pass higher standards. Buy a filter and a reusable bottle. It's considerably cheaper in the long run.
* WHO Facts and Figures Updated November 2004 - These figures above were figured out by me! (It's basic math. 90% of total. Just letting you know.)
** Wrong Diagnosis. Best I could find - and that's really saying something... There were a few journal articles, but they stop at 1987.
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