Consider the familiar scene: Dozens of people in reverent silence with heads bowed and eyes glued to the tiny object in their hands. It seems like everybody has a smartphone these days. Everyone, that is, except a few who have, like me, clung to our phones of average intelligence. With all the convenience afforded to those whose phones have additional IQ points, it may seem … [Read more...] about Smartphones sap our social smarts
Kelly Okerson
Love your friends this Valentine’s Day
Art by Brooke Muschott Valentine’s Day always seems to separate people into two camps: sappy lovers and bitter singles. By now we’ve heard the joke about Singles Awareness Day (S.A.D.) so often that it’s not funny anymore — but was it ever? Why have we collectively agreed that being single and aware of it is sad? I advocate for the creation of a third … [Read more...] about Love your friends this Valentine’s Day
Negativity shouldn’t permeate the culture
Art by Brooke Muschott Last year I tried to give up second dessert for Lent. I am ashamed to admit that it was not even close to a successful attempt. This year, knowing that a chocolate fast was unlikely to last longer than a week, I decided to do something more meaningful: give up negativity. At first my plan was to stop the negative self-talk: no more telling myself … [Read more...] about Negativity shouldn’t permeate the culture