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A project believed to be the first of its kind in the eastern United States is expected to increase choices – and lower prices – for people arranging funerals in the Fort Wayne area.
The Catholic Cemetery, which was established in 1873 by Bishop Joseph Dwenger, has asked the city's Board of Zoning Appeals for permission to build a $2.5 million, 13,615-square-foot funeral home and crematory on its 175-acre campus at 3500 Lake Avenue near White Oak Drive.
Sean McBride, communications director for the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, which owns the property, said the project is in response to an opportunity presented by the area's relatively high cost of funeral services. Local funerals average between $12,000 and $14,000, "But if you go to South Bend or Indianapolis, the average is $7,000 or $8,000, (excluding burial)," McBride said. "We hope to bring down the cost of funerals (in Fort Wayne)."
It was just last year that D.O. McComb & Sons opened its 11,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art cremation center at 2307 W. Main St., near Lindenwood Cemetery. McComb's holdings include Mongovan & Sons Memorial Chapel at 2114 S. Calhoun St., long popular among Catholics.
"This project should be welcome by consumers. Among competitors, not so much," McBride said. The new facility would not be restricted to Catholics but would provide "overtly Christian funerals," he added.
But McComb President Dave McComb challenged McBride's numbers, saying his company often provides services costing less than $7,000 to low-income families, including those on Medicaid or township assistance.
"Mungovan's has been here for generations, and people choose (funeral homes) based on family heritage or because they know a member of the staff," McComb said, adding that his company intends to continue serving Catholics and other religious customers.
Cremation was generally considered unacceptable among Catholics, but the church in 1963 issued a statement permitting the practice so long as cremation was not chosen as a sign of disrespect for the body or as a rejection of the faith and resurrection. Several other local funeral providers also operate crematories, McComb said.
If the BZA approves the project next month, ground could be broken in the spring and construction completed before the end of the year. The new facility would create about six jobs, McBride said.
According to the Catholic Cemetery Association's BZA application, this would be the first Catholic funeral home on the grounds of a Catholic cemetery east of the Mississippi River.


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HAMDEN, Conn. - Quinnipiac University Men's Cross Country head coach Carolyn Martin has announced the team's schedule for the 2013 season. The slate features six events prior to the MAAC Championships, the ECAC Championships and the NCAA Regionals in November.
"We are very excited to be entering the MAAC," said fifth-year head coach Carolyn Martin. "There are some very tough and unfamiliar teams, but we are certainly looking forward to the challenge."
Preparation for the 2013 MAAC Championships begins on Saturday, Aug. 31 in Long Island at the Stony Brook Invitational. Last season at this meet, the men came in second and the women finished third. The next meet for the Bobcats will be on Saturday, Sept. 7 at the Bryant University Invitational. The women took home third place while the men garnered fourth in Smithfield a year ago.
Quinnipiac heads back to New York for its next event, and will run Van Cortland Park in the Bronx. The Bobcats are among approximately 15 teams at the Iona Meet of Champions on Saturday, Sept. 21 – a competition that saw Army (women) and Brown (men) victorious last year. Two weeks later on Saturday, Oct. 5, the Bobcats will head out to Bethlehem, Pa. for the 40th annual Paul Short Run Invitational. The event will take place at Goodman Park and is hosted by Lehigh University, beginning at 9 a.m. Last season at this meet, the Quinnipiac men finished 12th out of 33 teams, while the women came in 18th out of 40.
After that, the Bobcats will compete in the New England Championships on Saturday, Oct. 12 at Franklin Park in Boston. Quinnipiac then makes a short trip up to New Britain for a clash at the CCSU Mini Meet on Friday, Oct. 25 – its last meet before the conference championships.
The Bobcats then gear up for their first-ever run in the MAAC Championships at Van Cortland Park. The Bobcats will look to dethrone perennial power Iona on Friday, Nov. 1. The Gael's Men's Cross Country team has won 22 consecutive MAAC titles, while the women are the eight-time defending conference champions. Last season, as a member of the Northeast Conference, the Quinnipiac women claimed their eighth straight conference title, while the men placed third in their final season as an NEC member.
NCAA Regionals get underway on Friday, Nov. 15 followed by the ECAC Championships the ensuing weekend on Saturday, Nov. 23. Both events will be at Van Cortland Park. Those eligible for the NCAA National Championship will make a trip out to Terre Haute, Ind. instead of the Bronx. In order to be eligible to participate in the championships, teams and individuals have to qualify in their respective regional competitions.
2013 Quinnipiac Men's Cross Country Schedule
|Event / Location
|Aug 31, 2013
|vs. Stony Brook Invitational @ Stony Brook, N.Y.
|Sep 7, 2013
|vs. Bryant University Invitational @ Bryant Cross Country Course - Smithfield, R.I.
|Sep 21, 2013
|vs. Iona Meet of Champions @ Van Cortlandt Park - Bronx, N.Y.
|Oct 5, 2013
|vs. Lehigh Paul Short Invitational @ Lehigh Cross Country Course - Bethlehem, Pa.
|Oct 12, 2013
|vs. New England Championships @ Franklin Park - Boston, Mass.
|Oct 25, 2013
|vs. CCSU Mini Meet @ Stanley Quarter Park - New Britain, Conn.
|Nov 2, 2013
|vs. MAAC Championships @ Van Cortlandt Park - Bronx, N.Y.
|Nov 15, 2013
|vs. NCAA Regionals @ Van Cortlandt Park - Bronx, N.Y.
|Nov 23, 2013
|vs. ECAC Championships @ Van Cortlandt Park - Bronx, N.Y.
|Nov 23, 2013
|vs. NCAA Championships @ Terre Haute, Ind.
Student-Athletes, parents and fans can download the 2013-14 QU Athletics schedules to your laptop and mobile devices for free by clicking in the iCalendar link at the bottom of each sport's homepage or the master schedule page. Fans can also follow Quinnipiac Athletics on Facebook and Twitter (@QUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates.

subset: commoncrawl


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It is one of the nicer parts of my job to be able to call someone up and tell them they have won a competition. From personal experience I made sure that our winner knew exactly who I was and what they had won as whenever I have "won" things in the past it has usually been with a super catch!
But it was lovely to tell our winner poiresauchocolat that her Maltesers Chocolate layered cake was chosen from all those shortlisted and from the runners up to win the very smart Kitchenaid mixer.
She was SO excited about it that she blogged about the competition and her winnings -check out her blog Poires Au Chocolat
"Not only do I get that gorgeous (and it has to be said – sexy) mixer, but my cake is also going to be sold at Lorraine Pascal's Ella's Bakehouse in Covent Garden for a day (not sure which yet) with the proceeds going to my choice of charity. I think I'm getting some Maltesers products too…
For my charity, I chose Guide Dogs. As someone with fairly bad slight that can thankfully be treated with contact lenses, loosing my sight is one of my worst nightmares. Whenever I am without glasses or contacts I want to cling on to anybody I know and trust – the world feels so alien, even at home nor somewhere very familiar. As a big dog lover too, I can see why having a guide dog would fulfill this purpose beautifully. I don't know if much money will be raised, but that's my thoughts anyway."
We had some great runner's up as well. Check out their Maltesers recipes at the Maltesers chocolate group or more specifically well done to Rebeccabakescakes the creator of Maltesers Cookies,
Melaniemelbob with her Maltesers fudge
We also have as a runners up Malty Maltesers Cupcakes by Iheartcupcakes,
Chocolate Malteser Ice-cream by Kristin
and last but by no means least Saffron and Malteser Brioche by ZoshJosh
Well done to all our winners – please keep sharing your recipes and add your fab photos!


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Business Issues -> Change
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By: Lauren Rose, PR Coordinator, Social Monsters
Published: 17th April 2013
Copyright Social Monsters © 2013
You know why you should listen to your elders? Because they've lived though it. They have fallen, and they have risen; they have had big ideas, taken risks, failed and succeeded. Whether it's a parent, boss, co-worker, spouse or idol, taking in all the advice and information you can not only shapes your business sense, but it helps you develop the passion and drive you need to succeed.
Here are some of the best nuggets of advice from the world's top entrepreneurs:
Sir Richard Branson
The founder of Virgin Group was encouraged by his mum to have no regrets. It's a waste of time to look back on failure; Richard Branson advises us to use that time to develop new ideas. In a piece he wrote for LinkedIn, he explained how his mother is constantly starting new projects (like breeding parakeets and growing Christmas trees) and considers setbacks part of life's learning curve.
Imagine climbing a steep mountain. It's much easier to climb if you're facing forward and looking up. If you take time to look behind you, you instantly slow yourself down and have to reset for the upward climb.
Bob Parsons
CEO and founder of GoDaddy, Bob Parsons has 16 rules for success. Some important ones include:
But the best might be what his father told him when he was struggling to get Parsons Technology up and running early on in his career. "Well, Robert, if it doesn't work, they can't eat you." What's the worst that could happen?
Martha Stewart
You can do anything you put your mind to. That is what Martha Stewart's father taught her at a very young age. And sometimes your desires change; sometimes, what you think you will get out of a job is much different than you had imagined. After a brief modeling career and a stint working as a stockbroker in New York City, Stewart knew she was interested in houses, landscape, design and cooking. After shifting directions and finding success in a small gourmet food market she opened, she found her niche and began a catering business, which in turn, launched her empire. When trying to discover your entrepreneurial passion, Stewart encourages people to consider their strengths, weaknesses, interests and desires. Ask yourself how hard you want to work. And believe in yourself.
Even a brief encounter with a stranger can change your life. Watch. Listen. And remember, as GoDaddy's Bob Parsons reminds us on his 16 rules list, "We're not here for a long time, we're here for a good time!"
Join the conversation: What is some of the best business advice you have gotten? Your response may change someone's life.
We automatically stop accepting comments 180 days after a post is published. If you would like to know more about this subject, please contact us and we'll try to help.
Published by: electronicdawn Ltd.


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While Nike's "MVP" and Starline's "Soaring" posters, featuring the same 1988 dunk, are now long out-of-print and sold out everywhere, we are proud to once again offer you a chance to add this immortal moment to your wall, in our exclusive poster-sized 20" x 24" premium matte edition. From the perfect baseline angle, it features the dunk itself, captured in perfect focus just milliseconds before the moment of flush, with a geaat look at all the awe-struck faces on the sideline and in the stands beyond. Like all Photofile products, this incredible piece is printed on professional-quality photographic stock for extra durability, and is processed from the original photographic source for ultimate clarity and realism. A truly unique, truly spectacular poster for any true MJ fan - don't miss out on this one!
Product Specifications:


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Shedding is normal and will abate over time with vacuuming. Avoid direct/continuous exposure to sunlight. Use rug protectors under legs of heavy furniture. Clip loose ends with scissors. Remove spills immediately. Blot liquid spills with clean, un-dyed cloth, pressing firmly around spill to absorb as much as possible. Professional rug cleaning recommended for hard-to-remove stains.
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Plus is very proud to present Professor Stephen Hawking's own Birthday Symposium address.
Chemists John Watling and Allen Thomas talk to Plus about the vital role of maths in presenting criminal evidence.
Neuropsychologist Brian Butterworth tells us about research showing that even newborn babies have a basic understanding of number. It seems we are all mathematicians!
The famous mathematician Euclid is credited with being the first person to axiomatise the geometry of the world we live in - that is, to describe the geometric rules which govern it. Based on these axioms, he proved theorems - some of the earliest uses of proof in the history of mathematics.
Infinite series occupy a central and important place in mathematics. C. J. Sangwin shows us how eighteenth-century mathematician Leonhard Euler solved one of the foremost infinite series problems of his day.
One of the most puzzling aspects of human behaviour is cooperation, in situations where backstabbing and selfishness would seem to be more rewarding. From the point of view of evolutionary theory, the very existence of altruism and cooperation appear mysterious.


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My love is like a red red rose
That's newly sprung in June;
My love is like the melody
That's sweetly played in tune.
So fair you are, my dear sweetheart
So deep in love am I;
And I will love you still, my dear
Till all the seas are dry
Till all the seas are dry, my dear
And the rocks melt with the sun:
And I will love you still, my dear
While the sands of life shall run.
And so farewell, my only love
And so farewell, a while!
And I will come again, my love,
Even ten thousand miles.
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horse.com > Shop by Brand > TuffRider > Item # E006725
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When we choose to sell these items for less, we display the sale price only in the cart. To see the price, click Add to Cart.
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Product Summary:
TuffRider Boys Patrol Light Jodhpurs
A perfect addition to any riding wardrobe, this TuffRider Boys Patrol Light Jodhpurs offers the perfect combination of style and comfort. Made form 92% cotton and 8% spandex, these pants have a relaxed and comfortable fit while ensuring adequate freedom of movement. It includes a simple and classic design that is accented with four pockets which add convenience to the design. These jods are designed with fine attention to detail, making them perfect for wearing in all kinds of seasons. They come in a color that enhances the simple, overall design to offer you a more stylish look.
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Item Specifications:
Color: Light Tan
Material: 92% Cotton, 8% Spandex
SyrVet SyrFlex Bandage
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TuffRider Ladies Cotton Schoolers
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TuffRider Cotton Knee Patch Breeches
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Some items everyday price is so low we can't discount or we have marked down the item to a final sale price. These select items will not be included in your order total when determining if your order qualifies for a promotional event.


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Home > Electronics > Accessories for Apple > More iPhone & iPod Accessories > RadTech Dock Extender for LifeProof Cases
RadTech Dock Extender for LifeProof Cases
Slim, compact and short 30-pin male to female dock connector extender
The 30-pin extender fits perfectly into the LifeProof charge port door, making it easy to connect all of your 30-pin cables and peripherals while having the confidence that you are LifeProof'd.
The RadTech Dock Extender comes in a lightweight and compact design.
- Straight-through 30-pin male to female adapter, all pins connected
- Compact and lightweight design
- Weighs a scant 4 grams
- Provides a compact 20mm / 0.8 inch extension
- Slim 30-pin male connector fits cases with small or restricted port openings
- Connect any cable or peripheral without removing your LifeProof
- Dock with most any dockable accessory without removing your LifeProof
- Materials: Polycarbonate
RadTech Dock Extender for LifeProof Cases
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MC Eiht Battles 'Disrespectful' Ryan Lochte Over Catchphrase, Raphael Saadiq Stumps for Obama & More
MC Eiht has announced plans to send Olympian Ryan Lochte a cease-and-desist letter over his attempt to trademark Eiht's signature phrase "Jeah!" Lochte's manager says "Ryan has been using 'Jeah' for years," adding, "This is the first I have heard of this claim by MC Eiht." Looks like someone needs to do their homework.


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It may not pay to be an artist on The Simpsons, but it definitely pays if you're a voice actor on the show. Hank Azaria, who voices blue-collar characters like Moe the bartender, Apu the store clerk, and Chief Wiggum, sold his 4,000-square-feet Soho, Manhattan apartment for $8 million to actress Meg Ryan last year, according to a new report in Variety. Azaria and his wife, Katie Wright, bought the apartment in 2005 from artist Cindy Sherman for $4.625 million.
RELATED: Lifestyles of Animation Executives: Bill Damaschke
Here are the real estate listing photos of Azaria's pad:
Azaria and his wife are staying put in Manhattan. They purchased a $9.6 million three bedroom apartment in Central Park West. The couple also has a second home, a four-bedroom house (pictured below) nestled in the Beverly Hills canyons.


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The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission faces a possible lawsuit by environmental groups alleging that a water filtration plant near Seneca is polluting the Potomac River in violation of the Clean Water Act.
The Environmental Integrity Project, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Potomac Riverkeeper announced their intention to sue the WSSC after a 60-day waiting period, unless WSSC agrees to work with them toward finding a solution.
Potomac Riverkeeper is an organization dedicated to protecting the quality of water in the Potomac River watershed.
The Potomac Water Filtration Plant, which provides water for much of Montgomery County and parts of Prince George's County, has been discharging millions of pounds of sediments and aluminum into the Potomac rather than treating the water and disposing of what remains at an off-site facility, according to a release from the groups Wednesday.
The plant, which discharges about 8 million gallons of wastewater into the Potomac every day, has been operating without a permit from the Maryland Department of the Environment since its permit expired in 2002, according to the statement.
The plant draws untreated water that contains sediments such as dirt and algae from the river and purifies it to provide clean drinking water to the public, WSSC said in an email Thursday.
Many of the sediments plus coagulating agents are hauled away from the plant on trucks, and the rest are put back into the river, the statement said.
"Notably, WSSC believes that these discharges during normal operations and high volume rain events comply with WSSC's existing permit issued by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE)," according to the statement.
The notice of intent also alleges that malfunctioning equipment at the plant has allowed even more sediments to be released into the river than get taken in.
An Army Corps of Engineers facility near MacArthur Road has expanded its sediment basins to prevent polluting the river, according to the statement.
The law allows a permit to remain in effect as long as it is periodically extended administratively, said Mary Greene, an attorney with the Environmental Integrity Project.
According to WSSC's statement, "An application for the renewal of our permit with MDE is currently pending, and we look forward to continuing our dialogue with MDE about the terms and conditions of a renewed permit."
On many days, the plant has been discharging "vast amounts" of sediments and aluminum back into the river, Greene said.
The amount of sediments and aluminum released threaten fish and aquatic life and impair the quality and health of the Chesapeake, Green said.
A lawsuit would allege violations of the Clean Water Act, violations of the permit limits and discharging loads on days they're not permitted to discharge, said Christine Tramontana, an attorney for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
The complaint, which originated in a check of public records by the Environmental Integrity Project, doesn't provide the full story of communications between WSSC and the Department of the Environment, Tramontana said.
One of the goals of the 60-day period is to better understand the process from WSSC's perspective, she said.
Matt Logan, president of Potomac Riverkeeper, said he's hopeful WSSC will share their concerns and come up with a solution quickly.


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OKTAHA — Earlier this season, the Oktaha Tigers handled the Cameron Yellowjackets 12-0 in a run-rule game to begin the Eagle Classic on Aug. 17 in Red Oak. But when it counted, it was the 'Jackets who stung the Tigers.
The Yellowjackets run ruled the Tigers 12-0 Friday night to win the Class A District Tournament.
Cameron (21-7) were sent to Wister for the Class A Regional Tournament along with Rattan and Wright City. The champion and the consolation champion will each qualify for next week's Class A State Tournament.


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Not for the first time this season Christian Horner has been singing the praises of Seb Vettel after he claimed a commanding win in Abu Dhabi...
Not for the first time this season Christian Horner has been singing the praises of Seb Vettel after he claimed a commanding win in Abu Dhabi.
The reigning World Champ, who secured his fourth World title last time out in India, was in a class of his own around the Yas Marina circuit on Sunday.
Taking the lead into the first corner, Vettel claimed a lights to flag victory by more than 30 seconds over his team-mate Mark Webber.
It was the German's seventh successive race win and saw him move to within two wins of the record.
"I think Sebastian has stepped it up another gear," said team boss Horner.
"Times are very different. We are all on a standard tyre now, there is no testing and we are limited on how many engines we can have, so it is a much more even playing field (than in the past)].
"It is always difficult to compare generations to generations but, at the level he is performing, I don't have words to describe how phenomenal he is."
However, it wasn't just Horner who was in awe of the German's performance.
His team-mate Webber also hailed Vettel's "mind-blowing" achievement.
"It was truly impressive, absolutely mind-blowing in many respects," he said.
"After the start, Seb just got his head down and disappeared. He had the longevity and at no point did he look under any threat.
"He won by a very dominant margin that could have been even greater in the end if he hadn't managed the pace after the second pit stop. It is truly dominant. He has just hit a patch of form which is incredible.
"We know Mark Webber is a very fine racing driver and, in a race which didn't have any safety cars or issues, to achieve what he has done is quite mind-blowing. It is really impressive to witness."


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It starts with having a choice. As those who have chosen renewable fuels over petroleum, you are a crucial part of helping our country meet its economic and environmental goals. This week, the industry's leading online journal, Biofuels Digest, has provided a fine microphone to share your voices with their first installment of the new series "The Faces of Biofuels." With a little help from you, this piece featured a whole crew of consumers all happy to be filling their rides with clean, American-made Flex Fuel E85.
Thanks to Biofuels Digest for capturing this enthusiasm — and to the growing community of clean fuel drivers everywhere: thank you for your commitment, your businesses and your voice. Every fill with renewable fuels encourages freedom from harmful emissions, petroleum usage and foreign oil dependency, so keep up the good work!
Do you, or does your business, fill with Propel's clean E85 or biodiesel? Submit your story to Propel Fuels.


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Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Stamped and Doodled Gift Boxes
I thought I would share a couple of fun ways to decorate them.
First, stamps. I printed the template, then I stamped the paper, cut, scored, and assembled.
Second, ultra fine Sharpies (one of my favorite things in the world). I printed the template, doodled rainbow lines across each triangle, cut, scored, and assembled. (I LOVE these Sharpie Ultra-Fine-Point Permanent Markers, 24-Pack - 80's Glam colors)
12 comments:
Oh those are cute. My daughter wants to make a model of Egypt so your template will come in handy for that as well.ReplyDelete
Those are so cute! I really like the stamped one the best :)ReplyDelete
These are gorgeous! I can't wait to try this out.ReplyDelete
The Mayan's would be jealous over your pyramids :)ReplyDelete
Very cute! I love to stamp and this looks like fun :)ReplyDelete
Hi, I loved the stamped pyramid, this post comes just in time because i need to make some little boxes for my daughters birthday....Thank you for the "stamped" idea xxReplyDelete
Love these! They would make great party favors, so many ideas to play around with. :)ReplyDelete
Me encantan estas cajitas piramidales, muchas gracias por poner los tutoriales, me vendrán muy bien para envolver mis Bisuterias.ReplyDelete
si quieres visitar mi blog
ok these are dang cute. I'm just occasionally crafty but I just may have to force myself to do this one. Your blog is attractive and I wanted to make sure I heard from you, too. see ya ~ReplyDelete
These are so cute!! I'm totally going to make some! :) thanks for sharing!ReplyDelete
Good info, many thank you to the author. It is incomprehensible to me now, but in general, the particular usefulness and importance is overpowering. Thanks again and good luck!ReplyDelete


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Mailman is free software for managing electronic mail discussion and e-newsletter lists. Mailman is integrated with the web, making it easy for users to manage their accounts and for list owners to administer their lists. Mailman supports built-in archiving, automatic bounce processing, content filtering, digest delivery, spam filters, and more.
Mailman is crazy. This page used to focus on giving you options to install, configure, and run it as you wish. Because of the crazy that is mailman, this will show you the most common and best supported way to set up Mailman software behind Nginx.
To install mailman from the Ubuntu repository:
aptitude install mailman thttpd
From here, it's best to just follow the Mailman website. Configuration of mailman itself is a massive topic beyond the scope of this page.
Nginx Config
If the above is how you installed then the below will be nearly a drop in working model.
Nginx Config:
server { listen XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX:80; server_name lists.DOMAIN.TLD; root /usr/lib; location = / { rewrite ^ /mailman/listinfo permanent; } location / { rewrite ^ /mailman$uri?$args; } location = /mailman/ { rewrite ^ /mailman/listinfo permanent; } location /mailman/ { include proxy_params; proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1/; proxy_set_header Host $host; proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr; } location /cgi-bin { rewrite ^/cgi-bin(.*)$ $1 permanent; } location /images/mailman { alias /var/lib/mailman/icons; } location /pipermail { alias /var/lib/mailman/archives/public; autoindex on; } }
In order for this to work you will need to have CGI processing available. There are a few guides to this but I "hopefully" took the pain out of it.
Here, we're using thttpd. Edit the configuration file and make it match this exactly.
host=127.0.0.1 port=80 dir=/usr/lib/cgi-bin/mailman nochroot user=www-data cgipat=/** throttles=/etc/thttpd/throttle.conf logfile=/var/log/thttpd.log
Removing /cgi-bin/ from URL
Edit /usr/lib/mailman/Mailman/mm_cfg.py and change the following parameters.
DEFAULT_URL_PATTERN = 'http://%s/mailman/' PRIVATE_ARCHIVE_URL = '/mailman/private'
Sum It Up
There's a lot to making mailman work. It's definitely not a simple clickety click process. If you follow the above to the letter, there's no reason you shouldn't wind up with a fully functioning mailman installation.


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By Roger Bouchard
A retail calamity is about to fall on thrifty Northern Rhode Island shoppers. The Mark Stevens (CVS) outlet store will close its doors in January. The Diamond Hill Road store, popular with bargain hunters for over twenty years, employs 40 people. Economic Development Director Matt Wojcik confirmed the company will close the discount operation during Monday's council meeting. The company is, however, moving ahead on two local projects including a new pharmacy store on Mendon Road. City lawyer Joseph Carroll says legal obstacles are still being heard before Judge Michael Silverstein before construction can begin. The company is also constructing a 301,000 square foot office building at Highland Corporate Park (it will be the biggest building in Cumberland) to give additional room to expanding operations at the nearby 500,000 square foot corporate headquarters across the street. The new office building will open in the first quarter of 2011. Another multi-million dollar investment locally, CVS moved hundreds of employees into its new call center in Highland Park when that building was completed last November.
Lakeville, Ma.
In this poor economy, why would a town turn away 800 jobs and a $1,000,000 a year in property tax revenue? Residents of this small 4,000 population town put an end to Sysco Food Systems plans to develop a 650,000-square-foot distribution center at the former Lakeville Hospital on Monday night. The zoning change was defeated by a margin of 727-704 at a town meeting. The company, a food services provider, will either stay in Norton or move to neighboring Middleboro,Mass. Opponents, headed by the Lakeville Residents for Responsible Growth, say the site should be used for retail development. The town of Norton has offered Sysco a vacant 440,000-square-foot General Motors facility and hopes the company will consider expanding the building.
Richmond, Va.
Thanks to Frank Caprio, Lincoln Chafee, David Cicilline and the AFL-CIO, WJAR-TV NBC 10 and another TV station in Ohio owned by parent company Media General, reported profits of $4.4 million in the third quarter, up from $2.5 million year-over-year boosted by strong political and national revenue. Total revenue increased 19 percent. Political revenue, from the gubernatorial and congressional races in Ohio and the gubernatorial race in Rhode Island, grew to $2.1 million in 2010 from $518,000 a year earlier. If I see another Cicilline social security ad on Channel 10, I may have to listen to a John Dionne radio program!
Giovanni Cicione, the chairman of the Rhode Island Republican party, visited Woonsocket yesterday to promote their slate of candidates. Cicione chided David Cicilline for using a desperate political scare tactic as his major issue. Using social security as a campaign issue is a regular theme when Democrats need an emotional issue claimed Cicione. He predicted voters will see right through the Cicilline tactic and elect his opponent John Loughlin. Cicione also said Loughlin has caught the attention of the National Republican Party and have decided to pump money into the race to compete with the Cicilline war chest. On the race for governor, the Republican chair says John Robitaille is gaining ground. While Frank Caprio and Lincoln Chafee bloody each other with personal attacks, Robitaille is positioning himself a non-career politician growing up with humble roots in a Central Falls tenement house and has a personal success story to tell.
The scanner at WNRI Tuesday was non-stop with police talk as Woonsocket Police juggled two major incidents. As reported yesterday, an unarmed man showed a note to a teller at Sovereign Bank on Social Street at 9:45am and then fled on foot. Earl Nightingale of East School Street boarded a bus to Providence and made his getaway. Police finally traced him to a Woonsocket bound bus at Park Square at 6:30pm as Nightingale tried to slip back into town. Yes, you read correctly. He actually eluded police, went to Providence and then came back to Woonsocket. Of course, for the benefit of the ACLU, this is an alleged incident even though it he was seen (allegedly) leaving the bank about :14 seconds after the incident. No one was injured. Law enforcement resources were further stretched when another call came in from Fairmont in the morning. While the cops were looking for Nightingale, they were also working a domestic incident on 7th Ave where a man tried to run down police. Police stopped the man on Farm Street in Blackstone and 5 hour stand-off took place before the man was finally arrested. He told a judge yesterday at his arraignment that he was "as high a kite and don't remember nothin' your honor." He was also accused of attacking his girlfriend earlier in the day with a blowtorch, allegedly, of course.
Will it work this time? Can a write-in candidate defeat a printed ballot opponent? Mary Ann Shallcross Smith continues her fight to keep her 46th representative district seat. On her website she says "I am running as a write-in for one very important reason- to represent the voters. My opponent was selected by the NEA to run for my General Assembly seat, to represent one single interest only, the members of the NEA. I have always supported the RI taxpayers, and will continue to support everyone; whether they are seniors, union or non union members, children and families". She then asks for support to represent the people. Her opponent is Jeremiah "Jay" O'Grady who once served as President of the Lincoln Town Council. and helped the janitors of SEIU Local 615 fight back against Twin River that was trying to pay "sub-minimum wages," and he helped workers at Twin River during an organizing union drive. We will see if voters have a change of heart!


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Goals: The main objectives of this small satellite were to study the plasma, particle, and magnetic-field environment of the Moon and map the lunar gravity field.
Accomplishments: The satellite orbited the Moon for 34 days, during which it provided data similar to that of the Apollo 15 subsatellite. Its short lifetime (instead of the planned one year) resulted from the low orbit into which the Apollo 16 astronauts were forced to place it because of problems with the main engine of their Command and Service Module.


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From the Discovery Channel producers of the popular TV series "Gold Rush", "Deadliest Catch", "American Choppers" and "Dirty Jobs", comes a new series called "Weed Country." It takes place in Northern California and Southern Oregon.
NBC5s Travis Koch sits down with one of the Discovery cast members. He files this report.


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Come by with questions or just say hi!
DonationsUMD Habitat for Humanity is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity. One hundred percent of your tax-deductible contribution goes directly toward home construction, and every little bit helps. We also accept donations by mail (address below). Feel free to contact our treasurer for more information.


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Arlington, TX (Sports Network) - Alcides Escobar's two-run single in the fifth inning was the difference as the Kansas City Royals downed the Texas Rangers, 3-1, in the opener a two-game series.
Bruce Chen (2-4) allowed a run on five hits and two walks while striking out seven through 6 2/3 innings for the Royals, who earned their third straight win and their fifth in six games.
"He kept the ball down, he mixed pretty good and he was trying to make sure their big boys didn't hurt us," Royals catcher Brayan Pena said about Chen.
Jonathan Broxton worked a scoreless ninth for his eighth save of the year.
Scott Feldman (0-1) gave up two unearned runs on three hits and a walk in 4 2/3 innings to suffer the loss.
"My command wasn't there tonight. I'm trying to get outs any way I can at this point," said Feldman. "If ground balls happen they happen, but I'm just more concerned about trying to get guys out."
Nelson Cruz homered for Texas, which lost for the second time in three games.
Kansas City threatened to take the early lead when Jarrod Dyson led off the game with a walk, stole second and moved to third on Eric Hosmer's ground out. But Billy Butler followed with a grounder back the mound that Feldman fielded and caught Dyson in a rundown between home and third.
The Rangers broke the scoreless tie in the fourth inning when Cruz led off the frame by pulling a ball just inside the left field foul pole.
But the Royals answered in the fifth inning to take the lead thanks to a costly error by Texas.
Jeff Francoeur started the inning with a base hit to left and went to second two batters later on a Pena ground out. Chris Getz stepped up next and hit a bouncer to third that Adrian Beltre grabbed for what could have been the final out, but his throw to first pulled Michael Young off the bag.
Getz then stole second before Escobar's single to right plated both Francoeur and Getz to give Kansas City a 2-1 advantage.
Kansas City added another run in the seventh when Francoeur walked, advanced to third on Mike Moustakas' single up the middle and came home on Pena's double-play grounder.
Texas put runners on the corners in the bottom of the seventh on a Craig Gentry two-out walk that was followed by an Elvis Andrus single, but Young went down swinging to end the threat.
Broxton then allowed a two-out pinch-hit single to David Murphy to bring the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but pinch-hitter Mike Napoli was caught looking at a 3-2 slider at the knees to end the game.
Kansas City placed pitcher Danny Duffy on the 15-day disabled list and recalled pitcher Nate Adcock from Triple-A Omaha earlier Monday...The Royals improved to 2-6 in Chen's eight outings this year...Chen is now 2-2 in nine career appearances -- five starts -- against the Rangers. It was his first victory against Texas since 2005 as a member of the Orioles.


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- Heather Taylor
- Reston, VA
- United States
This conversation is closed.
Technology doesn't create loneliness, it reveals it. Once revealed, technology can help alleviate isolation and spur connection.
Dr. Turkle urges reflection and analysis and the idea that technology is its infancy. These are two important ideas and I urge others to consider this perspective: that technology fosters connections and developmental growth among the most socially awkward and vulnerable.
A healthy relationship of any sort (e.g., romantic, friendship, family) requires reciprocity. But when these sorts of relationships are out of balance, technology can fill a void. I posit that while technology can lead to isolation, isolation can also lead to connection when a lonely individual reaches out to others or becomes involved in the community via technology.
I'm curious if others view the connection between technology and isolation as one-way or bidirectional or if some other perspective entirely is needed to describe the complex technology-human connection.
Apr 6 2012: Let granddad take a shot. We took our grandkids on a trip to Disneyland. They text each other in the car, had ipods in their ears and yelled food when hungry and bed when they were tired. We wanted to provide a trip that would inspire memories for years to come. So mean ole g'pa took the devices away and it was real quiet and very angry for a day and then something wonderful happened we talked, we laughed, sang, and enjoyed each other as people. Technology is great ... but it will never take the place of a handshake, laugh, smile, hug, or even the first kiss. I do not want to eliminate technology, I just want my grandkids to know there is joy in books, hikes, trips, conversation face-to-face. You will not die if you do not have the latest gaget even though the ad says you might, Put things into prespective. I hear all the time about people meeting and dating on line. Don't sound very romantic to me. Guess I'm old school. I want to hold your hand, look into the beauty of your eyes, and feel the magic of human feelings and emotions. A person can be loney in a room full of people. Technology can not cure that. For me I go home to the love of my life each night and still wonder what a beautiful woman like her ever saw in a bum like me. All the best. BobApr 3 2012: I don't agree that technology reveals loneliness in all cases. First let me say that I enjoy solo hikes where I can meditate as I walk and listen to nature while I reflect on my place in the Universe. For those of us that are educated in the Art of High Technology, (I have a BS in Computer Science) technology extends our range of connections. I now communicate with more people than I was able to in the 80's. I have TXT chats with friends that I rarely have time to be with. But we like keeping up with each others lives and families. My iPhone photo album is quite extensive.
I must admit that my children no longer pick up the phone when I call. They send me a TXT asking me what I wanted -AND- I get irritated "I just wanted to talk, to hear you via your voice." They send back "can't talk now - maybe tomorrow". And of course they don't.
Not all us use the phone in meetings for TXTng. I often have thoughts that I need to note. I've given up using paper and pen, I now make notes in my iPhone. I can find my iPhone notes more easily (its with me all the time, and yes I sleep with mine as well) than I can find my notes on paper.
Now I do know that virtual realities like Second Life provide a level playing field for the culturally shy, disabled, and/or the nerd that has problems socializing. I can see where this connection can reveal a loneliness, especially males that take on the persona of a female. Those guys are either extremely lonely or predators.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that the human-computer interface is in deed a complex connection that allows us to expand our range of connections. AND it allows us to control the fidelity of connection. I think in time the fidelity of the interface will increase and thus allow us even more access to perhaps other species like dolphins and whales. To allow us more meaningful access to data such as manned space missions.
Anna Johnson
Apr 5 2012: I worry most for the kids who have never known anything else than cell phone and internet living, those who have never had a proper conversation, as Dr Turkle describes. We don't gain social skills magically, we have to be taught. We have to have face to face, real time attention and interaction with loving parents to develop a solid sense of self, boundaries, self respect and self esteem. If kids are brought up on videos, gaming and social networking we are sending us all into a very dark world indeed were personal resilience, empathy and deep societal understanding will be in perilously short supply. What we need is closer, stronger bonds, not more terror and withdrawal from the messy realities of living with each other. Terror is what drives suicide, illness, gangsterism, drug use and all the other symptoms of personal and social breakdown.
- +3
Apr 5 2012: I agree Anna. I am 60 and raised 5 children. The mother of my children used media as a baby sitter. One day, on NPR radio, A psychologist said " If you would not let two strangers come in to you house and make out on your couch, why would you allow it on your TV." So I did an experiment. I turned the TV around and against the wall. My small children ages 4 to 10 began to play with each on without fighting. They were not aggressive with each other. Well, after a week their mother went back to her style and the children went back to their old aggressive ways. I had a chance to repeat the experiment one more time, with the same results.
Wendy Welton
Apr 7 2012: I agree too Anna. The talk mentions technology isolating people from each other and creating loneliness. One thing no one has yet mentioned here, and which has concerned me for some time, is that it is not just about the isolation. It is about the way we treat each other as human beings. As someone who works in a job where I communicate with the public on a day to day basis, it has become hard to ignore the way some people treat others. It is the people who have minimal social skills (lack of empathy, boundaries) who seem to be unable to treat another person in a respectful and pleasant way - they are interacting with another human being, not a piece of equipment. They don't even realise how they come across.
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I think it has definately become worse the more we use technology but like others have said here it is about making an effort to connect. Really connect, with human contact, not just Twitter or Facebook.
Apr 9 2012: Wendy,15 years ago or so, I listened to a psychologist on NPR radio tell this comparison. The statistics are not accurate but close. During the Civill War only 5% of the soldiers actuarially did the killing. Most shot into the air or ground. The battle of Gettysburg they military found 50,000 muskets double loaded. Meaning they were never shot and to make it like the gun was shot by the soldier, he would load it again. World War I, only 10% of the soldiers shot to kill. After WW ll the kill rate only went up to 17%. The military realized that it is not in human nature to kill another person. So Vietnam soldiers were desensitized to the natural human mechanism of preservation. Of the men in combat 98% did the killing. That's why the higher rate of post traumatic war-symptom. The same psychologist stated that todays video games do over 100 time what the military does. And those were games 15 years ago.
Wendy Welton
Apr 11 2012: It would explan a lot of road rage as well. The angry person in one car doesn't seem to realise that the person in the other car is a father, brother, sister, lover, mother who has their own life going on. Who is late for work, who is worried about their mortgage, who is expecting their sister to deliver a baby that day. That is - a person.Apr 11 2012: Wendy, when someone cuts me off or I have to make evasive action to prevent an accident, I just bless them and put a check mark of forgiveness in my column for when I screw up.
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Apr 11 2012: Ha ha. Sounds like a good plan. I believe in karma. What goes around comes around.Apr 8 2012: Anna, I would add one more thought to your thread. It is also a question of time. There are only 24 hours in the day and if we spend much of our free time in virtual realities there is little time left to explore the real world and the real people around us including family and friends. It also pretty much precludes the experience of doing things together, like building stuff or making stuff or exploring for stuff. Even community learning has been replaced by simply "googeling it" as it were. We love technology and we love TED but we find ourselves having to place strict limits on our on line time to allow for the other, real, local, experiences of life.
Kris Jozak
Apr 5 2012: While this may true for a very small amount of people, social networking is paradoxically eroding our social skills in the big picture.
- +3
Kris Rosvold
Apr 11 2012: I saw Dr. Turkle's TED piece a couple of days ago. The interesting thing to me is that while these technical methods of communication are very useful; It seems to me that there is a progressive and increasing loss of bandwidth (for lack of a better term) in all of our communications with each other. What I mean is best shown with my recent experience with internet dating. I'm 50 and when I was younger ALL dating (including the preliminaries of setting up a date) was a face-to-face proposition. Now a lot of the preliminaries are handled through email/text. There is a bandwidth (channels of information flow) during an actual conversation, in person, that includes: posture, body language, facial expression, tone of voice, content. We as animals draw information about the person we are talking to from all of these facets of conversation. For me, whether I trust someone on first-meeting is more about their body language than about their words. With Text/Email we loose everything except the content and some very limited faux body language (smiley's etc). I know that for me texting & email in the place of conversation feels sterile even at its' best. I've also noticed that when talking in person to younger folks, that they don't seem to read body language well. Questions: 1) Is this growing increase in the sterility of our communications a factor in the number of folks paying therapists to tell them that they're OK. 2) Is this change in communication a factor in the increasing rudeness/lack of empathy in our society?Apr 5 2012: My perspective on the complex technology-human connection is quite simple. Technology is simply a tool and not a free agent with free will. It is strictly the individual's choice to define and find balance at each given moment as to remind one's self that technology is a tool and couldn't be responsible for whatever negative outcome one may experience. Technology doesn't create lonliness Technology users do:)Apr 5 2012: I've always believed that to achieve balance requires taking/using all things in moderation. Just like people develop a psychological addiction to certain drugs, the wonders of new technologies can also cause some individuals to develop a similar psychological addiction to their use.
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As an historian I also have to take a issue with the concept that the 'threats' posed by new technologies are some revolutionary concept unique to our society. It doesn't take much work to see that every new technology, from movable type thru to radio, television and the internet has had detractors who thought that it would lead to the disintegration of society. From a certain perspective they were correct, but only because a developing society continually evolves and changes through time. For human cultures, to stagnate is to perish.
Personally I have no doubt that technology will continue to integrate into our lives and even our bodies over the next century. Technology can easily create the opportunity for isolation by providing distractions from the 'real' world whilst at the same time allowing far greater opportunities for communication than have ever been available in the past. To my mind the two positions are not binary opposites, more two 'sides' whose existence is facilitated by the invention of the coin.
George Budai
Apr 5 2012: If one feels isolated, despite connected, it's not caused by high level of technology development. The best to prove that are examples of growing number of people from elderly generations enjoying the latest connection tools either daily communicating with love ones or socializing across the cloud. There is nothing wrong, the technology development is on normal path where it should be. The causes of isolation must be hidden somewhere else.
- +2
Willis Phu
Apr 5 2012: When relationships become out of balance, would technology really fill the void or is it a vapid substitution? Like Dr. Turkle stated, the fantasies of technology have simplified interactions. When relationships become difficult, people look to technology as something quick to fill in the vulnerable gaps that they experience instead of dealing with confrontation. I think Dr. Turkle references technology as an isolating force because people often prefer to deal with interaction solely through technology.
- +2
The idea of using technology to connect to an actual community is part of what Dr. Turkle would probably refer to as "first steps". It is utilizing technology to affirm values in our own lives. If an individual is lonely, they may use these simple means to connect, but unless the individual takes further steps to foster actual human interactions, I believe that individual is still alone. The individual seeks out 'virtual worlds' that simplify interactions because the 'real world' is difficult to access, but when confronted with the 'real world' problems, that's when the individual becomes turned off from dealing with their 'real' life, further perpetuating this vicious cycle towards isolation.
Apr 5 2012: Excellent point. I think that's exactly what she's saying - that technology, while it may provide the illusion of connectedness, is not the real thing. I think we need both. We need real connection and for efficiency's sake we need electronic tools. But people are not "learning" about relationships from technology. We have pretty good evidence of psychopaths who are well-connected online and but utterly unable to relate to real humans.
Also, I would like to make one point that no one has made. Because of threats to privacy - employers demanding Facebook logins and so forth - the profiles we create in social media are by necessity, fake. We must put our best foot forward electronically; we are told by our premier educational institutions now that "success" in this life is all about "personal branding."
So, online profiles are not our real selves, they are personal advertising. To me that makes them pretty boring and suspect. This is no substitute for real relationships, where we reveal our vulnerability, where we learn to trust and share. Has anyone noticed how similar online dating profiles are? Everyone wants exactly the same thing and describes themselves exactly the same way!! So ironic given the infinite diversity of human nature. I say we should all take regular breaks from our electronic devices, and refuse to be slaves to every little beep and ping. Go out and plant some tomatoes.Apr 8 2012: Could it be that people are seeking these precisely managed and safe virtual worlds because the real world has become too complex and fast moving for them to feel comfortable there? Is there a growing disparity between those who have made lifelong learning their mission and those who are content to be swept up in the wave of technological advancement and simply use modern technologies without understanding them?Apr 4 2012: I am 60 now and growing up "The Wizard of Oz" was aired once a year. So watching it, I had a whole year to absorb and process it. Turn it into my own story, to day dream about characters, to develop empathy and hope. Today, children have a funnel into their brains and a plunger to push everything and anything into their heads. No time to process, reflect or even filter. Time of isolation and reflection of a days lesson was at a pace that one could bear. Today, the weight of misinformation is driving our children to death. Death of imagination and even the taking of their own life. In WNY there is a funeral home that would do 2-3 teen suicides a year. Now they are doing 2-3 per month.Apr 3 2012: Technology makes connections possible, but are those connections of value? Or at least worth the effort?
Heather, you bring up a very important point, the concept of reciprocity in relationships. Virtual connections (TwitFaceFlickr,etc) forego true reciprocity, they trade the messiness of two wills in actual contact for the control of said contact. Real people are there when we want them but are also, more importantly, there when we don't as well.
We may choose to ignore, delete, or tragically misunderstand virtual interactions (especially text based ones)which are by their nature inferior to real life connections because of their lack of nuance (tone, non-verbal content etc.) at the cost of true reciprocity. Are ersatz connections of value in themselves? No one steps on your toes when you dance by yourself to the music in your own head. But is it as satisfying, as exciting as that moment you ask "Shall we dance?"
Justin Barth
Apr 5 2012: I don't see how technology creates loneliness at all. Twenty years ago if you were shy and couldn't communicate in person, you were forced to live a life alone. Today, many people who are too shy in person can have quite an online social life and a successful one. The idea that Sherry Turkle hold about us sacrificing communication for online sharing and a mere connection is wrong in my opinion.
- +1
The whole idea of communication is to find connection. Just because she does not find the same level of connection as others do with online sharing doesn't make it worthless or have less meaning. To others this might actually be a better way to communicate.
For example:
I saw something that was funny on youtube and wanted to tell my friends about it. I could tell them when I see them in person or I could just link it directly to them since I can easily copy the link. Before the era of Internet sharing I would have been forced to talk about what I saw in a video and hope they understood just how funny it was, which coined the phrase, "You would have had to been there to understand." or "I guess you would have had to been there."
Guess what, now we don't need to say that because we just linked the entire video directly to them. Now the communication was instant, and exactly how it was perceived by the original person. Now the conversation can go beyond just talking about what you saw into what you saw plus the shared connections of how it made you feel or what you got out of it or if it was genuinely funny for both of you.
I'm sorry, I just don't see how sharing is not communicating. It in many cases is superior to just conversating about something.
I grew up on games and the Internet and had next to no social life during my elementary days. When the Internet started to boom, my ability to communicate blasted through the roof. I'm now one of the center of the party social conversationalists. I didn't learn it from talking face to face. I learned it from the Internet.
Apr 5 2012: I was very shy and stuttered as a child. I was frustrated but determined to break out. I worked in my family business with my older brother and one day I noticed how he greeted people. He put his hand out for a hand shake. That was my start of breaking out of a shell. It took courage but when I met people, that hand came out and broke the ice. Turkle isn't advocating shutting down the net. Just the tempering of use. I can't tell a good joke or story. I leave that up to others. But we do need to force ourselves out of our shells and into the soulful experience of life. The human experience on earth demands of us self improvement. My parents put great expectation on me. They told me that I was named after a saint that was the corner stone of the catholic church and that I was a leo and needed to be a leader.
A friend once told me his wife and him did not talk much at all. I told him he should develop regular conversation with her, because if she ever left him he would want to know why.
Apr 6 2012: I was never saying we should shun the traditional methods of communication (face to face). I'm simply saying that just because a new type of communication comes into the picture you are not comfortable using, doesn't make it less meaningful to others. I feel the benefits to online sharing and micro updates are great and I feel they have a place in communication.
I just disagree that they are disconnecting us from face to face conversations. I feel they augment our face to face conversations.
Steve C
Apr 7 2012: Sharing is communicating when it is not just "copy/paste." I was just thinking about a similar example the other day: what happens when we have to tell someone about a video we saw? We have to remember a lot, retell the story (imperfectly, yes - but still be able to tell it well). We have to make it (can we?) entertaining, animated - almost off-the-cuff or interactive. I think there'd be a lot of value in that. The difference is talking "about something" (external), or are you sharing something "from within" that changed you somehow.
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Since I'm here, and have room to type this: I think I knew a few kids who would have trouble sitting for a few minutes in silence. I don't think that's good.
There it is: just a little editing.
Fiona Weir
Apr 5 2012: I know many people - elderly, disabled, shy, ill, pre-teen, single parents - all with limited social lives in the real world, for whom technology is a social aid, expanding horizons and mitigating loneliness. Those people crossing roads without looking or yelling at their babies were doing these things before smartphones too. Social media have become so popular precisely because people are *already* feeling isolated or disconnected - and in many cases they really help.
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Curiously, I live in a UK village sometimes described as 'the last real community in the UK', and we have a thriving Facebook group with over 900 members, where people ask for, and get, information, services and real practical help... As well as advertising community events :)
Josh Hoffman
Apr 5 2012: The TED talk was very eye-opening for me as I saw how I use technology myself. The talk did not address, but it almost hinted at, what happens when someone, say, posts something and receives no likes or comments. If that happens often, then the poster can learn from his or her experiences and start to train him- or herself to post only what will elicit a reaction and to not feel a need to post otherwise.
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Technology does have a nice way of connecting people. Contrary to the picture that Dr. Turkle illustrated, it is possible for someone to use technology to have long, thorough, organic conversations that truly reveal a person for what he or she is. Long-winded Facebook comment conversations, for example, can reveal a lot about people. Even better, instant message conversations, if actually carried out long enough, can emulate real face-to-face conversation in that many topics can be covered. It's in some ways a regression from face-to-face conversation because, well, there are no faces, but it's also an improvement on face-to-face conversation by eliminating the problems of one person interrupting another.
Apr 6 2012: Don't worry about receiving no comment or likes to a post, just like dancing by yourself can be rewarding so can be writing and posting something into to he ether. Keep expressing yourself and if it sparks a like or a comment great but if it doesn't don't use it as a excuse to stop dancing or to dance more provocatively.Apr 5 2012: What I thought was amazing is she completely ignored that in her very own example, it was a txt conversation to confirm plans for meeting later. So she gave evidence that actually worked against her.
Technology has created virtual communities for people with disabling chronic illnesses that would otherwise keep them completely socially isolated. Online, they can meet other people like them, network, share stories... and they're not the only community for which this has been helpful. Example - Egypt's coup via Twitter. Technology empowers us.
Selina Rawe
Apr 5 2012: I have been doing a somewhat longitudinal study of a religious group who tend to self marginalize themselves from interacting with their "host society" and their extended religious community. However, they have created an amazing online cultural presence that they use to interact, socialize, learn, and take empowerment.
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As I see it now, this group exists as a culture group in the ephemeral world of the Internet, cloistered away from the real world. I'm not sure about their emotional senses, but I know that the culture group imploded at the beginning of the new millennium, but has started to rebuild itself.
The group's behaviour was similar to George Orwell's Animal Farm, until they imploded. Now, they are even more reticent about stepping up their interactions on the Internet. They ignore that they are self marginalized and are increasingly becoming further marginalized. They talk to each other in very set scripts so as not to deviate from the mainstream thinking of the group as a whole. Ostracism is a form of group sanction that is used freely, so that members fear this approach and act accordingly.
The Internet is also a way to "keep an eye" on members. Through active participation in various fora, members know who each other are, who is rising up to take a leadership role, who has been sanctioned, and most importantly, how everyone thinks, as expressed in their writings.
Currently I see only small movements within the group because of their rebuilding. Those who are ostracized either leave the group (most common) and try to reintegrate into the host society and/or the extended religious community.
My study is somewhat longitudinal because I am following the progress of certain members of this group as they progress through life. In time, perhaps, I can see the emotional impact.Apr 4 2012: It is not so much the filling of voids at issue here, but the type or kind of the filling used.
In one way or another technology functions in the very same way that capitalism does (my intention is not to critique based on ideology here though, but to compare functioning processes). Having said that I would argue that technology attempts to multiply the possible connections between people by effectively reducing the amount of labour and time required to form and maintain them.
Once upon a time you would have to talk with someone to discover their likes or dislikes and assess the possibility of real connection to them. Now the same can be done without verbal or physical or even reciprocal connection to the other via social networking site profiles (issues with content fidelity and truthfulness also arise). This indeed fills in the void, but it only does so with information, not with feelings or physical communication.
Also if you note the format of websites, blogs (TED included) and social networking sites everything comes with a cap, a limit. Every message has to be a maximum of characters, every photo has to be of a certain size. This may be based on the physical limits of our current technologies, but it does set limits to communication too.
Turning to connections per se they do not and for the moment cannot replace the non-verbal communication. The majority of our online world (video-chatting is the only exception) is constructed around bits of textual or graphical information. We send public and private text messages (less is more again prevails) and inform of our decisions, intentions and feelings through text. We tend to forget one thing though...non-verbal communication used to make two thirds of all communication.
The links between technology and isolation are multi-directional and have just started to be explored. The more we use technology, the more we learn of ourselves and our relationships with others. I for one remain optimistic for the future.
Ken brown
Apr 3 2012: Actually i tried going without my cellphone on the weekends,it worked to the point i didn't want it anymore but alas the job requires i carry the damn thing.I've been in a room where all the people were on there phones,i don't know why but i felt kind of stressed.
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I understand your point of view but i've seen young mothers yell at their babies while they spent 15 minutes locked to the smart phone and i've almost run people over crossing the street looking down at one.It's actually everywhere you look,i use to see people talking on their phones now all one sees is tapping.Apr 17 2012: After my recent experience, I have to agree. I think there is huge potential for technology to alleviate isolation, but it could also be a double edged sword. I think it will be fascinating to see where the next generation takes this.Apr 16 2012: Just after watching the lecture, I read about the new Google Glass project that's launching soon. It was incredibly striking to see that google had unfortunately managed to encapsulate in a 2 minute video just how damaging digital integration can be to our lives.
The video starts with our hero arranging to meet his friend at the book store for a coffee. After exchanging handshakes he spends the next 10seconds checking in on google plus and leaves without even turning his music off. He spends almost as much time snapping a pic of a graffitied wall as he did actually interacting with his friend. Perhaps if I hadn't watched the Dr. Turckle talk before, I wouldn't have realized just how tragic that scene actually was.
Yes technology facilitates human connectivity, it will continue to bring us together in ways unimaginable. But here's the issue, the Google Glass character didn't take those glasses off when he met his friend. Instead, he continued to find ways to engage with the technology and not with the very person he'd arranged to meet.Apr 15 2012: I think that your statement is true but I also believe more so that we have already been sucked into this vicious cycle. Technology has a prime focus of alleviating boredom but it then creates more boredom because we are now conscious of the boredom. The problem now is that everyone is desensitized to everything from a young age, so nothing amuses us when we grow older; but technology provides a temporary solution because it is continually changing. I would hate to see the day when everything has been thought of in technology.Apr 14 2012: Hi Heather I think the Beatles dealt with this issue in Doctor Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band so i guess this problem has been with a us a long time there was a book written long time ago at least fifty years maybe longer it reprinted news stories from Wisconsin at the turn of the century and it only covered the period between 1899 to 1902 and the reason he chose this time period and this area was because of the unusual amount of people that killed themselves and the name of the book was The Wisconsin Death book most of these people lived in very rural areas pretty much shut off from any interaction with many people if they maybe could have had a way to let others know how fragile they were maybe the outcome may have been different and so i agree with your statementApr 11 2012: i cant wait the day that we'll turn into smthg different!Apr 11 2012: The advance in technology is a two-edged sword. For every advancement in humankind, from a technological standpoint, there is an equal and opposite dynamic that creates a fresh set of challenges. As an example technology has given the opportunity for instant communication across the globe - yet personal one on one communication is at an all time ebb. The laws of physics embrace the supernatural, and the law that dictates "for each and every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction" runs a thread of truth through our lives. Indeed life existence is made from the fabric of such natural laws, and in the end, physics and philosophy will go full circle and meet each other in understanding by creating nature's perfect shape - a circle. Witness the parallels between quantum physics (the science of the micro) and astronomy - the physics of the macro. Both turn out to be universes in their own right.Apr 9 2012: I'd have to agree, the internet has managed to transform many industries so far and continues to transform while being evermore so engrained in our culture and in the youth. The future only looks bleak to those who can not let go of their egotisical notions of what it means to be in touch with another person. I can envision the future where the internet connects families in NYC directly to farmers in Såo Paulo and friends in Queensland. The coorperations of the future will be those who can aid this, because the coorperations of the now are old and waiting to be disrupted. When i see directors from MNC's show up at lean start up meetings, i know that they are trying to adapt, but their CEO's and the time it takes to make desicions in this old model will die, and i hope to help bury it like many young entrepreneurs.Apr 9 2012: Hi
I hope i remember to be online on the 12th for Dr Turkles 2pm open discussion as i'm sure the community will like to ask her more indepth questions.Apr 9 2012: Regarding the thought that "isolation can also lead to connection when a lonely individual reaches out to others or becomes involved in the community via technology." I strongly disagree. Loneliness is much deeper feeling, it can be about being alone in the crowd. It is a sense of being understood, cared about, and belonging. That requires a level of intimacy technology does not establish, but it might be able to sustain. Whether the technology is even available to the most vulnerable is also a concern.
What is the value of a hug, or its effect of on the body? Can technology really turn off the cortisol and turn on the oxytocin in our brains.
"Reach out and touch someone," was another slogan from awhile back, but let's actually do it.Apr 9 2012: Dr. Turkle says it better than I could ever hope to.
Please watch this TEDxUIUC talk. In many ways it is a better talk for answering the question posed here than the talk posted at TED.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtLVCpZIiNsApr 9 2012: There are several things to comment on here. I do agree the technology can foster connection, (any one remember the advertising campaign that long distance phone service that made the claim that it was, "the next best thing to being there"?), and that it can, and does, provide the socially challenged and socially disadvantaged opportunities. "Virtual Ability" is a simulation in the virtual world of Second Life that provide people the opportunity of address such adversities. I recently started a discussion group that feature TED talks by Aimee Mullin, Keith Nolan, and others that address these challenges. It is has been noted that TED talks are wonderfully suited to educate and aid in such discussions.
Turning to the issue of whether technology creates loneliness, or reveals it, is an entirely different matter. Is it sufficient to say that there are limits to how it can eliminate it. We must be careful not to substitute technology for human interaction and intimacy. And this is part of Dr.Turkle's warning to us:
"Human relationships are rich and they're messy and they're demanding. And we clean them up with technology. And when we do, one of the things that can happen is that we sacrifice conversation for mere connection. We short-change ourselves. And over time, we seem to forget this, or we seem to stop caring."Apr 9 2012: The emergence of technology as a means to connect with others is thrilling. It's impact on how humans interact, communicate value each other is mind blowing. I liken the growth and dependence on social media to that of the industrial revolution. In both examples, the value of humans beings and the way in which we worked has been changed. During the Industrial Revolution people became less important as the machines they worked and simply put were facilitators of machinery. In our current Technological Revolution. humans have flipped the script and are now determining the value of the machines we use to facilitate our interactions with others. As an educator what particularly excites me about technology is the ability it naturally has to bring people together. Believe me, I am well aware that there is simply no substitute for face to face interactions but in many cases, elementary to middle school age children can see the value of simple educational practices through online collaborations with their counterparts in other regions of the globe. In many cases when these types of interactions occur on a regular basis, the social and societal benefits can begin to outweigh the educational goals. People say the internet has made the world flat and leveled the playing field for our global economy, the same is true for the education, socialization and inspiration of our young students.Apr 8 2012: Technology is a tool, a helping hand before it outwits human. Here, I assume, the technology meant social media that today we can't function well without. We use it as a way of conducting business on the daily bases. Look at the content on the internet, over the phone, through the email, they are all the reflections what's happening in our real time and real world. Busy life or life style created loneliness, you feel the most when you need to be connected, is a simple truth. If we have time and willing to connect, technology actually helps us to do so, now more than ever. However, if you don't want to get connected or the connection starts fading away and then technology can be a help as well in its own way. That's when the downside or negative impact begins. And one of them is the gadget that can trigger the addiction in you, especially among the teenagers, which plays a huge part in forming the cycle of compulsive behaviors. The more internet gadget time the less connection there you don't wish to see.
Happen to recall a poem "If I control the internet" by John G.Rives. http://www.ted.com/talks/rives_controls_the_internet.html
Vidya G
Apr 8 2012: In answering the original question - "I'm curious if others view the connection between technology and isolation as one-way or bidirectional or if some other perspective entirely is needed to describe the complex technology-human connection."
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Yes, technology can spur connection, only if the person wants to be connected. So technology is providing the option, but it cannot make the decision of human connection. There is a lot of psychology behind human interaction and social connection. I can be connected and still be a loner. Or I can be disconnected and be the most social person. It is all a matter of choice! and believe me, technology will never make this choice for you. You will always have to make this choice.Apr 7 2012: In my opinion, a good place to start would be phone etiquette, i.e. no texting/ facebooking at the dinner table, in meetings, when you are with friends. Balance is needed. Too much of anything is not good, lets have a bit of moderation and basic good manners please. I think Sherry's message is going to be even more relevant in 10 years time than it is now, unfortunately.Apr 7 2012: I recently celebrated my 60th birthday. I received many kind, loving, and funny well wishes by email, texts, e-cards, Facebook, calls, and even cards by mail. They all made me grateful for the family and friends that remembered my special day - a milestone birthday. Many wanted to know what I was going to do to celebrate. I decided to take myself out to dinner and to a movie. At the end of the day, I realized that what I missed was human contact - a heartfelt hug would have been wonderful. I write personalized e-cards and schedule the day for them to be delivered, still mail cards, make calls, and use the other technical options to let people know that I am thinking of them and let them know I love and care about them, too. That is not enough. I will try to connect now in a more human way. Maybe video calling where we can look into each other's eyes when the miles keep us at distance would be a more intimate use of digital connection.Apr 7 2012: It's children I'm worried about. You talk about a TV baby sitter of video games. Your parent should of kicked your butt outside to climb a tree to get a better perspective of life. Your parents no doubt looked at you and said "how smart he is." ENABLERS.Apr 6 2012: The use of technology to connect people has it's pluses and minuses. Speed of connection is possible and is brilliant in bringing together like-minded individuals who may have never connected in the same physical space. Speed is often accompanied by shallowness unless one is willing to put in the time to build relationship. Where I think it works well is connection for a purpose or cause outside of the aim to make friends. Communities of purpose are built on relationship but relationship is not the primary driver and that is key.
The need for connection between individuals is fundamental , but using the internet leaves you more open to fill in the missing elements of people which may not be based on reality. Though over time as video technology improves this situation may change.
I think technology has a place to maintain relationship and may initiate connection but will never replace direct contactApr 6 2012: I agree with your opinion, technology is a great tool for all socially awkward individuals. Technology connects people of all parts of the world which leads to human interaction. A great example of that is the success of chatroulette.com where you can connect to people from all parts of the world face to face.
However, I think what the speaker is ahead of her time by looking at is the generations to come. Kids need to interact with adults to be able to learn how to conversate with others. This is essential as kids grow. Kids now days still have interaction, weather its parents, teachers, drivers or even gardeners. This is just as important when we are older. When you go to your lawyers office, negotiate with a client or even buying cigarettes from a corner store. Its the lack of connection with other people that leads individuals to becoming so socially awkward and vulnerable.
The questions still stands, what is going to happen in the future? When all these jobs are done by robots and all work is done on phones and tablets. What human interactions is left? And more importantly how is this going to impact society as we know it.
What draws me to TED is they don't want to solve their problems using the quickest way but rather find the most efficient solution with minimal damage on the long run.Apr 6 2012: Actually i do believe that technology is very very important tool in our daily activities, thus it has to be used in right time for the right things, to do so it completely depends on users. If we think a day without a little device like mobile which would really painful and unacceptable to us, at the same time excessive using of technological devices is not good at all. In some occasion we do spend huge time on technology that could make us bit isolated and lonely but immediate after we do realize that we should have not done that and we should have given more time to prioritize job. therefore it implies that it is totally depend on users how effectively use their time and how much aware about his or her responsibilities. One saddening things i found which is texting in the class while tutor are conducting class. under this situation i do reckon the tutor should keep on eyes and sometimes share interactive information and nice jocks to attract their attention and let them know why you are saying this jocks. Finally i would like to say that technologies impact could be bad and good, it depends on its users. thanks. Probir Kumar Biswas. New ZealandApr 5 2012: I think you put this beautifully. Technology is a tool that like any tool can be used well or badly. It's up to users to moderate its impact on their lives. Blaming the technology is like those who smashed and burned rock and roll records to try and stop the music.Apr 5 2012: Yeah, i do agree technology connects people with the same passion and desire. Ted is an example of it. however it also creates a void in us, spending many ours using the internet which may also isolate us from the people around us. Imagine Parents who spend endless hours looking for people to connect with and forget that their are children who need their attention. I think there has to be a balance between online communication and connecting with the people around us.Apr 5 2012: For me personally, I find that social networking inspired by and available through technology, has not only brought people back into my life that have been missing for decades but often prompting reunions with these old friends. I have become friends with a great deal of people who were once just acquaintances. A person who presents themselves in a less than truthful manner online will generally do so in person as well.
It has helped me to find like minded groups and venues for expanding interests and to know that I am not "alone".
A person who is isolated because of emotional situations would be so any way, but with technology how many find there is help? Like anything in human control it is both blessing and curse.
It is my understanding that a sociopath is born from a situation as an infant/child. I don't know any infant/children that use technology themselves but I imagine a neglectful parent who is texting, face-booking and watching TV all the time would set up a situation that could contribute to sociopathic behavior in the child, but again those parents would no doubt find other ways to ignore the child anyway. We humans seem to choose to blame anything but our own ultimate responsibility.Apr 5 2012: Yes, after watching the talk, I reaffirm that we are isolated (ironically) by the very technological infrastructures designed to connect us. Phones, laptops, tablets, camera's etc.. fragment us. Heck, a lock isolates friends from dropping by if we're not in. Although it's with technology we CAN connect. You could also have a set of keys cut for a friend to let themselves in, just like you could Facebook/tag/tweet/e-mail or take a picture of a friend and do all of that (previous).
Also, and what isn't mentioned in the video, we like to use things first. We like to know that we are taking advantage of something that someone else doesn't have yet. We also think of ourselves as self important. I haven't scanned over all the comments here I just want to put my own. I'm choosing not to reply/quote others - only for you to read what I am willing to share with you. We also have a 'non of your business' approach to some events/circumstances in our lives. Also, 'not enough time' too.
MY POINT IS if technology frees up our time (take Google Glasses) we MUST spend quality time outside of using technology with loved ones and others we want to spend time with. It's great that we'll soon be able to check e-mails and search online through augmented reality glasses BUT ONLY IF we allow ourselves downtime and not more time chained to the technological products that free up our time.
One word: Discipline!Apr 5 2012: There is a critical detail missing from the dichotomy in this question. If I have a youtube video that I want to share, I could tell someone in person or "send" it to them, yes, but the social contract associated with sending it is actually very different from the other option. Realistically, when is the last time any of us opened up our email to send a video directly to a friend? This has to do with the digital social contract we've evolved. If it's such a great email, after all, why don't I send it to multiple friends? And here's where the problems start...
We are beyond email and instant messaging for the most part, which are the original direct interaction tools. A big part of the reason we don't use these in the same way anymore is due to early abuse that happened due to a small marginal effort to (for instance) add another address from our address books to the address line of an email. Because of the mountain of over-shared content, we had to evolve mechanisms to deal with this, and write it into our social contract as well. Today, I can share something by making it available to 400 friends on Facebook, but it will only be seen by those willing to login and read their news feed - in other words, only people who are looking for shared stuff.
This is impersonal, it's not shared with "them", it's just made available. As opposed to technology being in its infancy, I think that our digital social contracts are in their infancy. Reciprocity is the key, but that is accomplished through a complicated equation involving the burden of effort and game theory. So let's talk about effort. I saw this story on Facebook, and the funny thing is that the story there had 60 comments, as opposed to 20 comments here. Why? It's the all-too-common story of people taking the path of least resistance, and by that, I mean avoiding 2 extra clicks and maybe making an account.
Meaningful online relationships are possible, but we aren't prepared for them.Apr 5 2012: Yes, if that is it's interpretation, and yes because it isolates people. Ultimately the user is the person who will feel lonely no matter what you give them, if indeed they accept it or want to 'move with it'. You could give them a car (still technological) and they may think "Great, I have no one to share it with and no where to go" or they may not be able to drive nor wish to.
Consider Alienation by Karl Marx - "I am subordinating myself in poverty to assemble this product that inevitably makes you [the owner of the means of production] richer". Does a Facebook user subordinate themselves by using an account [a small part of the product] helping to create and make someone richer [Mark Zuckerberg]?. No, of course not, I am able to freely express myself so long as I cause no harm.
However, and slightly off topic, the irony is that lots of people don't want 'Facebook Timeline' yet they are forced to adopt it. It's an unavoidable upgrade. We're 'sold' the idea that we can challenge anything through Facebook/Social networking sites, and many people do/have, but you try to challenge auto updates and out survey SAID Nar-heaaa! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_FmADVggCk (lol)
Back on topic, the wireless wind up radio, created for the individual(s) to listen to news without electricity/batteries was marvelous. Of course it didn't make people feel lonely - that wasn't it's intention nor interpretation. The Kindle however, in my opinion, could be intended and interpreted as a 'lonely' piece of technology. It's made for one user at a time, unlike the wind up radio, and has account details for you to download your favourite e-books. However, if the individual CHOOSES to 'share' then the Kindle can be seen as an inclusive product. They can log in an recommend books, share them, speak with 'like minded' people and inevitably 'leave out' other people who feel left out.
"Great I have a Kindle but no one to share it with [or no one who likes what I like]" Again the individualApr 5 2012: Technology can fill a gap that missing in your life, so if the gap is friendship it can help. If the gap is connecting with people that have the same or similar interest as you it can help.
I have many friends that I can put into different categories, some are work based, some I like to party with and some are old friends that I like to catch up with on line via Facebook or on the phone and via text. Very few of these friends I have are interested in talking to me about TED so this online community fills that gap for me.
I feel that technology can and does alleaviate the feeling of loneliness (at least for a while), but a clear distinction needs to be drawn between feeling lonely and being alone as the two are not nessarly connected. Also the good thing about technology is that you only ingage when you feel like it, we have the option to disconnect from others from awhile. I do this, whether it is to give me a chance to connect with myself, give me a break from all the noise or an opportunity to reflect. I feel this is important.
My face to face friends (most of whom are also my online friends) are great they bring me out of my shell, they ingage me and are not interested in all the things I am. They boraden my horizons and my interest and allow me to practice my compassion in ways that I can't do online. They are a different part of my tribe and a very valuable part, but they can't fill all the gaps nor should they. Technology helps us find or expand our tribe so we can feel more forfilled.
Welcome to my tribe, you can come and go as you please, join in or drop out, the choice is yours ;-)
Apr 5 2012: Yes, the technologies are just one more opportunity to make choices.Apr 5 2012: We have emotions and lonely needs so that we remain a pack, apparently. We use socialization as a defense and a way to evolve. If we require physical, emotional, and personal contact less frequently in person, and still find a way to survive, perhaps even improve lifestyles thru digital economy, we may simply become more mechanistic. The loneliness and need may evolve into a mental need to read emails (kind of like one who claims to be "addicted" to Facebook). The channel of communication is colder and perhaps warmth may not be as necessary in our species. But losing that link to others may be devastating since it is your new way to connect in relationships We may be isolating ourselves but our need for togetherness may also decrease as our culture and system of interaction changes. This however does not evolve the problem that procreation is decreased or even halted and adaptively may not benefit the species.Apr 5 2012: This was a refreshing look at what we computer geeks called techno-lust. It is a very slippery slope we are on indeed and it permeates the fabric of our society even deeper than Dr. Turkle suggests. The threat is not only social but also political and environmental.
Our efforts at peeling the onion as it were reveals that a major component of this phenomena is the disconnection we have all achieved. By connecting technologically we risk disconnecting with life. How many of us know how our ipads actually work or where and how they are made? How many of us even know how plastic is made or copper is mined? How many understand the basics of radio communication and electricity?
Technology has always had grand opportunities for equalizing the playing field and bridging prejudices. But, as Dr. Turkle eloquently points out, it has also offered us a virtual reality that will only intensify our disconnection. Already we have electronic implants to keep track of prisoners and children. We have the technology to display video screens on contact lenses and are not far away from patching directly into the optic nerve.
It has been said that we are running 21st century software on hardware that hasn't been updated in 10,000 years. If technology is the software we must insure that our our brain, and by extension our understanding, keeps abreast or risk crashing our the OS of our civilization.
Apr 5 2012: I know the answers to the questions you posed, such as how ipads are made, because of technology. I have access to a wealth of information and education I otherwise may not have gained.
Apr 8 2012: Indeed Jessica, as I have. And therein lies the beauty of technology. I love the fact that I can travel from the bottom of the ocean to a quasar and learn about both through the technology of our day. It has also been said that there is no going back. As we climbed the ladder of progress it seems we have kicked out the rungs under us. TED is a great community to help us find solutions through technological advancements and allow us to learn about our world and all the technologies that we have collectively developed. My comments ponder the the community that lies beyond TED. The community that finds it hard to keep up or has never developed an interest for the knowledge of science. Do we have a responsibility to bring them along somehow? Or do we just accept what I see as Logan's prediction that technology will merge with and assimilate humanity much like homo sapiens merged with and assimilated the neanderthal? Who is the tool and who is the carpenter? It is a debate worth having, I think.
Logan Crouse
Apr 5 2012: It isn't necessarily true that our hardware hasn't been updated in 10,000 years:
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The brain is a constantly evolving thing. Shrinking and getting larger. In addition, I also saw it posited that our logical, number-crunching centers have grown more refined whereas our emotional, pattern-based centers have slowly been giving out from under us. This article sums it up quite nicely:
That said, what if technology *is* the next step towards extending our understanding? What if we could use technology to augment those parts of our brain that may not be evolutionarily stable? Patching into the optic nerve--? Try patching into the brain. Like this study done to see if they can recreate what people are imagining merely by letting them watch a movie and having a machine decipher what those neural signals mean:
No, sir. As technology advances, the line between "technology" and "humanity" will only become more blurred as the terms become synonymous with each other.