“It seems there is something about anonymity which brings out the worst in us. If you doubt that, come with me into the often-weird world of Internet chat rooms and message boards.”
—Pat Sajak
The collective message of this graduation season will be something like “…and just remember that you can be anything you want to be.” And it’s not just true for the graduates. You too can be anything, or anyone, you want to be…on the Internet.
“Doctor to patient: I have good news and bad news. The good news is that you are not a hypochondriac.” —Unknown
Living in this age of technology, we can count on getting more information than is probably needed. I know there are fact hounds among us that seek the final answer to their question and will pick their way through every wrong explanation along the way to get there.
“There is no hope for a civilization that starts each day to the sound of an alarm clock. —Author unknown
Can we all get this straight already? Men think women are confusing. Kids think parents are hopeless. Women think men are self-absorbed. And then we second guess that and wonder if it’s just us.
“Modern invention has banished the spinning wheel, and the same law of progress makes the woman of today a different woman from her grandmother.” —Susan B. Anthony
In 1812, T. Babbitt, a sawmill worker, observed a couple of fellow laborers manufacturing lumber with the then standard two-man pit saw. Noticing that half of their energy was being wasted in the process, Babbitt designed and created the first circular saw ever used in a sawmill.
“You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing. I wove my webs for you because I liked you. After all, what’s a life, anyway? We’re born, we live a little while, we die. A spider’s life can’t help being something of a mess with all this trapping and eating flies. By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone’s life can stand a little of that.” —Charlotte in “Charlotte’s Web”
I’m more likely to cuss and smash a spider than quote it, but had to make the exception with Charlotte. I think it’s my age that makes me appreciate what she’s saying, which, while (I hope) isn’t necessarily old by definition, does give me access to one of the true benefits of getting older—stupidity.
