Like many adults, I left Toy Story 3 a little sniffly. As I drove home and tried to uncover the source of my maudlin mood — my three kids were not helping encourage this analytical state — I realized how much I was struck by the play scenes that open and close the movie. In both scenes (no spoiler alert needed here, by the way) a child is immersed in play with a variety of different toys, assigning roles based on their own plot. Mr. Potato Head is a villain. Cowgirl and spaceman dolls work together. Monkeys from a Barrel of Monkeys have their own part. A cardboard box is a major prop. Even a piggy bank is a character. [Read more →]

Tags: technology, virtual children by Scott Warnock by Scott Warnock
5 Comments »

When I was 29, and single, dating went like this: See a guy at a party, make eye contact, if he walks up chat a bit, find out some stuff (who his favorite band is, if he likes the Coen Brother’s films, if he had ever bothered to finish undergrad), make out, start dating. Just like that. I didn’t care about getting married, so I didn’t care if we got serious. Nobody I met had kids (or rarely had), no one had relaxed into a job they once hated. We just wanted to be hot for each other and have some things in common. Bonus if we liked each other’s friends.

Sigh… doesn’t that sound nice? Now at 39, and single, dating goes like this: [Read more →]

Tags: his & hers, square one by Van McCourt, technology by Van McO
4 Comments »

The oil still gushes from the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, and washes up on shores, destroying and threatening tourism, fishing, and ecology. The Coast Guard and BP work tirelessly to plug the leak and limit the damage. The U.S. District Court of New Orleans just overturned an Obama administration moratorium on new drilling, citing that this rig’s disaster does not necessarily presage others’. Sometimes it looks like the President is more concerned with punishing big oil than fixing the problem.

If the United States did ban offshore drilling, where would we get the lost oil? These are considerations that the government will hopefully make. In fact, which forms of energy we should develop, where we should develop them, and how we should develop them seem to be the greatest challenge facing mankind in the 21st century. The answers are debatable, but there is one consideration that is not conventionally thrown around. Antarctica. [Read more →]

Tags: politics & government, technology by Robert O'Hara
No Comments »

The New York Times, one of the most famous news-related advertising-delivery publications in the world, has exercised some serious journalistic muscle in bringing its readers the lowdown on one of the most important issues of the day.

Facebook’s privacy policy.

Because, you know, that is some serious stuff. The article, entitled Price of Facebook Privacy? Start Clicking reveals that people who voluntarily choose to partake of the social networking site have to read and click on a few things to ensure that some of their information is kept “private.”

[Read more →]

Tags: technology, trusted media & news by Ricky Sprague
3 Comments »

Deciding to take a vacation from social networking was especially difficult for me. Not just because I love it or that my time during the day has become so deeply entrenched in it, but because, well, I work in social networking for a living. As a “social media marketer” part of my job description is creating and cultivating social networks for brands like The Ritz-Carlton Residences. On certain days, I literally spend a full work day bouncing between sites like Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn and other little microcosms on the web.

I opted to take some time off from my personal Twitter and Facebook accounts this week mostly because I’m starting to feel burnt out. After hours of staring at a scrolling screen of messages, one starts to- how do I put this- go completely and utterly insane. Add to that, the constant feed of articles from my enormous Google Reader account and I was starting to feel dizzy. And tired of hearing my own voice. And tired of hearing everyone else’s voice. Feeling a constant need to “be caught up” with four hundred people was starting to get exhausting.

[Read more →]

Tags: technology by Judi Cutrone
No Comments »

This has potential to be a touchy subject. Anyone out there with a kid or a pet is guilty of over-texting photos of said children to friends and family. I do not purport to be innocent of this heinous and irritating crime. I do, however, try to capture moments that are funny or extraordinarily cute if it’s an image I plan to send. Here’s an example of what I consider text-worthy:

[Read more →]

Tags: family & parenting, going parental, technology by Jaclyn Roth
7 Comments »

So someone left a car bomb in Times Square. The immediate questions that come to mind are who, why, what was its capability, how can such things be prevented from happening again?

[Read more →]

Tags: art & entertainment, politics & government, race & culture, religion & philosophy, technology, television, terror & war by David Alfreds
2 Comments »

Like millions of my fellow denizens of this deeply troubled planet, I’m looking forward to purchasing an iPad. And then, three or four years from now, I’m going to throw it into the garbage or, as we euphemistically like to refer to it, the “recycling bin.”   [Read more →]

Tags: environment & nature, technology by Michael Antman
2 Comments »

Rumors are flying out of Cupertino about a new Apple device, the iShit. Expected to be priced from $499, the iShit will be the first consumer product made entirely from human feces. While the iShit won’t necessarily do anything spectacular (or anything whatsoever), the Apple logo will be prominently displayed on its case.

Analysts expect demand to be high.

Tags: technology by Colin Cohen
6 Comments »

When Falls the Coliseum is all up in the Twitter and the Facebook.

Follow us on Twitter to get tweeted every time we have a new post. We’ll tweet the hell out of you. Then you can re-tweet us. Yes, it sounds dirty. Don’t keep us all to yourself. Share the love.

And join our fan page on Facebook. We try to highlight a couple of posts a day. Just another way for you to know what’s going on at WFTC. And if you “like” a post or “share” it, you can help introduce your friends to this site. Do it already. You know you want to.

You can also sign up to receive e-mail announcements for every new post. It’s free. And good for you.

Tags: announcements, technology by Coliseum
No Comments »

BBC News reported this week that the Treasury Department has eased sanctions against Iran, Cuba, and Sudan with the hope of “[helping] further the use of web services and [supporting] opposition groups.” While I generally disagree with sanctions on principle, and so certainly welcome any removal of them by our gov’t, I can’t help but make a few quick points regarding the general narrative that this move fits into. [Read more →]

Tags: politics & government, technology by Calvin Pollak
1 Comment »

I’ve been a Facebook believer for well over a year now. Although some have logged off permanently, I couldn’t be prouder of my obsession. This social networking site has given me the chance to communicate with people that I haven’t seen in a long time. One would argue that there’s a reason why we lose touch with people, or that our three hundred Facebook friends are fake friendships. But frankly, I need all the friends I can get, if they are real friends or merely Facebook friends. [Read more →]

Tags: ends & odd, technology by Nancy DeGregorio
1 Comment »

To anyone who stumbles self-consciously through voice messaging: relax, voicemail is dying along with the home landline. To everyone else: let’s not prolong its suffering. [Read more →]

Tags: diatribes, technology by Tyler Samien
2 Comments »

I’m about as far from an electronic gadget junkie as you can get. I own a barely-used cell phone and a laptop that never works fast enough. I bought a Kindle, but that was only after Oprah told me that it was her most favorite thing in the world. (And Oprah would never lead me astray.) It was only recently that I learned what “apps” are. I don’t text, and I definitely don’t sext. And what is Wi-Fi anyway? I don’t know. I employ a husband to figure out these technical details. So it’s pretty surprising, then, that I watched the dog and pony show for the new iPad, Apple’s latest must-have item. [Read more →]

Tags: technology by Nancy DeGregorio
2 Comments »

I’m a member of the Mac-Cult. I went with a MacBook Pro over a Dell last year to avoid Vista and have never looked back. When my phone plan was up I switched to the iPhone. I’ve considered getting an Apple tattooed on my person in a private but alluring area. Today is a great day, for the High Priest has shown us a sign, a sign so magical I want to lick it. Behold the iPad! [Read more →]

Tags: technology by Steve Mazzeo
2 Comments »

I spent this past week in telecommunications hell, as the California rains shut down my Verizon phone and DSL line for the third time this month; this time for almost the entire week. It surprisingly made me long for the monopoly that once was AT&T. [Read more →]

Tags: technology by Colin Cohen
1 Comment »

It’s been about a year, now, since I made the move to a cell phone that does more than just telephone calls and text messages. Now my phone is A LOT smarter … wish I could say the same for me. [Read more →]

Tags: technology by Jeff McDonald
No Comments »

One question I have concerning full body scans at airports, and the threats they pose to personal liberties, travelers’ dignity, yada-yada-yada … what about the poor schmucks who will have to look at way-too-many images of way-too-many travelers such as myself?
[Read more →]

Tags: technology, terror & war by Jeff McDonald
No Comments »

Raising a kid can be expensive. There are diapers and formula when they are babies, and as they get older they get pickier about their toys and their clothes (not to mention you still need to feed them!). Plus, maybe there is a certain bike they want or there is a new Wii game that is out. And in this economy, buying any holiday gifts at all may be a difficult expense for some people. Needless to say, I was intrigued when the other day, a friend “invited” me to donate to her daughter Ashtyn’s bike fund through Facebook.  [Read more →]

Tags: family & parenting, technology by Amy Boshnack
1 Comment »

I have a house full of books. Every room in the house has bookshelves. Last summer, I put four new six foot tall shelves in the basement and filled them, front and back — that got the books off the floor around the rest of the house. That’s the second time I’ve done this.

So, some people like the clutter of books, as I do. Some love the feel of a nice deckle-edged hardback with crisp paper — some more than others.

I understand, even if I don’t share it, the appeal for some of having all their books in a convenient, portable form. And, undeniably, it’s cool to be able to have instant access to a big library of books. (How big is something I’ll return to.)

But, for me, the Kindle is not that. Look, toilet seats are made of the same stuff that Kindles are (and the comparisons don’t end there). [Read more →]

Tags: books & writing, technology by Christopher Guerin
8 Comments »