"Hey, mama - did you get that text I just sent?"

I am, without a doubt, addicted to technology. I spend 10 hours a day in front of my computer and the minute I step away, I’m checking my email/Facebook/Twitter/IMs/stock market reports from my iPhone. (Note: stock market reports are a real downer these days.)

When I’m out with friends, I’m constantly checking to see if anyone has texted/emailed/called. Or looking things up on Google maps. Or getting Yelp reviews for anything and everything we might be doing over the course of the evening.

And, obvi, I’m uploading pictures and status updates the entire time.

I have a problem and I know it. My addiction to technology is taking over my life and, despite the fact that I am always an email or text (fromlastnight) away from anyone, all this “connection” is really ruining me. I can’t even go to the bathroom without my phone anymore. And, yes, that’s a true statement.

I know I’m not alone, so this week I asked the CollegeCandy writers to share their personal peeves with technology. What are yours?

Kathryn – University of Wisconsin-Madison: People who have really personal cell phone conversations in really public places. I definitely do not want to hear about your latest sexcapades and either does the rest of the room. I’m embarrassed for you.

Anna – Northeastern University: I hate when people have to research online reviews on everything, from the restaurant they want to get dinner at to the movie they want to see. Nobody can be spontaneous anymore!

Read More »

I used to be extremely opposed to the iPhone. I mocked it, I thought it was childish and a waste. I was a proud user of the Blackberry for many years… until one day my Blackberry began to fail me. Calls were dropped (thanks a lot AT&T) and the phone was beginning to deteriorate. I was ready for an upgrade.

I visited my AT&T store, picked up the new Bold and immediately had issues. I was getting up to 150 text messages in a minute due to some virus. I went back, replaced it twice, only to keep having the same issue. I finally was so aggravated one of the employers was able to convince me to buy an iPhone. My whole world was turned upside down. No one even knew who I was anymore.

Now, three iPhones later (what? They break easily… especially after a few dirty martinis and my habit of throwing things in frustration) I’ve come to terms with the thing, if only for the apps. The service still bites (thanks again, AT&T) and I’m not the biggest Apple fan, but I do love my iPhone apps. Read More »

[I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the epitome of prim and proper- heck, who really is nowadays? But looking around at the misguided youths of today *ahem drinking buddies*, I’m starting to think that Miss Manners might have been onto something.

While you may never need to know how to greet a duke or how to tell which fork is REALLY the oyster fork, knowing how to deal with people whom owe you money, how much to tip, and how to address the ever annoying licorice-in-teeth conundrum without being rude might actually come in handy in the real world. I'm not trying to be your mother - oh goodness, no - I'm just here to help you out of those little etiquette dilemmas. So here goes: a quick lesson in etiquette. The sh*t you might actually need to know.]

These days, it seems like the etiquette rules of the past just can’t keep up with the changing face of communication. Now, I like my cell phone as much as the next person, but there are some things you just shouldn’t do with a phone…

- Having a cell phone lets you talk whenever, whereever, but that doesn’t mean you should. It’s rude to talk on the phone in restaurants, movie theaters, libraries, lecture halls, opera houses (does anyone actually go to those?), etc. Keep your phone on silent. Duh.

- What’s more, it’s rude to talk loudly. I don’t mean the “slightly-above-normal-speaking-level” loud. I mean the “STRAIGHT-UP-SCREAMIING-INTO-YOUR-PHONE-LIKE-IT’S-A-MEGA-PHONE“ loud. If you have to scream, take it somewhere private. Otherwise, realize that the other person will hear you whether you’re screaming or whispering (preferably, talking normally). Plus it makes you look super crazy if you’re walking down the street screaming into a hidden Bluetooth. Read More »

Remember when you started college and you got a bunch of cool new stuff? Everything was shiny and new and you were off on a great adventure. A lot has changed since then. Now you’re all disillusioned by jerky professors and “real world” problems. Oh, and your laptop is an antique.

Many of you are thisclose to the end of your college days [weep], which means it’s time to upgrade your shiz for the next phase of your life. But what do you need? And which products are the best?

Look no further; I’m here for your graduating shopping needs. I can’t teach you how to survive out there – because I’m a few credits away from that awful place – but I can help you with that graduation wish list to hand off to the parentals.

Please hold your applause until the end. Read More »

Is Jon cheating on Kate plus 8?

Those SARS masks aren’t going to help you.

I want a Blackyellowberry.

Animal print rings: the perfect amount of rawr.

Ben Affleck and Jen Garner make me awwww.

Fox chooses Idol over Obama.

Overall, this is sad, but in a couple of weeks I’ll be getting nearly a G in tax returns.  Yeah, that’s a crapload of money.  But when I look back at all the hours I worked in 2008, it also makes me realize… I made jack sh*t.  Still, this hefty lump sum couldn’t come at a better time for me, as I’m watching my credit card debt grow, next month’s rent is looming on the horizon, and summer (aka a full-time waitressing gig) can’t come quick enough.

In reality, I’d love to take my refund check and spend it in one go at the mall, especially since warm weather means I have to chuck my so-worn-they-belong-in-the-What-Not-to-Wear-dumpster sweater boots, and I don’t have ANY cute flip flops to wear in their place.  But, since I’ve been struggling all winter, I am going to use this money wisely.  And by use “wisely,” I don’t necessarily mean put it back into the bank.  We all deserve to splurge every now and then, and here are some of the best guilty pleasures your tax refund can buy.

1.  Upgrade your phone.

Am I the only campus coed who has never known the joys of an iPhone or Blackberry?  I recently lost my cell in a drunken stupor, and, though I had been waiting for the summer to upgrade, I figured it’s now or never.  Best buy of my life.  I got a refurbished 16-gig iPhone for under $250.  And it’s not just a phone– I can check the weather without getting out of bed or waiting for Weather.com to load on my slow-ass computer, I can check my email for last minute class cancellations while on my way to a lecture, and once I figure out these apps, I’m pretty sure I can load a calorie counter onto my phone to use in the dining hall.  How did I live without this baby? Read More »

[Life isn’t black and white. As much as we wish we simply loved or hated things, there is often that whole annoying gray area in the middle. Like, we love how hot stilettos look, but hate the blisters the next morning. Or how we love sweatpants, but hate how fat we get when we wear em. Damn you, gray area; you make decision-making that much more complicated!]

The world is a changin’ my friends, and I so don’t want to be left behind. That’s kind of how I feel with the whole Blackberry/iPhone phenomenon. Here I am with my little, dinky LG Chocolate. I used to think my phone was so cool- – I mean, it’s frickin red and can play music — but now I’m not so sure.

Should I upgrade? Help, I’m torn!

Love it:

I want to be one of the cool kids typing away on my Blackberry during class. Even though I’m basically glued to my laptop, I can’t keep it with me 24/7. Damn thing doesn’t fit in my back pocket. If I had a PDA, I’d have access to my email all the time. Even more, I’d have Google for looking up info and phone numbers, a map so I don’t have to stop at shady gas stations and ask for directions, and other super cool shiz that I can’t get on my Chocolate. Plus, the people at Apple have come up with some pretty sweet apps. I totally want to have a personal trainer on my cellphone. I’m pretty sure they have an app for everything… at least that’s what the commercials tell me! Read More »

Moving is hard but it was all made better by my new toy, the Nintendo DSi. Nothing takes the stress of packing boxes away quite like a little video game action. Now, I was a little ambivalent about purchasing this item. I mean, I’m an adult… and it’s a Gameboy (I refuse to call it anything else. A Gameboy is a Gameboy!), but upon finding that I got a $70 dollar credit when I traded in my DS Lite, I figured, hey, why not?

The system is touted as having many advanced features from the older DS. A slightly larger screen and a lot of really great new abilities: downloading full games directly to the system, camera and photo editing, more memory, etc. Sure, these aren’t things I really needed (I only want to play games on my way to class!), but I’m a sucker for bells and whistles.

And let me tell you, I’m glad I bought it!

The system looks different from the former having a matte finish which keeps it from getting all smudged. Vain and silly I know but I HATED when I had fingerprints on my DS. It just looked messy. But that’s the least of its features.

So what other tasty things does it do?
Read More »

Oh Sunday mornings. There’s nothing quite like stumbling out of a lofted dorm bed in last night’s stretched-out leggings, wayward bobby pins dangling from stringy bangs. You brush your teeth, rub the eyeliner crusties from your eyes and attempt to scrub off that not-so-fetching jungle juice stain on your chin. You’re still trying to get the mascara off your cheek when it hits you. Did you text him?

Toothbrush still tucked in your cheek, you fish your Blackberry out from under your pillow, detach it from the charger cord you expertly wove around your bedpost, and cringe. You definitely texted him. Twice. Okay, more than twice, but you essentially said the same thing every time, so it really only counts as twice right?

It’s tipsy texter’s remorse. Drunk dialing’s quieter, slyer little sister. Drunk texting is even more perilous, simply because your chosen target has a tangible message to remember you by the next morning. A tangible message that could very well be forwarded to all your mutual friends. And why stop there? Mutual or otherwise, they don’t have to know you to get a laugh out of your arbitrary capitalization and creative spelling.

And of course, no one ever just types out “hey giRll hye, i mis ur face!!!!@! mylife wud sukc witouh u!” Not even near incriminating enough. No, it’s always a text to that douche face ex-boyfriend you never really gave up on, or that dreamboat in your stats lecture whose number you covertly acquired under the pretense of a review session. And you always have a killer intro, like “jst so u know, i nevr do tihss,” or “HELLLLLLLLO! gues where I amm rhgit now?” or “i’m soooooio hppay u hireD me for the smmuer!” Read More »

Sex is kinda like a cell phone. You can live without it, but in the end, would you really want to? Like our cell phones, we all end up taking what we can get in a pinch. We may not be happy with the phone (or person) we choose, but sometimes anything can be better than nothing.

I’ve taken the liberty to analyze the various sexual shenanigans we get ourselves into, and I think I’ve come onto something. I’m starting to think that our sexual partners closely resemble that of our cellular telephone devices. Think I’m full of s**t? Well read on, nonbeliever.

The Crap Nokia aka The One Night Stand

So you’re hovering over the frat house toilet seat, trying not to get an STI or pee on yourself, and your phone slips out of your back pocket and plops into the water. Suddenly, you’re out of a cell phone and you need one, STAT. Just like getting dumped or running into your ex, I would think of this as a rather desperate situation. So what do you do? You go for the next easy thing that comes along and satisfies your basic needs. Just like your friend’s gigantic Nokia phone with Snake and an antenna, a one night stand will be there for you when you need one thing and one thing only. You may use Mr. Nokia for a night or two, but you can bet you’ll toss that puppy as soon as something better comes along. Read More »