How do you know when you spend too much time online?

When you forego sex for Google.

A survey polling 1,011 Americans showed that most of us can’t stay away from the internet for more than a few days without feeling anxious and “cut off” from the rest of world, while 20% of us are spending less time getting it on because we’re logged on.

“Cell phones won out over television in a question asking which device people couldn’t go without but the Internet trumped all, regarded as the most necessary” the survey claims, going on to say that most of feel like “something important” is missing if we’re not able to check email or surf the web.

I’d like to say that I’m not part of this trend, but if I did, I’d be lying. Read More »

When I don’t have my cell phone on me throughout the day, I feel naked. Truly.

During college, if I ever forgot it back at my sorority house after heading out for the day, I would somehow find a way to sprint back and get it in between classes. I was so sure I would miss the call of a lifetime during that 9 am – 10:20 am time period.

Usually, I didn’t.

Well, this addiction causes me to have frequent instances where I can swear I hear it ringing, but when I would reach into my bag and take a look, it is totally silent.

No missed calls, no new text messages, no new picture messages. What is this weird thing that I was hearing?

Am I going crazy?

Nope, just suffering from a case of Ringxiety. And yes, it is a real thing, and there has now been a study done to back it up.

According to a recent news report, “A new study found that two thirds of the people surveyed reported hearing their phone ring or feeling it vibrate when it had not actually rung. The phenomenon has been termed ringxiety…The more frequently a person uses their phone, the more often they reported hearing a phantom ring, the study found. These participants (67% of the people surveyed) had higher monthly charges, used more minutes, sent more text messages, and showed higher levels of impulsivity.” Read More »

I live in New York City. Therefore, I should be used to Random Acts of Rudeness. Small things should no longer phase me. But because I am a nice, sweet, mostly polite girl, I am still very often radically offended and crazily frustrated by rude people acting obnoxiously. Here are a few examples of my most recent run-ins with RAR.

• At a job interview, the interviewer answers his blackberry not once, not twice, but three times in the middle of my answers to his questions. No sorry, hold on a moment, just a complete switch from looking at me and listening to typing away on his stupid toy. Each time he would chuckle at whatever inside joke was taking place on the tiny screen, leaving me nothing to do but admire the bare walls and stare out the window. Needless to say, I’m taking that job the day hell freezes over. Read More »

For the longest time, I was a cell phone dissident. But then I got one and realized the euphoria that comes with sending and receiving text messages. So, whatever. Cell phones are fine by me.

But it’s all the different types of cell phones that flummox me. Your choice of cell phone (or your compulsory, complimentary Verizon cell phone) can say a lot about you. So I put together a list of what I’ve observed. Feel free to add.

-I give a lot of credit to those with chunky, outdated models devoid of mp3 players and color LCD screens. If you have one of these, you’re way cool, low-maintenance, and able to play the beta version of Snake whenever you want. I’m jealous. But you also may be trying to hard to prove a point, in that, I-don’t-need-a-new-cell-phone-but-I-want-one (and go to the Apple store everyday to drool on iPhones) kind of way.

-If you have that bland Nokia that everyone has, good for you. Way to be a moderate. You’d vote for Bloomberg in the next election, you eat a semi – vegetarian diet and you never go over your alotted minute plan. I trust you.

-Blackberry, Sidekick and iPhone users are automatically tools with tools. Read More »

The holidays are bright, florescent reminders of how many friends we really have and how clouded our social calendar really is. Lots of us had barbecues and rooftop firework watching parties to go to this July 4th, romantic rendezvous with a special someone under the stars, or giant, patriotic family celebrations where we engaged in our own eating contests (the only prize being a giant stomach and instant regret).

But what if you were one of the many who didn’t do anything special? One of the many who stayed home with nowhere to go, or anyone you really felt like hanging out with?

Then you’d be me.

You see, this 4th of July I was sick. Real sick. A narcoleptic coughing, sneezing, melty-eyed kind of sick. Who knows how I got it. Germs are everywhere in this city. I probably caught it from the pharmacist who handed me my hand sanitizer.

In any case, the plans I had made to grill chicken and watch the fireworks by the water with friends were down the toilet. At least for me.

So what did I do? Well, I watched TV for a while. And then I made some hot dogs because I wanted to try and stay in the spirit of 4th of July grilling. And then I got caught in the middle of a huge fight. Read More »

Being an Apple fanatic and all, it’s essential that I mention this Friday marks the debut of Mac’s first ever iPhone. In typical Mac fashion, the iPhone is expected to break boundaries by bringing smart phones into the mainstream market.

What’s so freakin’ special about the iPhone, you ask?

Basically, it’s every piece of technology you’ve ever owned or dreamed of owning rolled into one.

It comes standard with every basic phone feature you can imagine (speaker phone, call waiting, call holding, conference calls, etc.); it has a wide array of impressive features acting as a camera (that is undoubtedly of a higher quality than my LG camera phone that solely produces green tinted pictures) and multimedia player (a la the iPod); and it has video capabilties, allowing users to view television programs, music videos, or movies on their hand held device. Read More »

Preparing for a first date is a stressful time. During the primping and pre-pimping process, the last thing we need before going on a hot date is trouble with our technological gadgets.

The toilet bowl is #1 killer of cell phones today, and being that before a date, we spend a lot of time in the bathroom, it doesn’t make for a good combination. I know so many people who have lost their phones due to unwanted trips down the ceramic place-in-the-sky. Haven’t we learned our lesson yet? DO NOT GO NEAR A TOILET WITH A CELL PHONE ON OR NEAR YOUR PERSON. It never ends well.

Well….that is until I found out about this little helpful tip.

The Washington Post reports the story of one guy who, after dropping his Blackberry down the toilet, saved it by sticking it in a bowl of rice.

Strange, but kinda cool, huh? Read More »

You know we’ve entered a whole new kind of generation when there’s an emerging medical problem resulting in the advancement of our gizmos and gadgets.

ivillage.com reports the case of “Blackberry Thumb” – a condition in which the tendons in our thumbs are strained by the overuse of PDA’s. While some doctors say they’ve treated Blackberry Thumb, others say it’s bogus. The APTA, or the American Physical Therapy Association, even offers tips on how to “properly” use a PDA. Whether the B Thumb exists or not, overusing a Blackberry is just like overusing a video game controller or any other hand held device that could obviously lead to some type of arthritis down the road.

But the threat of Blackberry Thumb or any other kind of Technology-Induced Thumb obviously won’t keep our generation from using any of them. We laugh in the face of Blackberry Thumb. Our digits will remain strong and defiant. It obviously isn’t affecting the one maniac who keeps voting for Sanjaya.