Three times now I have brought up string theory and quantum physics in small talk at parties. Only once did it go over well. The other two times resulted in a mix of blank stare plus confusion. Seems I have a little work to do on my small talk topics. Perhaps I could talk about these topics? Or I could keep trying string theory. After all, it has worked once before.
NPR | People Wonder: ‘If They Gunned Me Down,’ What Photo Would Media Use? – Surely bias in the media is a good topic. Frequently the media uses photos posted to social networks. What photos would they have available for you?
Scientific American | Does death change our online networks? – Are social networks the answer to immortality? Would I want to live forever in a social network? Pretty sure I’d like to live in memory only. I’ve made it so Brett can have full access to all of my accounts when I eventually die and he has my permission and direction to shut them down.
Scientific American | Net Loss: Is the Internet Killing Solitude and Downtime? – I’m pretty sure I could agree with this book. But I’ll have to get it and let you know. In the mean time, when was the last time you had some down time and didn’t turn to the internet?
Scientific American | How to Talk About the Fields Medal at Your Next Cocktail Party – If string theory won’t work at parties, perhaps international math awards would. We could talk about why it took 78 years to award it to a woman. I need to figure out what the other three recipients did to earn it this year. I’d be the hit of the party!
I am an educator and PhD. I quilt, belly dance, run, read, and try to grow things. I am a Mormon. I am infertile. I am a daughter, sister, aunt, grand-daughter, friend, wife, and mom.
Brett L. Dennis
Mama g
Giggles
AmandaStretch
I need to make a “dead list” and pass it on to Blake and decide what we want to have done with our online presence should something tragic happen.
In the Net Loss article, I liked this: “We don’t let them choose their own nutritional diet, so why do we let them chose their own media diet? I think it’s incumbent on parents to engineer absence for children and to teach them critical media studies.”
That’s one thing that already has me worried as a one day parent – how am I going to figure that out? Good thing Blake and I are already talking about it. I’m also trying really hard to manage my own “plugged in” time wisely. I spend a lot less time just randomly wandering the internet than I used to, and I enjoy the breaks I give myself.