Pro tips for voting in any U.S. election – federal, state or local.
The news is drowning me
When I say “the news”, you must know what I mean? It’s everywhere, seeping into every conversation and every post I see online. I’m not here to complain, but to tell you that we might share the same feeling of emotional exhaustion after every event and gratitude when our loved ones make it home at […]
Let’s talk about memories
When I wrote this in 2014, there was a viral momentum that pushed memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease into the national spotlight. Then, and even now, the United States had a problem that basically needed money to have a chance to be solved. In a time when people are surviving and living through other major […]
Destroy history and you destroy humanity
It was pretty alarming to read that ISIS destroyed the Temple of Bel in Palmyra, Syria, and killed an archaeologist who had looked after it for 40 years. To be honest, I had never heard of the ancient city of Palmyra. I didn’t know that the Temple of Bel was almost 2000 years old and […]
Two more people killed and we can’t stop watching, but…
Two young journalists and a woman they were interviewing were shot on live television on August 26, 2015. I started writing this in anger on a Wednesday night, the same day it happened, and decided to wait before publishing. My gut reaction was strong. I thought about this tragic story obsessively for a few days because […]
‘Words and ideas can change the world’ – R.I.P., Robin Williams
“Twenty-six years ago, you played a game with a little boy down the street. A game with drums.” (Jumanji, 1995) I can remember watching Jumanji as a kid, and getting really into the “horrors” and surprises of the story. Floods! Stampedes! A man trapped in the jungle because of a game! Robin Williams didn’t stand […]
What’s it like in space?
When I discovered Chris Hadfield’s tweets last spring, I was obsessed. Seriously, I turned into a one woman fan club when I emailed new photos to my family, probably with the subject line: SO AWESOME. Hadfield, who was commander of the International Space Station at the time, gained popularity when he started sharing […]
April Fool’s Day online
Last night I had this conversation with my husband: Him: “Virgin America is installing Nest [automated thermostats] into each of its seats.” Me: “That’s too much.” Him: “But still cool.” Today I see an update from Virgin’s founder, Richard Branson, announcing that they’re reinventing flying. “Virgin America is the first airline to introduce this feature, with […]
Why I hate the “like” button
The other day I went to Facebook and did something simple: I scrolled through and watched a video someone had posted. What to do after that seemed complicated all of a sudden. I had a lot to say but found myself hesitating. Would this person find it strange that I wanted to leave a comment […]
LessThanThree: Asking questions in the internet age
What are the right questions? Some time ago I was browsing Pinterest and noticed someone shared one of my images. This person was Willo, the creator of LessThan3Questions.com*. When I discovered her site, the concept instantly drew me in. (*For those of you who didn’t grow up on the Internet, the title is actually this: < […]