Wandering About The Internet

Commentator:

He enters the conversation with a whining voice that reminds you of the late Andy Rooney.

Do you have that problem where you are going through your list of internet news sources, and you end up watching a U-tube video of a guy playing "Somewhere over the Rainbow" on his harmonica?

(Full disclosure, I play Harmonica, and this guy was terrific.)

Yeah, and it gets worse. I can't count the number of times, I've watched Simon be amazed, surprised, or moved to tears over some waif from Northern England, who appears to be the kind of woman / young girl, you wouldn't think could draw interest in front of a group in a small pub and yet she sings like an angel. Think Susan Boyle.

And then there are the pop-up crowd videos. These feature the unexpecting shoppers at the mall who are serenaded by opera singers and symphony orchestras that appear and disappear like dust storms in the desert.

And then suddenly, it's time for lunch, and the dog hasn't been outside for hours. I hate that when it happens. My dog, Lucy, dislikes it even worse.

What to do about this affliction? I'm in two camps. There is the start reading my news off of a paper option. Problem; Anything in print is hours even days old. Plus, writing a letter to an editor, hoping it gets printed and believing that anybody cares by the time they read it, is something like dreaming about winning the lottery.

No, I have to be able to share the link, on my Facebook page to an article that shows once again that democracy has it's failings and hope anybody gives a damn about the waves my oar in the water has created. Or, I can be happy with the one 'like' I get on the post from...you know who you are.

The other option is to get a job as a TV commentator on CNN, MSMBC or.... No, the other one is out of the question. My problem with this option is that I have an appearance that is fit only for radio.

I do get a kick out of people who deride those who seem to have a smartphone in their face regularly. Addition to social media is concerning. But let me point out that when I was a teenager (old fogy insert), the older folks came down hard on our being on the phone all of the time and for some of us, having our nose in a book always. It appears to me that people like to reach out to people and measure the temperature of their surroundings. How they do it might be frightening or challenging to some of us, but it doesn't mean that it's wrong in and of itself.

Yet the tweenager might be staring at her phone reading about her favorite pop star. Or the young man might be checking the scores of his favorite team. In the past, they might have been buying a magazine or a newspaper to do the same thing. I think that the demise of print is the problem some people have once they have lived past their "use by date."

And what about those couples who are dining out and both of them looking at their phone? Is that any different than both of them reading various sections of the newspaper or watching morning TV while eating breakfast?

And then there is the annoying habit of people listening to their music. I'm going to go out on a limb here, but if it bothers you that they are plugged into their music with earphones, I'm sure if you had to put up with hearing the music they are listening to, you would be more annoyed than you are.

My favorite is the people who don't do Facebook, instant messaging or Google but are letting other people do it for them.

"Oh, Oh, How are the Packers doing. It's got to be halftime. Google It!

"Hey would you IM (fill in the blank) and tell him will be late and to order me....?"

"Did anyone leave a message or voicemail for me on your phone?"

This is like borrowing a lawn mower every week, all summer long. You got to be wondering if they are afraid of technology (I'm going to get hacked if I use Facebook) Or the excuse, "I had Facebook, but it's just a bunch of crap." Since you only follow people on Facebook that you want to follow, I'd say you have crappy friends.