What is so seductive about texting, about keeping that phone on, about that little red light on the BlackBerry, is you want to know who wants you.

My own study of the networked life has left me thinking about intimacy - about being with people in person, hearing their voices and seeing their faces, trying to know their hearts. And it has left me thinking about solitude - the kind that refreshes and restores. Loneliness is failed solitude.

What is so seductive about texting, about keeping that phone on, about that little red light on the BlackBerry, is you want to know who wants you.

The computer is a mind machine. It doesn't have its own psychology, but in a way it presents itself as though it does.

The most used program in computers and education is PowerPoint. What are you learning about the nature of the medium by knowing how do to a great PowerPoint presentation? Nothing. It certainly doesnt teach you how to think critically about living in a culture of simulation.

Not every advance is progress. Not every new thing is better for us humanly.

We expect more from technology and less from each other. We create technology to provide the illusion of companionship without the demands of friendship.