The Cost of Internet Addiction

Slow news days eventually lead local television to sensationalist stories, such as internet addiction. Since the late 1990s, investigative reports have shown that people spend too much time online. These are the same outlets that have accused television of robbing people of exercise and a social life. Perhaps the irony is lost when the reporter unknowingly reads from a teleprompter that children are addicted to the internet, while the station republishes the same story on the their website.

The internet, much like any other popular media, remains a target and a scapegoat for people to blame their behavior on. Does internet addiction really exist? The recent report from Reuters gives a mixed answer. The article cites a study conducted by the University of Maryland in which they had 200 students cut their media ties for 24 hours. The results claimed that the students suffered similar withdrawal symptoms to that of a real addiction. The American Psychiatric Association does not acknowledge internet or media addiction as a disorder.

The media jumped on this story after Reuters previously published a story on internet addiction in South Korea. This article claimed that 10% of adults and 26% of teenagers in the country had an addiction to the internet or online gaming. The South Korean government has taken action, spending the equivalent to $9 million on education programs and are even developing a voluntary system that will assign gamers identification codes that can be monitored by parents or tracked for time spent online.

If you think South Korea is tackling this problem the wrong way, then consider what is happening in the US. An internet rehab facility, reStart, opened last year outside of Seattle. The center is designed to help people who excessively surf the internet, text, or play games. The cost for a 45-day stay is roughly $30,000.

Addiction to social media and computers may very well be real, but until more conclusive evidence is presented, I think it is best to look at computers (or anything with a screen) as a tool that should compliment a lifestyle, not lead it. Until the media has some new studies to report, or a new technology to blame, we will continue to endure the sloppy reporting.

I’d love to hear your opinions on internet and/or social media addiction. Is it true? Are you addicted? Leave your comments below. I’ll leave you with a humorous comercial for Sony Vaio.

Bonus! A clip from South Park!

Photo: Lee Jordon

Taking a Sip of World Water Day

As someone that always drinks the glass of a water at a restaurant, constantly refilling a recyclable water bottle, and is accustomed to drinking fountains in most buildings, I tend to take water for granted. After all, water is a utility, often cheaper than electricity or natural gas. Unfortunately, for many parts of the world, access to fresh water is a rarity. As this National Geographic article, The Burden of Thirst, so eloquently points out:

In wealthy parts of the world, people turn on a faucet and out pours abundant, clean water. Yet nearly 900 million people in the world have no access to clean water, and 2.5 billion people have no safe way to dispose of human waste—many defecate in open fields or near the same rivers they drink from.

As a response, the United Nations established March 22 as World Water Day. The idea of water having its own day of recognition might seem a bit ludicrous at first, until I started to consider how important fresh water is to life. Not only is water a vital substance to the human body, it’s very presence is responsible for the entire food chain (both plant and animal).

I asked myself how World Water Day could be any different than other ecological non-holiday observance. I don’t recall the last time I participated in any activities regarding Arbor Day, or the catch-all Earth Day. As I am accustomed to playing a devil’s advocate against popular causes, I find myself strangely drawn to a day to which even the most liberal, organic, tree-hugging planet saver has not heard of. If being “green” is the socially responsible thing to do, I had to find out what it meant to be “blue” as well.

I surrendered to the cause and decided to look into what World Water Day actually is. I discovered this year’s campaign website, worldwaterday2010.info, and read through several of the pages and a few of the documents. Some interesting facts that I learned included:

• People need 20-40 liters of water per day (50 liters if you include bathing and kitchen use)
• 1.1 billion people don’t have access to clean water, compared to the global population of 6.7 billion
• There is no binding water safety agreements among nations in the UN or otherwise

Mixed in the site are many photos of struggling people in shanty towns and disgusting waterways. I’m no stranger to late-night television pleas to help save children in Africa, but World Water Day puts it all into perspective. The site also has a full listing of the World Water Day events going on around the globe.

Reading this information gave me a sense of powerlessness. To ease my mind, I researched a few sites dedicated strictly to water conservation. A few of my favorites include Water Use It Wisely, WaterSense, and Water Conserve. Some tips I found for conserving water include:

1. Fix leaky pipes and faucets.
2. Save water from other uses (cleaning, boiling) and use it to water plants.
3. Take showers instead of baths. Take shorter showers (5 minutes).
4. Don’t let the water run while brushing you teeth.
5. Turn the garden hose tightly in the off position.
6. Use the garbage disposal less and the garbage more. It saves 50 to 150 gallons a month.
7. Don’t defrost frozen foods with running water. Either plan ahead by placing frozen items in the refrigerator overnight or defrost them in the microwave.
8. Water your lawn and garden in the morning or evening when temperatures are cooler to minimize evaporation.
9. Keep a bottle of drinking water in the refrigerator. This beats the wasteful habit of running tap water to cool it for drinking.
10. Dispose of hazardous materials properly! One quart of oil can contaminate 250,000 gallons of water, effectively eliminating that much water from our water supply. Contact your city officials for locations to dispose of hazardous materials.

In the end, I am not sure if I fully understand the need for one specific day for water awareness, but I suppose the publicity  and awareness are small steps to resolving a big problem. Water conservation is rarely touted in the media (at least much less than hunger). Water is essential to life and should be considered a right to living.

For more information on World Water Day or to find out the various ways you can help in your community, visit the UN Water Day website or read National Geographic’s Water: Our Thirsty World, set to hit news stands on at the end of the month.

Photos: J.C. Rojas, Pink Sherbert Photography, and UN Water.

When should you pull the break?

Most people that ride public transportation daily do not pay much attention to the safety signage near the door. One New Yorker, Casey Neistat, decided to look deeper into the emergency break procedure developed by the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA). He asks frequent riders a simple question: When is it okay to pull the emergency break on a train? The answers vary. It seems that such a simple question is highly contested among MTA riders. The lack of a clear solution leads Casey on a search for an answer.

Celebrating 2010 in Sydney

In case you weren’t in Sydney, Australia on New Year’s Eve, we have the fireworks bonanza shot by ITN News. The weather in Sydney around this time of year is great, so why not have a fantastic fireworks display? Enjoy it and look forward to more posts here on Awesome By Default in 2010!

Marvel at The Magic Kingdom

On Monday, August 31, 2009, the worlds of the Marvel Universe and the Magic Kingdom collided as The Walt Disney Company announced plans to buy Marvel Entertainment for slightly over $4 billion. Almost immediately, the Disneyana types were excited and the Marvel Zombies were mortified.

Will Mickey Mouse become the newest member of the X-Men? Will Wolverine become a star on Disney on Ice? Will Hannah Montana dress up like Dazzler on an episode of her series? Will they pit Marvel’s Hercules versus Disney’s Hercules? Will Pinocchio be accused of being a mutant? Will The Incredibles fight against and later with the Fantastic Four? Actually, I’d like that one to come true to tell you the truth.

Most critics of the acquisition fail to realize that the same studio that gave us Hannah Montana, Winnie the Pooh, Cars, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, and G-Force also gave us Gargoyles, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Lost, Scream, Kill Bill, Trainspotting, and Clerks. Needless to say, the initial reaction has cooled down compared to what happened upon the announcement. Now, a little clarity is in order. read more

Who screams? Ice cream… for equal rights

Ben and Jerry’s ice cream is standing up for civil rights with their recently announced “Hubby Hubby” flavor,  in honor of Vermont’s recent passage of legal marriage for gay and lesbian couples. The Hubby Hubby ice cream is a 30-day rebranding of their popular “Chubby Hubby” flavor. The move is mostly symbolic (PR stunt?) since the name won’t be changing on any store shelves or UPCs. The effort was done in cooperation with Freedom to Marry, a group that fights for marriage rights

The press release sent out by the company this week states, “Ben & Jerry’s has a long history of commitment to social justice, including gay rights.”

Since announced on their Facebook page yesterday, the name changed has caused a stir online. Comments ranged from “Brilliant name change” to “Time to give it a rest B & J.” While many people blame Ben & Jerry for using their product as a political soap box, many feel politics and ice cream just don’t mix. Who can blame them. Many products we use today are neutral. If Coca-Cola suddenly supported creationism, would you still be a fan? If Burger King decided all people that buy Whoopers support abortion, would you still order one? Does your food need to have a social agenda?

As someone that supports ice cream and equal rights, I find it refreshing and strange that our political issues can have a flavor. In a slightly ridiculous twist, CBS News recorded a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream truck serving Hubby Hubby to the public in Vermont. The video is below…
read more

Moon Landing Denial: Out of This World

Yesterday was Moon Day, the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 14 moon landing. As someone that has always been intently interested in space, I took some time to research the event through various resources. As with any humanity-changing event, the detractors have taken it upon themselves to naysay the US exploration of the moon and proposed some rather elaborate conspiracy theories. Don’t get me wrong. I love a good conspiracy theory. The Di Vinci Code had me looking at the Pope with a raised eyebrow. These are the same types of people that believe the attacks on 9/11 were orchestrated by the government, AIDS is a man-made disease, and Scientologists & Jews run Hollywood. Its these types of shaky premises that make a good story, but offer little foundation.

Moon Day has help tame some of the rumors started by the moon landing deniers with new photos showing the original moon lander and the astronaut footprints on the surface of the moon. While this evidence certainly won’t convince a denier of the scientific truth, its a validation to those of us that want the evidence. The new satellite images come to us as a result of NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft, which launched on 18 June. LRO’s mission is to photograph the moon to scout for future mission sites. So far, LRO has located five of the six Apollo missions that landed on the moon’s surface. read more

Japan’s Rainbow Draft Beer

There is nothing like a cold drink on a hot day. Beer is the ultimate summer drink, bringing families and friends together around the grill. One company in Japan is trying cater to the beer drinkers that are tired of drinking yellow beer. In an effort to show of their unique style and attention to to environment, the Hokkaido Abashiri Beer company introduced the world to the first blue beer last year. That’s right, blue as in “hey that looks like Kool-Aid” blue. The Okhotsk Blue Draft is supposedly made from water from melted ice bergs that float each year onto Hokkaido beaches from Russia. The blue color actually comes from a seaweed extract. The few experiences I’ve had with seaweed has been via sushi. I can only imagine the beer having a salty, plant-like taste. read more

20 Funny Minutes of C-SPAN

Last Friday comedian Wanda Sykes entertained at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. This is by far the funniest thing I’ve seen on C-SPAN in years. She poked fun at President Obama and the first lady. The result is something more similar to a Comedy Central Roast than a presidential event. Even if you’re not a fan of Wanda, she pretty much lampoons the president over many of the recent fluff stories and rumors (Michelle’s sleeveless dresses, Obama giving the Queen an iPod, always being photographed shirtless).

Some of you may remember Steven Colbert’s roast for President Bush in 2006, which was a bit more surreal than funny. Its nice to know that this administration has a sense of humor too. read more

Want super powers? Wish granted

What super hero powers would you want?

What’s the best power to have?  How would you get said power?  Through a genetic mutation in your DNA?  Through a chance encounter with some infected creature or substance?  The how isn’t so much as important as the what.  What is your personal pick for super power?

You will find that this article, like the two before, have nothing to do with Mothers Day.  So we clearly HAVE NOT prepped a week’s worth of awesome stuff for your mom.  Unless she’s into picking superhero powers.  Which I doubt.

Before we proceed, I believe we can all agree that Jubilee’s power of shooting lame ass fucking fireworks out of her hands is the most worthless power ever.

A lot of people say they wish they could fly.  That’s pretty passive and dull to me.  Just flying?  BORED NOW.  Flying should be a secondary to another, more awesome power, like super strength or weather control.

Invisibility is also lame.  So you can go places without being observed.  After the pervy thrill wore off what fun could you really have with invisibility?  Not much.  read more