Online

     So many hours pass and I find myself glued to the computer . I never can believe how many hours pass. I am never bored but I always feel like I haven't accomplished much. Then again I usually haven't. I have been in the abyss that is called online.
        In NYC on line means one is standing in line. In computer speak online means on the Internet. I think the two meanings totally compliment each other. New Yorkers are so busy that they are online when they are online. Hah!
     Even if I wanted to I can't go back to the dark ages before Internet. There is no going back. I can reduce my usage though, even at the risk of experiencing boredom again.  I have a new cell phone that is not as app friendly so I am online less. This is really a good thing. I find myself reading more. Ok , I read on a kindle, but I still consider a kindle low tech because I have the black and white kindle that is really just for reading.
     Moments pass so quickly that any way I can slow things down makes me feel better. Even moments of boredom make life seem longer in a good way .
      There really is no way to stop change and time , but if we are lucky we can try to maximize the time we do have. Reducing time in the abyss of the  Internet will help. If  only I would heed my own advice.

TV

     Over the past ten years I have watched a lot less television and have been on the computer , specifically the Internet much more than I had ever watched television. I have been trying to watch more television lately so that I won't be on the computer as often. Watching television is so much more enjoyable without interruptions which motivates me to stay off Internet devices while watching television.
      A book is superior to television as a night activity but sometimes I admit that I do not have the energy to read a book. Television is still better than just Internet activity at night. Watching a television show with limited commercial breaks helps expand the length of time I am able to concentrate that I have lost from constant Internet use.
      

Chagall

      Living in the age of the internet is amazing. When you go to a  museum you can download a free app for the audio tour . You almost don't  have to go to the museum because there are thumbnails of the exhibit in the audio. Then again  nothing compares to experiencing  actual paintings.
      Yesterday I went to the Jewish Museum in New York city to see the Chagall exhibit. His more Jewish oriented works were there. Marc Chagall nee Moshe Segal was born in Belarus in 1887 . He later lived in France and due to World War II ended up in the United States. This exhibit has paintings he made in the 1920's to 1940's . Through his paintings he expressed his fear of impending doom on Europe's Jews in that time period. When one looks at a Chagall painting one really has to stand back and take it all in because there is so much imagery on every inch.
       There is one dark spot in the exhibit. Chagall had a strange interest in Jesus and liked to use Jesus imagery in his paintings to use him as a symbol of Jews. I realize that when one studies art there is a lot of Christian art involved, but it disturbs me that a Jewish artist who  escaped Europe during the holocaust would be so intrigued by  it and used it in his artwork. I am not sure if I can recommend this exhibit with a full heart because of this imagery. Its just a little much for my taste. Perhaps just download the Jewish Museum Chagall exhibit app and see for yourself  if it is worthwhile. 

the digital age

ever since i have had a computer with internet i feel that i am more in touch with the world. i am certainly more likely to know news headlines . i barely ever read a newspaper.

now that i have a computer i have been sent more virtual photos and less physical ones.  emailed photos take up less room in my apartment, but i still prefer a physical photo.

i get more discount coupons from stores now that i am on their email lists. then again, this might be a bad thing. i may spend more money because i am saving so much.
my mom on the other hand has zero interest in computers and never looks anything up online yet she always is in touch with the latest news. she does listen to the radio , reads newspapers and watches televison. so really if one makes the effort one does not need to be online to know what is going on in the world. of course i am not including anyone who believes tv, radio and newspapers are the devil. those people will always be out of touch and even more so because they are relying others to provide their  version of what is going on instead of finding out firsthand.

Rabbi paysach Krohn speaking in City Field @ kinus

very interesting. rabbi krohn wants to ban the comments sections in vos iz nais  (i know i spelled that wrong) because they may be lashon hara. oh and most probably because he doesn't agree with them.
what i most have a problem with is how he thinks he will put bloggers in charem when according to him no one should be blogging or reading blogs anyway so how would anyone know who the bloggers were to begin with to ban them? the other thing is that this kind of threat only has power if the person you are threatening respects the people banning them. personally i think that all these rabbis should forget about banning the internet and live exemplary lives and show how beautiful living a torah life is without having to badmouth technology. the  strength of the torah and a torah true life should be speak for itself.
anyway i think that its quite funny that all these rabbis dislike the  discussion about judaism that occurs on blogs. judaism is all about discussion , especially in halacha. there are lots of opinions and then there is what the halachah is . discussion about what is right and wrong about judaism is so integral . this is what separates us from the goyim. the fact that we CAN ask questions proves how true the torah is.

thoughts on the internet

      i have heard a lot of nonsense about banning the internet etc.. etc... and the evils of the internet ..blah..blah .. blah. ... well folks the internet is a fact not a choice. we all need to access it whether we want to or not. we need it for work , we need it for keeping up with health issues, bank issues and personal issues. i use the word need because we need it. i will also agree that the internet can be used for good and evil just like anything else.
i think that i have read more divrei torah since i have had internet access than before i had internet access.  i think that the religious discourse that goes on on blogs only strengthens the jewish people and not the opposite. if you really believe that the torah is true and you are truly observant then the bad that is on the internet is not going to tempt you  so much. i for one am not a gadol hador and i do not go to any internet sites of improperness .                                                                                                       in this sea of fools i have finally heard the voice of reason by rabbi manis friedman.    i have included this link  "We're Stronger than the Internet".  i am not lubavitch, but i totally agree with his reasoning. my favorite line is where he says that improper thoughts can pop into one's head randomly so that does not mean one shuts off their brain.
i agree that we all have to be careful with the internet, but it really is more good than bad.

ashton kutcher vs cnn

i was watching oprah last week and lo and behold oprah was joining twitter. twitter is a site i have not yet joined. i was probably the last person to join facebook, so you can imagine how quickly im running to join twitter ! as oprah was touring twitter, she featured ashton kutcher. apparently ashton kutcher wanted to see if he could get more followers than cnn and i think that that meant he needed more than 10 thousand followers. of course all of us celebrity stalkers know that adorable ashton married to 14 yrs older demi would win!
though ashton portrayed the studly doofus michael kelso on that 70's show he's not just some dumb himbo. he wanted to prove that the media is so nuts that a tv actor could get more followers than cnn! he also wanted to show how strong one lone voice can be on the internet.
i dont have anywhere near 10 thousand followers on my blog, but i do think that blogs have a strong voice. one never knows who can find a blog and read its message.