How texting works and why it’s changed our lives * BONUS CHAPTER — In-person conversations and group gatherings were common until recently. Back in Alexander Graham Bell’s Day, townsfolk walked miles to a friend’s porch where they’d talk about the weather and gossip. People attended religious services together and they met in dance halls to waltz the night away. Today, A.G. Bell is…

Video calls explained in clear and simple language * Part 6 — Jane was applauded by a laugh track as she talked on her outlandish phone-tv in the early 1960s cartoon, The Jetsons. Later that decade, we saw Dr. Floyd call his young daughter on a picture phone in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey and maaaaan was that trippy! Fast forward…

Camera phones explained in clear and simple language * Part 5 — Nineteenth-century cameras were big boxy machines. People kept still for nearly twenty minutes so their images and facial features would be recognizable and clear. No wonder those sepia faces were so glum — Betsy, don’t you dare scratch and keep your frilly bonnet still! Our pioneer girl would be delighted…

Sound amplification and audio explained in clear and simple language *Part 4 — It was easy for my grandmother to understand how her voice traveled from her clunky headset into a wire cable and back out again to her friend’s ear which was suctioned to a round plastic earpiece. It’s harder now to comprehend that after tapping a few numbers on my touch…

Cellular and wi-fi connections explained in clear and simple language *Part 3 — Point, tap, talk! Cell phone calls are easy-peasy. Our voices are so clear that we seem to be standing right next to each other. Do you ever wonder how my voice travels through the phone to reach your ear? In this series, I translate complex ideas into simple language so…

Touchscreens & binary digital signals explained in clear and simple language *Part 2 — A swipe here and a jab there! We touch our devices thousands of times each day and they respond immediately, but we take this relationship for granted. We don’t even stop to ask our electronic friends-with-benefits why and how they behave the way they do. In this series, I translate…

LED phone light explained in clear and simple language * Part 1 — We are married to our mobile phones. They are our primary relationship — our needy companion. When we turn away, they chime, beep, and display notifications, desperate to lure us back. They know all about our personalities through our social media feeds and account settings, yet we know very little…

The 7 deadly sins that destroy your creativity — Abandon all hope, ye who enter writing contests, for you will be tempted away from creativity and toward lust, pride, sloth, greed, envy, gluttony, and wrath. 1. Lust

“I thought I saw a goddess” — Rashomon — Alt Text A vertical rectangle (bisected diagonally with the colors blue then peach) contains an embedded circle also split diagonally with the colors inverted, peach then blue. A white blurred outline surrounds the circle rendering it three-dimensional by implying that light reflects from its curved surface.