(This is a response to an article in the New York Times titled "Click, Clack, Ding! Sigh..." The author was Jessica Bruder. You can find the article here.)
Technology dominates the 21st century. The Internet, iPods, iTouches, iPads, laptops and more are found all over cities and homes. From college campuses to public libraries, people can find high-tech devices with Internet and more. What is the next step to laptops and computers? The typewriter has been resurrected from its grave and has taken on a whole new persona.
A growing movement of consumers, especially young ones, buying typewriters has emerged. The younger generations have converted to using a typewriter for various reasons. 28 year-old typewriter owner Louis Smith said, "It’s about permanence, not being able to hit delete, you have to have some conviction in your thoughts. And that’s my whole philosophy of typewriters.”
Events have been held in honor of typewriters and their owners. "Type-ins" take place in bars and bookstores to display a post-digital style. The group type out letters to send via snail mail and hold competitions to see who can type the fastest. Type-ins have been seen in cities from coast to coast and even overseas.
Owner of Brady & Kowalski Writing Machines Brandi Kowalski said, "You type so much quicker than you can think on a computer. On a typewriter, you have to think."
Why are people attracted to typewriters for the second time around? Old typewriters are built like battleships. They can suffer damage and get banged up. Repairs can be made to typewriters, but laptops and smartphones loose much of their value after they leave the store. Typewriters are also very simple. They can only perform one task: putting words on paper. Checking e-mail and browsing Facebook are not options on a typewriter. It makes the task of writing a paper easier to do, and one can focus more on the project. The older generations understand why younger people are so attracted to typewriters.
The Pulitzer-winning biographer of Robert Moses Robert A. Caro said, “I’m actually not surprised. One reason I type is it simply makes me feel closer to my words. It’s like being a cabinetmaker. It’s like laying down the planks. This is the way it’s supposed to feel.”
The article peaked my curiosity concerning typewriters. I had never thought about the idea of owning one. By using quotes from a spectrum of people in the typewriter world, the article becomes more credible. After reading the thoughts of the typewriter users, I am anxious to try one out. As an aspiring journalist, I understand the idea of wanting to feel close to my words. There is no delete button a typewriter. It makes typing more focused, and the writer becomes more connected with the story being told.
Whether or not people go out and buy typewriters is up to them, but I certainly would enjoy owning one. I love the idea of old becoming new. Our generation should step up and embrace our history.
(This is a response to an article in the New York Times titled "As Phones Become Mobile Wallets, Businesses Want a Share." The authors were Tara Siegal Bernard and Claire Cain Miller. You can find the article here.)
Credit and debit cards fill wallets. Known to be easily accessible and less bulky than a wad of cash, these small plastic cards have taken over the world. Visa, Mastercard, Chase, American Express and many other companies rule the buying power. Swiping a credit card takes seconds to process while pulling out the correct amount of cash can slow things down. Credit cards have proven to be vital to consumers, but a new type of buying method may be taking over. Cell phones could be the new credit card.
Instead of swiping the credit card, the cell phone would simply have to be waved. The technology is out there to make this happen, but big companies are battling for who gets dibs on the most cash. The companies include mobile phone carriers, credit card issuers, banks, retailers and technology companies. The solution of where the money will go and how it will be divided must be decided upon before more steps can be taken.
Chief executive of mFoundry, which makes mobile payment software for merchants and banks, Drew Sievers said, "“It all comes down to who gets paid and who makes money, you have banks competing with carriers competing with Apple and Google, and it’s pretty much a goat rodeo until someone sorts it out.”
Now that the technology for 'mobile wallets' has finally come about, the pieces are falling into place. Although it is still unclear how the players will get paid, meetings are being held with the biggest companies in order to come to an agreement. Currently, several companies are coming together in order to sort out the kinks. Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Discover are creating their own mobile wallet that should be out in early 2012.
Although the idea behind mobile wallets is intriguing, a lot of issues must be worked out.
Executive creative director at the design firm Frog Design Jan Chipchase said, "“Is it possible to make a system that’s too easy to use, where you reduce so much friction from the transaction process that people aren’t necessarily aware of what they’re spending on something?”
After taking the Dave Ramsey course in high school, I learned that spending cash is neurologically registered as pain. People have a much harder time parting with their visible cash than charging the purchase to a piece of plastic. Many Americans are in enough debt as it is. Also, the problem with dividing the money between the companies will be a meticulous process. Retailers must also acquire the machines necessary to use the mobile wallets. Ultimately, the consumers will decide whether or not the mobile wallet is a hit or a flop. Until then, credit cards will be swiped.
(This is a response to an article in the New York Times titled "‘Heat Damages Colombian Coffee, Raising Prices." The author was Elisabeth Rosenthal. You can find the article here.)
The addiction to coffee is evident among Americans. In the fast-paced society Americans live in, grabbing some caffeine to ward off drowsiness is common. Places like Starbucks, O Henry's and Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf are popping up all over cities, and attract both young and old with frothy concoctions. The downfall to such coffee drinks is that they are not cheap. Recently, prices have been rising due to climate issues in Colombia.
Colombia is known for the Arabica coffee produced. Hearty flavor combined with smooth texture makes for one of the world's most known and most expensive coffees. Coffee yields have been suffering greatly due to rising temperatures and unpredictable rains. Coffee pests thrive in warmer climates and have been destroying the crop.
Not only is this problem hurting Colombian coffee farmers, but also American coffee lovers. Prices in coffee shops have risen to an all time high.There is talk of the world hitting "peak coffee". Similar to the shortage of oil, the world is experiencing a type of coffee shortage.
Rosenthal wrote, "The Specialty Coffee Association of America warned this year, “It is not too far-fetched to begin questioning the very existence of specialty coffee.”
Global warming plays a huge part in the extinction of Arabica coffee beans. A specialist in Agroclimatology at Cenicafé Néstor Riaño said, "Half a degree can make a big difference for coffee — it is adapted to a very specific zone." Cenicafé is the national coffee research center.
Action is now being taken to inform the farmers on how to rid their farms of the pests who destroy the coffee beans. There is also a newer, hardier strain of Arabica that has been developed as a hybrid. Farmers are taking these steps in order to safe their livelihoods.
Coffee drinkers around the world do not need to panic yet. According to this article, the proper steps are being taken to insure that coffee beans will be continue to be available. Colombian farmers are gaining knowledge about how to take care of their crops during weird weather patterns. I will continue to get my drink at Starbucks and keep a steady eye on the prices. Only time will tell whether or not if Arabica beans will become extinct. One can only hope that Colombians figure out a solution to keep Americans on caffeine highs.
(This is a response to an article in the New York Times titled "‘Vampire Face-Lifts’: Smooth at First Bite." The author was Catherine Saint Louis. You can find the article here.)
The lust for looking youthful dominates American culture. Television shows fill the airwaves of prime time television. Shows such as Real Housewives and Nip/Tuck show the product of altered bodies and faces. Botox and collagen fillers are among numerous products that dramatically change outward appearances. Being young is looked at as glamourous, and people are taking great lengths to stay youthful.
With the recent release of the Twilight series, customers have a new love for vampires. Vampires are eternal and said to have forever-young skin. A new cosmetic treatment has been released to fill in wrinkles. This treatment is called the "vampire filler" or "vampire face lift." It has been promoted on "The Rachael Ray Show" and "The Doctors."
It is not a surgery. The procedure is done in the office and takes about thirty minutes. Blood is drawn from the patient's arm. It is then spun in a centrifuge, and the platelets are separated. They are injected into the patient's face in hopes of new collagen production. This process is called Selphyl, and has been used by around 300 doctors.
A patient of a Selphyl "vampire-lift" Joan Sarlo said, "We all want to look better, but the less unnatural the better. What could be better than your own blood?"
The F.D.A. has not approved Selphyl to be marketed for facial rejuvenation yet. There is also a lack of research. The product came out in 2009. The procedure costs $900 to $1,500. Most people are not willing to shell out the big bucks for a product doctors are unsure of.
The president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons Dr. Phil Haeck said, "There are no scientific studies, only personal attestations. This is another gimmick that people are using to make themselves stand out on the Internet in a real dog-eat-dog part of medicine."
The patients are the ones to decide whether or not to take the risk. Until the F.D.A. approves this product, the danger of Selphyl is very real. Although there have been no recorded failures, the issue of a freak accident could occur. The plastic surgeons are out to make money. This is now one of the most expensive procedures on the market due to the lack of fillers. It is 'natural' because it uses the patient's own blood. Dying to be young or not, I would not become a vampire.
