Barnes & Noble has had a problem with their NookBook service for several days now. I have a large backlog of books to read, so in essence, it's not directly impacting me ... except ... it is. The fourth book of a series I adore was finally released on Monday and I can't read it yet! Oh, I could buy the Kindle version, but I don't want to. I don't like the Kindle app, and I have almost 1800 ebooks in Nook format, as well as the previous three volumes of the series. I don't want to hop to another app for the fourth book. I don't need to read it RIGHT NOW ... but I WANT to read it RIGHT NOW. I'm getting annoyed.
 |
I want it NOW. Not tomorrow, not the next day, but NOW. (Of course, I'm not in charge of the electronics, so I'll get it when it's available, but it doesn't change the fact that ... ) I want it NOW!!! |
Got the news today from several residual groups that YahooGroups is biting the official dust on December 15th. It's a long time coming, but it's sad to see it disappear completely. During its heyday, I belonged to more than 20 assorted groups and was constantly keeping in touch with lots of people on those boards. I even started one or two of my own boards on there for beading and enameling groups. But members moved on, people died, or interests changed and activity slackened. I understand why it's being retired, and almost all of the viable groups have moved on - most to FaceBook - but it's still a sad thing.
 |
I used to love Yahoo Groups. I had a lot of friends on those boards, and we chatted daily about life, kids, and whatever our common interest was - beads, artwork, Tolkien, etc. They were active, they were lively, and the people I met through Yahoo Groups were wonderful. |
When I think about where I was within the internet twenty, or even ten years ago, it was a much different place. We had groups of people who were joined together because of common interests and who developed very real friendships through the keyboard and screen communication of various posting boards. We chatted, daily in some cases. We visited each other when we could, or when we were at common situations such as Bead & Button Show or the various Metal Clay Conferences, we would make sure to get together as a group at least one night - share a meal and some drinks, and share laughs and history. That seems to rarely happen any more.
 |
The speaker at this Metal Clay event is my friend, Lis-el Crowley. I last saw her when we shared dinner with a third friend at the 2019 Bead & Button Show. She was suffering from cancer then, and she passed away in hospice last month. I find my thoughts turning to her often lately. She's another friend I miss. |
People take their instant communications with friends throughout the world via our electronics for granted. They operate as if they will always be able to reach out and comment on the dog's antics, the child's fears or the favorite cat video. Our electronic world has broadened our reach, but it's also meant the death of person-to-person interactions in many cases. So my challenge to you, my readers, is to reach out to someone today and really care about them. Interact with them on a level below the surface "Hello" and "Have a good day". Find some commonality, praise something, make someone feel better about their interaction with you. There's so much hate in the world today, let's try to overshadow that hatred with some love.
 |
Offset the negative by doing something positive. Make someone smile today, pet a dog, feed the birds, smile and make a funny face at a child. Positive actions are never wasted. |
Have an excellent day and I'll be back tomorrow, same basic time, same basic channel. In the meanwhile, please be kind, stay safe, and wear your mask.
No comments:
Post a Comment