Internet addiction is growing. The main types of Internet addiction are cybersex, online affairs, online gambling, online gaming, compulsive surfing and even eBay addiction. An article by Dr. Jerald J. Block in the March issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry stated that “Internet addiction appears to be a common disorder.” Some people apparently spend 14-18 hours a day online, but the article doesn't say when you cross the line from mere surfer to addicted surfer. It mentions therapy and the possible development of medication, but it doesn't mention moderation. It mentions treatment but it doesn't mention fortitude. It mentions compulsion but it doesn't mention free will.
In such an intellectual climate, everything carries an addictive threat.
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Far out: A jet pack which could allows commuters to fly to work has been unveiled by an inventor. Unfortunately, I'm not sure it'd even cover my .9 mile commute: Revving its engine, Harrison slowly climbed to about three feet off the ground and hovered for 45 seconds before touching back down to Earth.
Could you imagine the metro areas if this invention took off (so to speak)? The roads would unclog, and that'd be great. But what about the jet pack rage? Would we see people kicking at each other in the sky? It'd be interesting and a lot of fun to watch, until one falls from the sky and kills a pedestrian. This thing is filled with a ton of unintended consequences. If I get around to it, maybe I'll worry about it. In any event, I'll bet you $20 someone will be online today, writing a serious blog entry or article about the dangers of this contraption.
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Chesterton vindicated: The world's oldest recorded joke has been traced back to 1900 BC and suggests toilet humour was as popular with the ancients as it is today. Chesterton pointed out (I don't have time this morning to find the cite) that the cavemen were probably humoring each other with their drawings. Instead of analyzing them and trying to delve into their deeper meaning like the anthropologists of his day (and ours, for the most part) did, GKC said we should just appreciate that they apparently had a sense of humor. (Any Chesterton enthusiasts out there are welcome to develop and/or clean up my GKC recount to the extent my faulty memory has dirtied it.)
