Misconceptions About Disbelief

I may be wrong about this (which probably isn't a great way to start a blog), but one of the biggest fundamental misconceptions about agnostics and/or atheists, in my experience, is that they have chosen to believe there is no higher being as if they have/had no desire to believe in something beyond themselves or this world, and thus flippantly decided they must not need god. It's a misconception that my father, several relatives, and many of my friends hold without much thought.

And, while that may hold true for some, I find it very hard to believe it's true for anywhere near the majority of freethinkers. In fact, most people I've talked to have admitted that the desire to reach out for something beyond this realm is an almost innate thing to do; no doubt due to where, how, and by whom they were raised. But that just makes it all the more difficult to walk away from.

Cellphones: Helping You Avoid Eye Contact with Strangers!

I've been absent from the school scene for a few years prior to this current re-engagement with academia, and in that time technology has shifted radically. Especially in the mobile/cellphone department. This, in large part, was due to the iPhone's release in mid-2007... the summer before my senior year of college.

There are a lot of ways which this has changed my recent school experience: I use a Kindle app on Android/PC for most of my textbooks, when taking pictures I use my phone and not a dedicated camera, instead of lugging a seperate portable gaming system around for the freetime in-between classes and meetings I just use my phone, and perhaps most importantly, it's where I keep short notes, to-do lists, homework assignments, and contact information.

But this is more about another thing that comes along with the school experience: social interaction. And in my experience, technology is really starting to impede upon it.