The lost art of conversation – The Atlantic

The use of smartphones and other interactive devices in almost any setting has become pervasive, so articles like this have started becoming pervasive, too. How is the constant use of devices going to affect human interaction? Sherry Turkle, a psychologist and professor at MIT, wrote “Along Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other” in 2011, when smartphone saturation was just emerging. This article features Turkle, who is described as a “tech critic” despite not being “tech-skeptical.” Imagine, if you can, reading about this future phenomena 10 years ago. It would have seemed straight out of a Ray Bradbury novel.

Photos of the year – The Wall Street Journal

It’s that end-of-the-year time when all the lists come out. Take a look at The Wall Street Journal’s top photos of the year. There’s a wide range of fascinating and thought-provoking photos that will also help you remember what notable things happened around the world in 2013. Just click on the right side of the photo to advance to the next one.

The benefits of walking – Intelligent Life

No, this short blog entry isn’t about fitness. It’s about thinking. Because time is precious, walking is largely a form of exercise – at least in a rich country like America. But there’s no better way to free your mind than taking a long walk. (If you leave your smartphone and/or iPod behind, that is.) If there’s a problem on your mind, you’ll have undistracted minutes to mull it over. If you simply want to observe your surroundings, it is infinitely better than driving and even preferable to jogging. And you won’t have to jog.