Pam Webb

a writer's journey as a reader

Archive for the category “technology”

04 Jun 2025
1 Comment

Word Nerd: Internet Influence


Let’s think for a moment about the 1990s. For some a moment might be too much for others it might be a welcome nostalgia nudge.

After all the nineties introduced fashion statements like grunge and the music genre hip hop. One influenced the other. TV shows and the workplace became more relaxed in attitude. But one, if not the biggest contribution to life, was the WWW. No, not World Wide Wrestling—the World Wide Web or what we mostly call the Internet (and now it’s such a ubiquitous aspect it’s not even capitalized anymore). The internet was still in its dial-up infancy.

some fashion statements are best left in the past

Since this is my Word Nerd post I’m going to focus on how the internet contributed to our cultural lexicon. Here are words that came out of the internet age:

viral: an infection that used to be related to health like how a cold can be spread, and in the same manner misinformation, memes, and other aspects can be quickly spread from one person’s computer to another.

catfish: it still refers to that strange whiskered fish but has taken on the meaning of being duped, usually when it comes to internet dating profiles. Read here for the backstory.

ghost: not like Casper, yet the term shares with the friendly entity the ability to disappear without warning or reason.

cookie: not the sweet treat you’re thinking of—instead it’s that little bit of information that websites use to keep track of user information. It’s not always so sweet to have personal data kept in a business file.

hallucination: not LSD related yet in the same sense that what you are looking at on the screen is not always real or to be trusted. Now that AI has entered our lives there is more hallucinations than ever before.

stream: relating to flow, like how water moves, information and more commonly, entertainment like movies, flow from our tech into our lives. No longer do we have to wait for our weekly episodes of our favorite sit-coms as some station no doubt is streaming Friends or The Dick Van Dyke Show 24/7.

24/7: the concept of easy access around the clock didn’t start with the internet, although it brought it to the forefront that information can be had at the push of a button at anytime day or night.

troll: these despicable creatures are found living under bridges in folklore and are all about harm and deception, which makes a perfect description of those who hide behind websites and do mischief with misinformation.

I could probably come up with a couple more but I really want to go stream another Death in Paradise episode and I’ve got to get an email out before being accused of ghosting, and I better clear out my cookies before a troll finds them.

Posted in everyday expressions, language, Reflections, technology and tagged , , ,
24 Jun 2023
9 Comments

AI—iyiyi


Take me to your reader…

Of course I’m following the AI news. As a former English teacher I still have a vested interest in how students might tap into ChatGPT and all its marketplace cousins. I thought running herd on suspected cut and paste and plagiarism was challenging, now there is the matter if the assignments are student-produced or bot-generated. Did I mention I’m glad I’m retired?

Now that I am retired I am focusing on my own writing. I am beginning to notice publishers are posting their own AI cautionaries on their websites, about appreciating AI, but wanting original work. Yes, we’ll see how that turns out.

Then I read how someone created a picture book by plugging in prompt directives. This did not go over well in the comments. I have enough competition from humans, I don’t want any from machines.*

I decided to take ChatGPT for a test drive. I plugged in the prompt: Create an enthusiastic book review for Syria’s Secret Library.

I had just finished the book and was about to write up my Goodreads review and was curious what the ChatGPT approach would produce.

In less than a minute, more like 30 seconds, I was reading a seven paragraph review that was disconcertingly well-written. On first reading. Here is the first paragraph:

Prepare to be whisked away on a remarkable and inspiring journey as Mike Thomson takes us deep into the heart of Syria’s Secret Library. This is a truly exceptional work that not only sheds light on the power of literature but also showcases the indomitable human spirit in the face of adversity.

A decent introduction, a bit more enthusiastic in praise style than I would write, yet decent.

On second reading I noticed more glowing praise; however, it was what I refer to as “frosting” in that it looks good but has little substance. My AP students would write “frosting” essays when they weren’t fully knowledgeable about the topic prompt. They would write around the topic without truly addressing it. The AI result was much the same. It addressed the book in a very general way and the paragraphs became repetitive in its praise due to lack of detail. It’s as if it read the book jacket instead of the book:

The characters in this book are genuine heroes, ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances, fighting to protect the essence of their culture and to safeguard the treasures of human knowledge. Their commitment and sacrifice are truly awe-inspiring, and their stories will stay with you long after you finish reading.

Which characters? What sacrifices? How were their actions awe-inspiring? These would be comments I would write on a student paper. Details. Give me the “so what?”—get me interested by providing specific details.

Then again, maybe it’s dependent on how well the prompt is formed. I revised my original prompt to read: Create a positive book review for Syria’s Secret Library including specific details from the book such as names, places, and events.

Here is a paragraph from the revised review:

The book eloquently captures the power of literacy and the profound impact it had on the people of Daraya. It was heartwarming to read about how children like Waleed and Reem found solace and inspiration in the pages of books, transcending the horrors of war. The author skillfully weaves their personal stories with historical and cultural references, painting a rich tapestry of the Syrian people’s resilience and unwavering thirst for knowledge.

It now mentions the place: Daraya, yet who are Reem and Waleed? And therein lies the problem with trusting bot research—it can get it wrong. There is no Reem and Waleed in the book. At least the the story I read.

I keep reading incidents where people, as in professionals such as lawyers, are getting into BIG trouble when it is revealed that their documents are flawed because they trusted what the AI produced. (Why they didn’t fact check is a question I had).

Overall, I am concerned where AI writing dependencies are taking us in both the creative and professional realm. From my brief forays though, I’m not too worried about my day job as a writer being threatened, especially after the results from my prompt concerning a young boy, a grandmother and feeding birds and squirrels in the park. AIiyiyi it was that bad.

*quick segue—my summer binge is “Person of Interest” which is an older series how a billionaire computer whiz invented a machine that watches the population for acts of terrorism, but he uses it to help prevent crime. I find this 2011-2016 series still relevant in how artificial intelligence becomes smarter than its programming.

Posted in authors, bloggers, creativity, language, Reflections, teaching, technology and tagged , ,
09 Jul 2019
26 Comments

Facebook? Nope.


It’s a conundrum. Most, if not all of society is Facebook driven. Yet, Facebook is driving society crazy. It’s obsequious and obnoxious-a real love it, hate it, use it, ignore it commodity.

“Like us on Facebook”–it’s the common phrase. I just saw it painted on the back of a local police car. I kid you not.

I perplex people when I tell them I don’t have a Facebook account. I get this look:

Shock. Amazement. Surprise. Perplexed.

Definitely perplexed is the reaction I received when I joined a workout group and I mentioned I wasn’t able to access updates, tips, reminders, etc because I don’t use Facebook. That look came up. I apparently missed out on a lot of great sharing opportunities like before and after photos we were supposed to post.

No comment.

I apparently miss out on all sorts of great contest opportunities because I don’t have a Facebook account and can’t “like” the sponsor, which means I am unable to access the site, which means I can’t enter to win a —-.

Sounds like discrimination to me.

Have I ever been on Facebook? Of course. For about as long as it took to realize I don’t want to receive updates about what someone had for breakfast, what new cute pics of their pet, baby, car, etc looks like, where they went and what they did.

I get Christmas letters for that information-minus the breakfast updates.

Apparently as a writer I should consider how my social media presence suffers due to no one knowing about me due to not having a Facebook account.

Wait–you’re reading this. That means you are learning about me. That works.

“Well, there are lots of reasons.”

I’m glad you asked why I don’t Facebook–

BtW: it’s now word that is a noun and a verb, moving into the anthimeria category (Word Nerd plug).

Here are a few reasons for not doing Facebook:

1. Time commitment.

2. Boring, inane, irrelevant information.

3. How many friends can a person actually have, need, realistically claim?

4. I blog.

5. I embarrass easily.

6. Privacy issues. Even the Woz agrees.

7. I enjoy a certain anonymity.

8. If I wanted my high school friends to find me I can go to my high school reunions. (I haven’t gone to any of them–my mother has though–that’s a different post).

9. It’s overrated. I don’t do sushi either. Same principle.

10. Because.

Where are you in the Facebook issue?

Are you against it?

Have an account?

Have an account, but want to close it?

Love it?

Hate it?

Wonder what the fuss is all about?

Posted in humor, Reflections, technology and tagged ,
17 May 2019
11 Comments

Bookish Thoughts: Skimming versus Deep Reading


In addition to my monthly posts of Word Nerd Confessions, Reader Round Ups, Why We Say, and Debatables, I’ve decided to chime in thoughts about book issues. This month deals with how electronic text has created the dilemma of skimming.

This is not a post so much about being pro or con towards e-readers, although I always request paper instead of electronic when request a review copy. From that you can surmise my stance.

Dog gone it—my attention span is in the dog house

Instead, I’m more concerned with how electronic reading has transformed overall reading habits. I’m not the only one either.

Maryanne Wolf , the Director of the Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice at UCLA, is the author of Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World. In an article from The Guardian (8/25/18), Wolf discusses research findings that indicate how the essential skill of “deep reading” might become jeopardized as electronic reading becomes more of the normal. Basically, if we don’t use it, we lose it.

Further studies indicate the increasing reluctance of university students to dive in and tackle older texts due to impatience with sifting through older syntax style and stiff vocabulary of authors from yesteryear. It takes work to read older books. True that. It’s just like losing the ability to climb three flights of stairs if one always takes the elevator.

Wolf‘s research also indicates that the damage to reading deeply can begin as early as fourth grade. This interprets as soon as students begin to read they are at an disadvantage due to the push to put electronics into their hands. Not having the ability to develop an appreciation or skill for deep reading means future readers have the potential of never gaining insights into more complicated texts such as Emerson, Proust, Bronte and a larger cadre of other pre-info bite writers.

Scary.

What is happening is a style of reading known as “skimming” which is scanning sections of texts in a pattern, such as a Z, to absorb information. I’m thinking of the Evelyn Wood Reading Dynamics course I had to take in summer school once upon a junior high year. Speed reading is what it went by in most circles. It admittedly came in handy. Skimming seems to be the rebrand.

Skimming does not sound like something Wolf promotes. She admits her attention span for reading complicated texts has diminished. With some personal introspection I realize I rarely sit and study a text or read a book like I used to. I still read a lot of books but solidly with deep satisfying comprehension? Not so much. This blog is an example. I put aside a really great book to write up these thoughts. Why?

I think issue of distractable reading has evolved as a deplorable habit. I bounce in and out of newsfeeds and sound bite updates and have lost sustainable attention span.

Solution?

For one, I will become more conscious of how long I read and keep my phone across the room. Reading and texting are not companionable. Distracted reading is not life threatening but it is concerning.

Skimming. Anyone else found this to be an issue in their reading habits?

Posted in Reading, Reflections, technology and tagged , ,
10 May 2019
5 Comments

Why We Say: A Twist on Past Words


Language is fluid. It can start out with one meaning and morph into another definition over time. Here’s a batch of words that have come into their own meaning through the advent of social media:

Tagging, traffic, fan, wall, hacking, search, viral, link, ping, feed, alert, tweet, are just a few. Here are a few others that have changed:

Troll

Past: a large nasty creature who hung out under bridges. Sometimes a word used with fishing.

Now: Someone who pokes around online and stirs up responses.

Spam

Past: pinkish spongy mystery meat squished into a can.

Now: Unwanted, annoying messages that arrive through email or even as texts.

Friend

Past: a chosen companion who shared common interests.

Now: a button-click indicating a degree of superficial commitment.

Like

Past: a preference signifying a degree of indication of favor.

Now: a click response of rating that operates as a indicator of popularity.

Post

Past: to send a written communication through the postal service

Now: a written communication sent through social media most likely as a blog (a neoplasm and a separate post).

What words have you seen come into existence or change due to the influence of social media?

Posted in Expressions, humor, Reflections, technology and tagged , ,
30 Sep 2018
6 Comments

Update, Upweight


Like most iPhoners I pushed through the latest update. For my thanks of being dutiful to serving the needs of technology my smart(ypants) phone informed me this morning I had averaged 13 minutes of screen time last week.

Excuse me?

Hostility bristled with embarrassment at this information, reminding me of the time our garbage can got knocked over and the neighborhood became privy to all we consumed in our household. The garbage can is now housed in the garage and we take our refuse to the dump ourselves, thank you very much. And the screen time feature is now deleted off my phone, thank you very much.

I realize my privacy is not as sacred as it once was, especially since I caved in and switched over from my flip phone to an iPhone. I would probably still have a flip phone if one of the progeny hadn’t convinced me to sign up to a family plan that included free phones and has a rate so low that nobody, but absolutely nobody can touch. One salesperson thinking he could convince to switch plans, that he improve our rate, paled when he saw how low our plan was and gave me the free earbuds incentive anyway.

I fear we are forever tied to our carrier. On the bright side it gives my kids a reason to talk to me now and then when something comes up about our plan–like can they have the free upgrade. After all, I don’t really use the device. At least not like they do.

‘Tis true.

When I do look over my phone bill I see I hardly use my minutes. I text occasionally. My phone calls involve quick reconnecting: “A couple of errands and then home.” My binge is maybe once a month being on the listening side of a conversation with one of the kids as we catch up on life in one info load, rather than chit chat spread over the days of that month.

My phone is primarily an extension of my laptop. I create lesson plans and school-related documents, grade assignments, correspond, and sometimes write non-school stuff. Like my blog posts.

I am coming to terms with my phone. I resent how it knows so much about me, yet I really like the instantness it provides. Weather, coupons, restaurant locations, definitions, an entertaining YouTube are all a click and thumb swipe away.

There is a constant remiss argument that rumbles within: I do miss flip phones. I do like instant access. However, I do not like how smart alecky my phone has become. Flip phones may not have been that smart but they sure knew how to keep dumb about my business.

I am resigned–I will remain tied to my iPhone, *sigh*–yet, I keep my old flip phone and reminisce. It was so pretty and it had an actually keyboard and didn’t try to autocorrect when I didn’t need it to. It was lighter in so many ways. The weight of the new update is indeed pondersome.

Posted in humor, Reflections, technology and tagged , ,
08 Oct 2016
11 Comments

Paper or Plastic?


“I would rather have a hard copy, if that’s okay.” This is from a new AP recruit wanting the summer reading text How to read Literature Like a Professor in book format rather than the PDF version I found on-line. Curious, I asked why. Her response? She had difficulty connecting with the on-screen type. Not what I expected from eyes way younger than mine. I, of course spout off about how much I prefer hard copies to e-copies as well because of my need to connect sensory-wise and as I’m talking, I’m flipping pages and smelling them and listening to them and when I finally notice my student nodding and edging toward the door, like she’d really like to leave because I’m a looney lady (more than one student has commented on me being a bit crazy), I hand over the book and wish her a great summer.

I am a looney lady when it comes to books–hence the Book Booster thing I do. Books aren’t just a pasttime or a channel of information, they are an introduction. Ahem, a new quote from moi:

A book in hand is a friendship in the making.

Beyond making a new friend, there is joy, a celebration of the senses holding a book in hand. I’m talking honest to goodness REAL paper-in-hand book. I do so enjoy paper, maybe that’s why I always answer “paper” instead of “plastic” at the store. Perhaps it’s because paper comes from trees and trees come from the earth and holding a book bound in paper produces more connection to the world around me.  I have little or no sensory connection to my plastic e-reader even though it’s a book in hand.  Oh oh–I feel the looney lady coming on and before I go on about trees, books and their connection to the world and mankind, here is my list of reasons for preferring a book of paper when reading:

1. Smell: that inky pungency stimulates my imagination to anticipation

2. Hearing: the flip-swish of pages signifies my involvement and commitment and helps me to further escape

3. Taste: no, I don’t lick the book, but reading a paper book whets my appetite for setting aside time to open up the pages to fall into another time, another place, another person’s story

4. Touch: there has got to be a study out there concerning the connection between the tactile aspect of reading and brain synapse when communing with a book–I am so much more involved when I am holding the book instead of just listening to it by audio or thumbing up a new screen. Think about this: glass does not conduct electricity, which means no synapse boost. Plus, when I see my book lying on the bed, table, chair it beckons me to pick it up, so there must be a some kind of magnetism involved.

5. Visual: perhaps the most notable because of the cover has all those colors and interesting bits to feed my eyes and mind, and then, of course, there all those illustrations and photographs and drawings sometimes waiting inside.

I’ve shown this video before, yet it definitely illustrates the visual appeal of books.

Reading is definitely a sensory experience for me.  What about you?  Paper or plastic?

Posted in Blogging, education, Reading, Reflections, technology, Uncategorized and tagged , ,
21 Jun 2015
5 Comments

The Write Sites or Sites for Reader Ayes


Sampling new websites is as delicious as the free tray at the local chocolatier. Hope you discover some new morsels on this tray, or enjoy a familiar flavor. Here are a few sites catering to readers and writers alike.

http://www.bookish.com
A site founded by publishers who blend together industry news, interviews, reviews, and articles. Look for insights about new and favorite books and authors. There are also interesting articles by authors, such as James Dashner’s opinion of what books became the best film adaptations.

http://www.issuu.com
Looking for something to read? Or perhaps looking to publish something you’ve written? Check out this site to read or upload material.

http://www.quora.com
Got a question and can’t find it by Googling? I discovered Quora in this manner. I wanted to find out how many time Jane Eyre mentions “dear reader” to add to my lesson plan about the use of archaic point-of-view. Eventually someone from Quora took up the challrnge and came up with the answer: 37. Since then I’ve gotten involved in answering more questions than asking them. I even have three followers and have earned over 1000 credits. I don’t think Macy’s accepts Quora credits yet.

http://www.goodticklebrain.com
If your thirst for Shakespeare ranges between the serious and the silly–then this site is only a click away. It professes to be “an eclectic collection of mostly Shakespeare-related comics and other miscellany.” It pops out Bard bits on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

http://www.thereadingroom.com
There are scads of sites which provide reading recommendations, reviews, news, and other bibliophilic needs–yet The Reading Room has the best ever quizzes. They are fun, annoying, illuminating and are great blog fillers. Try this one “What Literary Place Are You?”  *disclaimer: results vary with each participant (New York!?! I shudder at living in such a metro place).

Posted in Books, technology, Writing and tagged , ,
30 Mar 2015
5 Comments

Blog Spotlight: Paperback Princess


The Paperback Princess

I read a lot of books

 

I appreciate unabashed Book Boosters. This is one reason I took to following Paperback Princess. She sometimes laments her inability to resist buying books. A recent post of hers highlights that this is indeed a concern she will have to attend to due to bookshelf space. Too many books is not the same thing as having too many shoes. Books never go out of style. Well, maybe Valley of the Dolls, but everyone has their own preferences for reading material.

Dear Princess–adding books to your bulging shelves is an admirable dilemma. It’s enviable. Making room in your life for knowledge, adventure, new friends and old friends is delightful in my perspective. You will never be lonely!

PP also provides wondrous book suggestions and reviews. Plus, she is a conversant commenter, which a blogger always appreciates. I’m taking liberties and borrowing a part of her fabulous TBR <a title="list" href="https:// Read more…

Posted in Blogging, Libraries, Reading, Reflections, technology, Writing and tagged , , ,
25 Mar 2015
10 Comments

Handily Written: A Lost Art?


Another TBR item has floated up to my attention. This one is dated December 2012 from the Wall Street Journal. Actually, I did read it, but kept it because it so resonated with me. “The Lost Art of the Handwritten Note.”

a handwritten letter is indeed becoming a rare commodity image: jppi/morguefile

 

I remember my elementary day struggle of learning to write cursive, and to this day my cursive is problematic. My students are continually asking me, “What does this word say?” when I hand back their work. I wish I could tell them.

Cursive is getting kicked to the curb these days. I wish it wouldn’t. I wish I had lovely handwriting. My mother has beautiful handwriting and it hasn’t changed in its precise simplicity in all the years I’ve known her. She laments, though, how she approaches her late eighties that she can’t write like she used to, blaming it on various ailments like arthritis and eyesight. I encourage her to keep up on her keyboarding. Emails and texts are great for instant communication, and yet I still appreciate receiving her snail mail as there is something truly lovely about receiving a handwritten letter.

The article’s author, Philip Hensher, starts out asking a rather private question: how many Christmas letters did I send out and how many did I receive. The MEPA keeps track of those statistics, and lets me know each year we receive less, so he sends out less. We usually get into a bit of a discussion of “Well, maybe we should keep sending them out in good faith” versus “Cross ’em off.” There are no easy answers or solutions on the Christmas card questions, which is not the point of Hensher’s opening lines. He simply is nudging the reader to remember the last time receiving an actual letter that contained a handwritten missive in a personally addressed envelope. Hmm, I’ll have to ponder on that. Beyond Mom, the only actual mail I receive at the PO box are bills or ad flyers. None are handwritten..

Hensher briefly covers the practice of handwriting and its implications for career placement and personality detection, along with its ability to bridge direct and intimate communications between people. A pause. Here I reflect on those moments in books and film where a letter plays an important part of the plot. Cyrano’s letters to Roxane are practically one of the leading characters of Rostand’s play. What about William’s group letter to his lovely “mark” in Knight’s Tale? Perhaps this is why tomes of correspondence remain popular reading items. Although I think it’s only polite to read someone’s letters if deemed permissible. I did turn away from reading Willa Cather’s letters, once I found out she never wanted them published. It seemed voyeuristic.

I have inherited a hefty box of letters from my great aunt, affectionately known as Auntie. These represent her time spent in New York when she attended the Julliard Institute on scholarship back in the heydays of the twenties. She wrote once, sometimes twice, a day to her mother back in Seattle. No handy telephone calls and definitely no Twitter communique in the twenties. She later traveled all around Europe on tour and penned her insights and reflections upon the changes the Fuhrer created upon the landscape. I began the arduous process of typing out her letters with the idea of creating a memoir of New York in the days of yesteryear since she gave such amazing detail. This might become a retirement project. Her handwriting is so fine and spidery it wears on my eyes and fingers to decipher them. There is also the fact that something is lost when transforming them from the loops and scrawls to the neat precision of typing. Now and then I will peruse them. Mostly I derive pleasure they are sitting in the box on my closet shelf. They are a bit of history and a bit of treasure.

 

Readers: Do you have a few treasured handwritten letters? What makes them so special?

 

Posted in education, Family, Reflections, technology, Writing and tagged , ,

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