For teens, e-mail may be snail mail

When it comes to contacting each other, youths are now opting for more instant alternatives, new statistics show

By Sharon Noguchi

When she gets home from school, 14-year-old Jennica Paho of San Jose switches on the computer and goes to www.MySpace.com. “It’s very exciting to get new pictures, comments and new friend requests” on the social networking site, she said.

What she doesn’t do is check or send e-mail.

For those of you who have just figured out how to zap spam or manage
your inbox, prepare for the bad news: E-mail is, like, so yesterday.

New statistics show that, for the first time, teen e-mail use is dropping — apparently in favor of more “instant” alternatives.

“It’s too complicated to send e-mail,” Jennica said. “I have to go in and type it, and send it, then wait for a reply.”

Ah. No wonder adults like Cindy Nelson of Palo Alto are frustrated.
Nelson organizes a high school dance team, whose members all have
e-mail. But “it really doesn’t work for communicating with the kids,”
she said.

To relay urgent information such as changes in performance time, she
calls a parent — because teens like Jennica are too busy
instant-messaging or commenting on MySpace. Or, if they’re like 60
percent of American teens, they have a cell phone and are calling or
text messaging on the mobile.

Like instant messages, text messages pop up immediately, and with a
few deft strokes the receiver can reply right away. “E-mail is more
like snail mail. You don’t know when they’re going to get it,” said
Alex Stikeleather, 17, of Palo Alto.

Since February, teen e-mail use nationwide has been dropping
compared to a year earlier. In April, it was down 8 percent — 11.8
million users compared to 12.8 million users in April 2005, according
to comScore Media Metrix. Even though the average time spent online by
teens increased 11.6 percent from April 2005, to 22.5 hours a month,
time on Web mail declined 9 percent.

By contrast, general e-mail users are increasing, growing 6 percent in April over a year earlier.

Even instant messaging, while popular, is slowing, comScore’s
surveys show. Total IM users increased only 1 percent, while the number
of teen users declined 8 percent — in part, some experts say, because
of the rise of MySpace, which allows users to send comments and
messages to each other.

During the same period, MySpace users multiplied from 3 million to 7.8 million.

E-mail may not be dying, at least not yet, but teen Internet habits
will continue to change the electronic landscape as they become adults.
Younger employees instant-message while at work, said Michael Wood,
vice president of Teen Research Unlimited in Chicago.

“It’s an issue lots of employers are having to deal with,” he said.
“The concept of always staying connected with their friends — they’re
going to take that with them” as they grow older.

Of course, e-mail providers are not ignoring the trend. Yahoo, for
instance, is testing its Yahoo 360, a self-publishing service that
allows users to blog, share photos and post music reviews, similar to
what MySpace users can do. “What’s important is giving people more ways
to communicate,” Yahoo spokeswoman Meagan Busath said.

And communicating — with lots of people, even if it’s a “Hi, watsup?” — is what it is all about.

“The more friends you have, the more cool you are,” said Aston
Carney, 11, of San Jose. He has accumulated 81 “friends” — people who
can contact him online — in the month and a half since he started
using MySpace.

Not that teens ignore e-mail totally. In Robert Wright’s math class
at Morrill Middle School in San Jose, all but one of 31 seventh-graders
last week said they had e-mail accounts, but several got them just to
sign up for MySpace, which requires an e-mail address. Most do not
check it more than once a week. It will be even less once school lets
out and they do not need to search for homework assignments, they said.

But text messaging is likely to increase while school is out. Gunn
High School senior Haggai Dziesietnik, 18, said he sends and gets about
280 text messages a day, but in one three-day weekend at Tahoe, he
logged about 4,000.

Technology can really help one’s social life, students said. “If I
see a girl I like, I can just message her,” said Aldrin Rijalde, 13, of
San Jose. “You don’t have to get nervous. And you can think as long as
you like.”

Of course, you can do that in a letter, too.

But it seems those traditional forms of communication are reserved
for dealing with adults. Said Fatima Santos, 12, of San Jose: “It’s
just too weird to communicate with your parents on MySpace.”

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/state/14847745.htm

[tags]news,email,e-mail,teens,snail mail,mail,IM,new generation[tags]

June 25, 2006 | Filed Under General World, Net News | 10 Comments 

JOKE : F.B.I

Hey all…
    Heres a cool joke for you :) Enjoy :)

The phone rings at FBI headquarters. “Hello?”

“I’m calling to report my neighbor. He is hiding marijuana inside his firewood.”

“Thank you very much for the call, sir.”

The
next day, FBI agents descend on the neighbor’s house. They search the
shed where the firewood is kept. Using axes, they bust open every piece
of wood, but find no marijuana. They swear at the neighbors and leave.

The phone rings at the neighbors house. Hey, Adrian, did the FBI come?” “Yep.”

“Did they chop your firewood?” “Yep.”

“Great, now it’s your turn to call. I need my garden plowed.”

 :) :) :) :D :D :D :D


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Technorati Tags: , , ,

June 22, 2006 | Filed Under Humour | Leave a Comment 

“Fatwa against Vande Mataram” A report…

Friends, Webizens, Countrymen…
       Now, the Indian Muslim Chiefs have gone TOO far! I was never in favour of their policies or stands on different issues. But, since my relegion teaches relegious tolerence, I tried to accomodate them. They started off with raising the issue of Tennis star Sania Mirza wearing miniskirts while playing tennis!!! Yeesh! What else should she wear? A sari?

    Now, they are out to prove they are not even Indian! They have issued a fatwa(a relegious rule) against the reciting of Vande Mataram!!!! :o This National Song of India, by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, is sung by all, and is enjoyed. The verses form beautiful couplets on nature, freedom, and beauty. The utopian muslim leaders are saying that the lines portray against their relegion (I say BULLS**T!)

    Even THINKING of such a thing should result in the SOB muslim leader being beheaded. And they have gone even more far! They went on to order muslim parents NOT to send their children to a school where Vande Mataram was sung! To betray the country is one thing, but denying basic education is a crime by itself, mentioned in the Constitution.

VANDE MATARAM LYRICS
ORIGINAL
ENGLISH TRANSLATION

vande maataraM
sujalaaM suphalaaM malayaja shiitalaaM
sasyashyaamalaaM maataraM ||

shubhrajyotsnaa pulakitayaaminiiM
pullakusumita drumadala shobhiniiM
suhaasiniiM sumadhura bhaashhiNiiM
sukhadaaM varadaaM maataraM ||

koTi koTi kaNTha kalakalaninaada karaale
koTi koTi bhujai.rdhR^itakharakaravaale
abalaa keno maa eto bale
bahubaladhaariNiiM namaami taariNiiM
ripudalavaariNiiM maataraM ||

tumi vidyaa tumi dharma
tumi hR^idi tumi marma
tvaM hi praaNaaH shariire

baahute tumi maa shakti
hR^idaye tumi maa bhakti
tomaara i pratimaa gaDi
mandire mandire ||

tvaM hi durgaa dashapraharaNadhaariNii
kamalaa kamaladala vihaariNii
vaaNii vidyaadaayinii namaami tvaaM

namaami kamalaaM amalaaM atulaaM
sujalaaM suphalaaM maataraM ||

shyaamalaaM saralaaM susmitaaM bhuushhitaaM
dharaNiiM bharaNiiM maataraM ||

Mother, I bow to thee!
Rich with thy hurrying streams,
bright with orchard gleams,
Cool with thy winds of delight,
Dark fields waving Mother of might,
Mother free.

Glory of moonlight dreams,
Over thy branches and lordly streams,
Clad in thy blossoming trees,
Mother, giver of ease
Laughing low and sweet!
Mother I kiss thy feet,
Speaker sweet and low!
Mother, to thee I bow.

Who hath said thou art weak in thy lands
When the sword flesh out in the seventy million hands
And seventy million voices roar
Thy dreadful name from shore to shore?
With many strengths who art mighty and stored,
To thee I call Mother and Lord!
Though who savest, arise and save!
To her I cry who ever her foeman drove
Back from plain and Sea
And shook herself free.

Thou art wisdom, thou art law,
Thou art heart, our soul, our breath
Though art love divine, the awe
In our hearts that conquers death.
Thine the strength that nervs the arm,
Thine the beauty, thine the charm.
Every image made divine
In our temples is but thine.

Thou art Durga, Lady and Queen,
With her hands that strike and her
swords of sheen,
Thou art Lakshmi lotus-throned,
And the Muse a hundred-toned,
Pure and perfect without peer,
Mother lend thine ear,
Rich with thy hurrying streams,
Bright with thy orchard gleems,
Dark of hue O candid-fair

In thy soul, with jewelled hair
And thy glorious smile divine,
Lovilest of all earthly lands,
Showering wealth from well-stored hands!
Mother, mother mine!
Mother sweet, I bow to thee,

Mother great and free!

    Thats the Vande Mataram. But I cant see what is outrightly troubling the muslim clerics.

    The controversy with the National Song is not new. Even progressive Muslims feel that the words Vande Mataram are against the teachings of Islam where Allah is supreme and no one else, not even the Motherland. : CNN

    You gotta be kidding me!!! They are denying poor kids their basic education because they BELIEVE that Allah said that He was the supreme God! How C-R-A-Z-Y can you get? Puh-leeze! Did Krishna ever say “Worship me! I’m the greatest!”? Did Jesus ever decalre “Do not worship anyone else! I’m the best!” ? Did Buddha ever pronounce “Nobody else is better than me! I’m the best! I’m the best!” ?

    Similarly, I believe that Allah NEVER said such a thing. I believe that this is all made up bullsh*t, just to earn a quick penny, by declaring to other countries that India is imposing laws on them! I believe that such asses of the community should be kicked out of the country, so that India improves. These goddamn asses are the only reason why India is not developing as fast as it should! Begone dirty muslim clerics! Let the people live in peace! Let the muslims be free of your fu**ass attitude!

    Is India really independant? NO! Its constrained by these idiots, and bigger idiots named politicians! Join hands people! We need peace, not war!!!!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Technorati Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

June 10, 2006 | Filed Under Action Alert, General World, Utopia | 7 Comments 

Sweet Home Alabama

    The National Transportation Safety Board recently divulged they had covertly funded a project with the US auto makers for the past five years, whereby the auto makers were installing black boxes in four-wheel drive pickup trucks in an effort to determine, in fatal accidents, the circumstances in the last 15 seconds before the crash.

They were surprised to find in 49 of the 50 states the last words of drivers in 61.2 percent of fatal crashes were,

"Aarrgghh!!! Brake!!!"

Only the state of Alabama was different, where 89.3 percent of the final words were:

"Hey, hold my beer and watch this!"

June 9, 2006 | Filed Under Humour | Leave a Comment 

Greetings…

Good Evening, (It’s 8:50pm here!)

I’d like to say hi to everyone out there and wish you all well.
I feel privelidged to be made a writer on this established blog.  Many thanks to Mohan K.Pillai (or Neo Garfield) for giving me this status. :D

Thanks,
Snakebite

June 9, 2006 | Filed Under General World | Leave a Comment 

WE NEED YOU!!!!

Hello Dear Reader,
       In short, WE NEED YOU!!! :) Are you interested in blogging for BlogForPeace? Well, then WE NEED YOU!!!!

http://www.threeowls.co.uk/graphics/owl.gif

       Help us to blog. First, Sign up at Blog For Peace, then, send me an email to coolmohan@gmail.com saying that you’re interested in blogging. And immediately, your account will be given editor status.

http://orlando.metblogs.com/photos/unclesam.png

       So dear reader, if you’re interested in blogging, do contact us PRONTO!

Thanking You,
Mohan :)

June 8, 2006 | Filed Under Blog For Peace News | Leave a Comment 

Close
E-mail It
Socialized through Gregarious 41