Dear Wizard Nathan: My children were not exposed to computers or internet at all as I did not wish it. They grew up surrounded by books, art and the time to love. Childhood is not a thing to be rushed. The world was already spinning too fast and they could do without having to become a part of it at an early age. So, we enjoyed family life instead at a leisurely pace. I knew that in later school years, they would inevitably have to become familiar with the realm of computers. In a nutshell, computers and internet do serve a purpose. Revisions for Rutgers classes work, for example, is facilitated incredibly. Internet shopping is something completely new to us as well and we, as a family, are having a grand time with it. It means that we have come across products that we were shocked to discover still existed, while avoiding crowded stores, the idiots in charge of customer "disservice" centers, neurotic cashiers, clueless managers, impossibly-long checkout lines, along with wasted wear and tear on and expensive gas for the family car. This translates into more relaxed time together. Sadly, families are such temporary relationships. If more people, young and old, would face this reality, society would be functioning at a completely different level. Instead of being wired with every conceivable device which the simultaneously cunning and immensely-profiting media forces us to believe will produce a liberating effect, quite the opposite occurs. Individuals lose their privace completely. They become units of availability -- on call at any hour of the day or night through cell phones or e-mail. Again, the latest technologies can be of great benefit, but only when used wisely and when a logical balance is maintained. As always, there is hope. People are not stupid -- just, perhaps, more impressionable than is good for them. Good night to all! Mayissa Susanna
