Tech Funnies and Rampaging Felines

Today's Sunday comics really hit home in a couple of ways, specifically in the technology department. My wife has been traveling the country teaching classes for Charles Schwab (she's a legal advisor) which involves her being away for the weekday (which sucks), back on the weekends (which I like) and they give her gifts for all the hard work that she does for them. Last year, they gave her a choice of some items and she chose an iPod mini, which has become one of her favorite possessions. This year, since she already had one, she elected to get another for me. Turns out that the edition they're currently giving away is an iPod Photo, which is sort of an upgrade (ya think?), but there is no iPod jealousy in our household. So, back from her first leg of the summer tour, she brings this crazy thing along with the news that she's lost her cel phone. Since we're on the same plan, when she got a replacement phone, I needed to as well. Now, I was happy with my old Sony dinosaur and had just figured out how to use it. So the past weekend, I've been up to my armpits in operating manuals trying to sludge through all of this new technology (however fun).

Which brings me to "Zits", where Jeremy is intensely following the status of his iPod as it is shipped from the manufacturers to his home. Anyone who has ever tracked a package via the internet can relate; it's the 21st century equivalent of "are we there yet?"

"Pearls Before Swine" hit upon something that I've considered lately: how technology has put up more borders between us as it also connects us in global fashion. Hell, with some folks you can't even send an e-mail without an auto-response that asks you to go through a registration in order to cut down on spam, a shameful necessity in this day and age. The opaque sphere that rat's talking about can't be far off!

And I've been meaning to give a shout-out for Jeff Harris' back panel kids comic called "Shortcuts". Besides being entertaining, it's also illuminating, which is a lot more than most strips can say. Its little quirks, such as the "sponsorship" by celebrities and the puns emitted by its Sebastian-like hermit crab, are groan-inspiring, but addictive as all get-out.

And with visions of cats, dogs and pecking birds fresh in my head from "For Better Or For Worse", it's time for me to go and give the cat a bath. If you don't see a posting tomorrow, pray for a speedy recovery. (For me, not the cat.)