text

As a college professor, I made a radical decision about a year ago: I banned smartphones and laptops during class. Honestly, I can’t compete with Facebook or an Internet flash sale or texts from friends. My students now take their notes the old-fashioned way with pen on paper. And it turns out that…

For someone with moderate to severe hearing loss, the smartphone is both savior and nemesis. I can’t imagine life without a smartphone, but I can imagine many ways that it could be better.

I used to have perfect hearing, although I could select what I didn’t want to hear. But now that I’m getting older, I am becoming more concerned about my hearing. I am also a recent cancer survivor, truly thankful for every day that I wake up.

Pity our poor necks, constantly bending forward for long periods as we read, text and play games on our smartphones, e-readers, iPads and other tech toys.

News, discoveries and fun ...

You may not be surprised to hear this, but while 18- to 29-year-olds are split about 50-50 on texting their parents (versus calling), three-quarters of their parents would rather talk on the phone than send texts back and forth.

At 53, Elena Kagan is the youngest justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. The oldest is Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who turned 80 on March 15. The average age of sitting justices is 67 years 4 months.