Virtual Sky
Querido Gregory
¡Feliz Navidad! Eres ahora el orgulloso propietario de un iPhone! Eres un buen y responsable chico de 13 años y que se merece este regalo. Pero con la aceptación de este presente viene normas y reglamentos. Por favor, lee el siguiente contrato. Espero que entiendas que es mi trabajo educarte en lo que se volverá un buen hombre joven y sano que puede funcionar en el mundo y convivir con la tecnología, no ser gobernado por ella. El incumplimiento de la siguiente lista resultará en la terminación de tu propiedad sobre el iPhone.
Te quiero con locura y espero compartir varios millones de mensajes de texto contigo en el futuro.
1. Es mi teléfono. Yo lo compré. Yo page por el. Te lo estoy prestando a ti. ¿No soy (la mejor mamá) (excelente) (buenísima onda) (la más grandiosa)?
2. Yo siempre voy a saber la contraseña.
3. Si suena, responde. Es un teléfono. Saluda, usa tus modales. No vuelvas nunca a hacer caso omiso de una llamada de teléfono si la pantalla dice “mamá” o “papá”.
4. Entregaras el teléfono a uno de tus padres a las 7:30 pm cada noche de la escuela y todas las noches de fin de semana a las 9:00 pm. Se apagara por la noche y se prendera de nuevo a las 7:30 am. Si no quieres llamar a alguien por su teléfono normal por que quieres evitar que sus padres respondan entonces tampoco le llames por celular o le mandes mensajes de texto. Escucha a esos instintos y respeta a las demás familias como nos gustaría que nos respetaran.
5. El teléfono no ira a la escuela contigo. Aprende a tener una conversación en persona con la gente que te mandas mensajes de texto. Es una habilidad vital. * Dias a la mitad, excursiones y actividades después de clases requerirá una consideración especial.
6. Si cae en el inodoro, se estrella en el suelo, o se desvanece en el aire, tu serás responsable de los costos de reemplazo o reparaciones. Asi que guarda algo de tu dinero que ganaras de cortar el césped, cuidar a los niños, etc… Porque va a pasar, y debes estar preparado.
7. No uses esta tecnología para mentir, engañar o avergonzar a otro ser humano. No te involucres en conversaciones que son dañinas para los demás. Se un buen amigo siempre y alejate de conversaciones donde puedas ser victima.
8. No mandes mensajes de texto, correo electrónico, o digas cualquier cosa a través de este dispositivo que no seas capaz de decir en persona.
9. No mandes mensajes de texto, correo electrónico, o digas algo a alguien que no dirías en voz alta con sus padres presentes. Censurate ti mismo.
10. No porno. Utiliza la Web para buscar información que abiertamente compartirías conmigo. Si tienes una pregunta acerca de cualquier cosa, preguntale a una persona - de preferencia a mí o a tu padre.
11. Apágalo, ponlo en modo silencioso, ó guardalo en público. Especialmente en un restaurante, en el cine, o al hablar con otro ser humano. No eres una persona grosera, no permitas que el teléfono cambie eso.
12. No envíes o recibas imágenes de tus partes íntimas o las de alguien mas. No es de risa. Algún día te verás tentado a hacer esto a pesar de tu gran inteligencia. Es arriesgado y podría arruinar tu adolescencia / universidad / vida adulta. Esto es siempre una mala idea. El ciberespacio es vasto y más poderoso que tú. Y es difícil hacer algo de esta magnitud desaparecer - incluyendo una mala reputación.
13. No tomes millones de imágenes y videos. No hay necesidad de documentar todo. Vive tus experiencias. Se almacenarán en tu memoria para la eternidad.
14. Deja tu teléfono en casa algunas veces y sientete seguro en esa decisión. No está vivo ni es una extensión de ti. Aprender a vivir sin el. Debes ser más grande y más poderoso que ¨el miedo de perderse de algo¨.
15. Descarga música que sea nueva o clásica o diferente a lo que tus millones de compañeros escuchan y que es exactamente lo mismo. Tu generación tiene acceso a la música como nunca antes en la historia. Aproveche ese regalo. Amplía tus horizontes.
16. Juega un juego de palabras o rompecabezas o acertijos de vez en cuando.
17. Manten tus ojos hacia arriba. Ve el mundo pasar a tu alrededor. Mira por la ventana. Escucha a los pájaros. Toma un paseo. Habla con gente nueva. Maravillate sin google.
18. Te vas a equivocar. Te quitaré tu teléfono. Vamos a sentarnos y hablar de ello. Vamos a empezar de nuevo. Tu y yo, estamos siempre aprendiendo. Somos del mismo equipo. Estamos en esto juntos.
Tengo la esperanza de que estes de acuerdo con estos términos. La mayoría de las lecciones enumeradas aquí no sólo se aplican a tu iPhone, sino para la vida. Estás creciendo en un mundo rápido y siempre cambiante. Es emocionante y atractivo. Manten las cosas sencillas siempre que puedas. Confía en tu poderosa mente y tu gran corazón por encima de cualquier máquina. Te quiero. Espero que disfrutes de tu nuevo iPhone. ¡Feliz Navidad!
xoxoxo
Mamá
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Gregory’s iPhone Contract | Janell Burley Hofmann
Dear Gregory
Merry Christmas! You are now the proud owner of an iPhone. Hot Damn! You are a good & responsible 13 year old boy and you deserve this gift. But with the acceptance of this present comes rules and regulations. Please read through the following contract. I hope that you understand it is my job to raise you into a well rounded, healthy young man that can function in the world and coexist with technology, not be ruled by it. Failure to comply with the following list will result in termination of your iPhone ownership.
I love you madly & look forward to sharing several million text messages with you in the days to come.
1. It is my phone. I bought it. I pay for it. I am loaning it to you. Aren’t I the greatest?
2. I will always know the password.
3. If it rings, answer it. It is a phone. Say hello, use your manners. Do not ever ignore a phone call if the screen reads “Mom” or “Dad”. Not ever.
4. Hand the phone to one of your parents promptly at 7:30pm every school night & every weekend night at 9:00pm. It will be shut off for the night and turned on again at 7:30am. If you would not make a call to someone’s land line, wherein their parents may answer first, then do not call or text. Listen to those instincts and respect other families like we would like to be respected.
5. It does not go to school with you. Have a conversation with the people you text in person. It’s a life skill. *Half days, field trips and after school activities will require special consideration.
6. If it falls into the toilet, smashes on the ground, or vanishes into thin air, you are responsible for the replacement costs or repairs. Mow a lawn, babysit, stash some birthday money. It will happen, you should be prepared.
7. Do not use this technology to lie, fool, or deceive another human being. Do not involve yourself in conversations that are hurtful to others. Be a good friend first or stay the hell out of the crossfire.
8. Do not text, email, or say anything through this device you would not say in person.
9. Do not text, email, or say anything to someone that you would not say out loud with their parents in the room. Censor yourself.
10. No porn. Search the web for information you would openly share with me. If you have a question about anything, ask a person – preferably me or your father.
11. Turn it off, silence it, put it away in public. Especially in a restaurant, at the movies, or while speaking with another human being. You are not a rude person; do not allow the iPhone to change that.
12. Do not send or receive pictures of your private parts or anyone else’s private parts. Don’t laugh. Someday you will be tempted to do this despite your high intelligence. It is risky and could ruin your teenage/college/adult life. It is always a bad idea. Cyberspace is vast and more powerful than you. And it is hard to make anything of this magnitude disappear – including a bad reputation.
13. Don’t take a zillion pictures and videos. There is no need to document everything. Live your experiences. They will be stored in your memory for eternity.
14. Leave your phone home sometimes and feel safe and secure in that decision. It is not alive or an extension of you. Learn to live without it. Be bigger and more powerful than FOMO – fear of missing out.
15. Download music that is new or classic or different than the millions of your peers that listen to the same exact stuff. Your generation has access to music like never before in history. Take advantage of that gift. Expand your horizons.
16. Play a game with words or puzzles or brain teasers every now and then.
17. Keep your eyes up. See the world happening around you. Stare out a window. Listen to the birds. Take a walk. Talk to a stranger. Wonder without googling.
18. You will mess up. I will take away your phone. We will sit down and talk about it. We will start over again. You & I, we are always learning. I am on your team. We are in this together.
It is my hope that you can agree to these terms. Most of the lessons listed here do not just apply to the iPhone, but to life. You are growing up in a fast and ever changing world. It is exciting and enticing. Keep it simple every chance you get. Trust your powerful mind and giant heart above any machine. I love you. I hope you enjoy your awesome new iPhone. Merry Christmas!
xoxoxo
Mom
(Source: janellburleyhofmann.com)
Make the most of this life.
“When my husband died, because he was so famous and known for not being a believer, many people would come up to me — it still sometimes happens — and ask me if Carl changed at the end & converted to a belief in an afterlife. They also frequently ask me if I think I will see him again. Carl faced his death with unflagging courage and never sought refuge in illusions. The tragedy was that we knew we would never see each other again. I don’t ever expect to be reunited with Carl. But, the great thing is that when we were together, for nearly twenty years, we lived with a vivid appreciation of how brief and precious life is. We never trivialized the meaning of death by pretending it was anything other than a final parting. Every single moment that we were alive and we were together was miraculous - not miraculous in the sense of inexplicable or supernatural. We knew we were beneficiaries of chance… That pure chance could be so generous and so kind… That we could find each other, as Carl wrote so beautifully in Cosmos, you know, in the vastness of space and the immensity of time… That we could be together for twenty years. That is something which sustains me and it’s much more meaningful… The way he treated me and the way I treated him, the way we took care of each other and our family, while he lived. That is so much more important than the idea I will see him someday. I don’t think I’ll ever see Carl again. But I saw him. We saw each other. We found each other in the cosmos, and that was wonderful.” Ann Druyan, about her husband Carl Sagan
¨The Watusi¨
Is a solo dance that enjoyed brief popularity during the early 1960s. Its name derives from the Watutsi tribe of Rwanda and Burundi.
The Orlons, a vocal quartet from Philadelphia, had the biggest hit of their career as recording artists with their recording of “The Wah-Watusi”.
In the classic Watusi, the dancer is almost stationary with knees slightly bent, although may move forward and back by one or two small rhythmic paces. The arms, with palms flat in line, are held almost straight, alternately flail up and down in the vertical. The head is kept in line with the upper torso but may bob slightly to accentuate the arm flailing. The dance, which became popular in the American surf/beach sub-culture of 1960s, may be enhanced if one imagines that one’s feet are on sand.
(Source: Wikipedia)
El mundo es tan exquisito, con tanto amor y profundidad moral, que no hay razón para engañarnos con bonitas historias para las que hay poca evidencia firme. Mucho mejor, me parece, desde nuestra vulnerabilidad, mirar a la muerte a los ojos y estar agradecidos todos los días por la oportunidad breve pero magnífica que la vida ofrece.
The World is so exquisite with so much love and moral depth, that there is no reason to deceive ourselves with pretty stories for which there´s little good evidence. Far better it seems to me, in our vulnerability, is to look death in the eye and to be grateful every day for the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides. Carl Sagan
