One invention that most older people have been forced to adapt to is the cellular phone. Nearly everyone has one. And yet in the 10-15 years that cell phones have been around, another shift has come: texting.

I read an article in the most recent Wired Magazine called, “The Phone Call Is Dead – How text messaging is threatening (and preserving) the telephone conversation.” In it the author noticed a trend in his cell phone bills in recent years that many of us have probably seen as well. He found that his mobile phone minutes have been steadily decreasing while his text messaging usage was increasing.

According to Nielson, the average number of mobile phone calls we make is dropping every year after hitting a peak in 2007. And our calls are getting shorter: In 2005 they averaged 3 minutes in length; now they’re almost half that. We’re moving, in other words, towards a fascinating cultural transition: the death of the telephone call. This shift is particularly stark among the young. Some college students I know go days without talking into their smartphones at all. This generation doesn’t make phone calls, because everyone is in constant, lightweight contact in so many other ways: texting, chatting, and social-network messaging. And we don’t have just more options than we used to. We have better ones: These new forms of communication have exposed the fact that the voice call is badly designed. It deserves to die.

The author goes on to say how our culture chose to adapt to the text message because it’s a better method of communication. When we call someone, we’re interrupting them. It’s the phone equivalent of showing up at someone’s home unannounced and ringing their doorbell. We have no way of knowing if this is a good time to talk for them or not. The text message is less intrusive and more polite. Using our illustration above, it would be akin to slipping a note under someone’s door. They can read it and reply when it’s convenient to do so.

Alas, for those poor couples at the restaurant table across from me the other night, their world just keeps changing. Just about the time they get used to talking on cell phones in the car, along comes texting, DMs and Facebook. What’s next?

Just for fun, I put together a little poll to find out how you prefer to communicate. Choose one of the answers and then, if you want, let me know your thoughts on the future of communication in the comments below.

I grew up in the 80s, which weren’t perfect of course but still tame by comparison to today’s entertainment scene. MTV had just come on the scene and featured lots of big hair and cheesy music videos. Artists like Michael Jackson or Madonna pushed the envelope and caught flack for their “edginess.”

Today is a different story though. It seems every time I pull up a news page one artist or another is making headlines for setting the bar lower still with some racy music video or concert publicity stunt.

Lady Gaga, no stranger to controversy, released her latest music video on Tuesday for her song ‘Alejandro.’ It features Gaga dressed in a latex nun’s habit, sucking on rosary beads and at the center of a gay orgy dressed in a crucifix-emblazoned robe with a cross over her crotch.

Katy Perry (remember the one who “kissed a girl” and liked it?) made news when she publicly slammed Lady Gaga’s blasphemous video saying “Using blasphemy as entertainment is as cheap as a comedian telling a fart joke.” In the article I read about Katy’s issue with Gaga, the author added at the end in a humorous touch of irony, “The teaser for Katy Perry’s ‘California Gurls’ video, in which frosting shoots from her breasts, was also released Tuesday.”

Hello Pot? Yeah, this is Kettle. You do realize you’re black too, right?

And don’t even get me started about Miley Cyrus’ shenanigans. You would think that an artist that started off her career appealing to young kids as Hannah Montana and openly professes to be a Christian would hopefully display some restraint and at least think about the example she is setting for her fans.

But of course, Miley proved indeed that “nobody’s perfect” when she decided to release a rather risque music video for her latest song and then went on to further generate controversy with her extremely sensual bumping, grinding and fake-kissing in a couple of live shows in Britain and Spain.

But don’t worry parents, Miley helped set the record straight for all her young fans on her blog: “I just want to put an end to this right now and just say one thing to everyone out there making this performance such a big deal. GET OVER IT! NOTHING HAPPENED. THERE ARE WAYYYYYYY MORE IMPORTANT THINGS IN THE WORLD!”

So yeah, this is the world that I’m raising my two daughters to grow up in. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t scare the crap out of me. Sure, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry are setting new lows for what’s acceptable but where does it go from there? What will the “new low” be that the next artist sets? When Disney stars are bumping, grinding and almost-making-out on stage while their TV shows air on Disney every day, what will the next generation of kids entertainment look like? Where will it end? Will our world ever stand up and say Enough? Or are doomed to watch each generation try to out-do the last and push the envelope further still?

I don’t even know if I want to know the answers to those questions. I’m just a Dad to two little girls trying my best to raise them right in a world gone wrong.

So what do you do with all those cassettes of The Eagles sitting in your garage? Turn them into a necktie of course!

These Recycled Cassette Tape Neckties ties are made out of something called “sonic fabric” which is woven from 50% recorded audio cassette tape and 50% colored thread (his same “sonic fabric” is even used to create a sweet-looking fedora). Here’s the best part – since the ties are made out of recycled cassette tapes, the fabric is actually audible if you run a tape head over it! Although I wouldn’t advise trying to play your tie – play them backwards and you might hear “Satan…Satan…Satan…”

If you could have a sonic-fabric tie made out of one of your old cassette albums, which one would you choose?

This tongue-in-cheek ad campaign for the Swedish newspaper “Dagens Industri” disguised as a case study in the future of advertising pokes fun of the social media phenomenon.

There’s no doubt that there are tremendous benefits to be gained through social media tools. Some of my best business contacts, church connections and even friends have come through social networking sites. However, it’s easy for organizations to go overboard and get stranded at sea, desperately clinging to the sinking lifeboat of failed social media attempts (hey, I’m milking this metaphor for all it’s worth!).

I’ve had a number of opportunities lately to advise organizations (especially churches) about the best way to integrate social media into their brand. While I’m hardly an expert, I do have a few suggestions. The advice I give most frequently? DON’T DO IT!

• Don’t do social media just because everyone else is doing it. Remember what your mom used to say, “Just because all your friends jump off a bridge…”
• Don’t launch your social media efforts prematurely. Splash around in the kiddie pool before you take off your floaty and jump into the deep end.
• Don’t do it all. There are a lot of fish in the sea. Throwing a few lines out is good but if you have too many you’ll probably get your lines tangled.
• Don’t venture into social media without a well-thought-out strategy. It’s an awfully big ocean out there and it’s easy to get lost at sea. Think through your strategy before embarking into open waters.
• Don’t do social media if you’re looking for a miracle fix. Social media is a tool to help your organization communicate with your fans and followers. It’s not a silver bullet. Jumping on the social media boat will not instantly make you cool, hip or connected.
• Don’t do social media if you can’t do it well. The social media ocean is littered with the floating remains of abandoned Twitter profiles, under-utilized Facebook accounts and YouTube accounts with one video from 2007. If you don’t have the time or people to do it well, wait until you can.
• Don’t do it if you’re looking for instant results. With all the buzz about viral campaigns some people think that after their first Tweet they’ll instantly start an international sensation and the followers will come by the thousands. Not true. Growing your presence in the social media landscape takes time.

These are just a few reasons I advise people or organizations to hold off on social media. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge social media advocate and love when I see companies that utilize it well. I would just rather see more organizations that look before they leap. There’s already enough abandoned ships on the social media ocean.

What advice do you have for organizations looking to venture into social media?

In the movie, news anchor Howard Beale (played by Finch) delivered a speech railing against the media machine he was a part of.

We’ll tell you any sh*t you want to hear. We deal in illusions, man! None of it is true! But you people sit there day after day, night after night, all ages, colors, creeds. We’re all you know.

You’re beginning to believe the illusions we’re spinning here. You’re beginning to think that the tube is reality and that your own lives are unreal.

You do whatever the tube tells you.
You dress like the tube.
You eat like the tube.
You raise your children like the tube.
You even think like the tube.

This is mass madness — you maniacs! In God’s name you people are the real thing, WE are the illusion.

Here’s the full video of the speech from the movie (note: scattered profanities throughout the clip). Even though this movie was made over 30 years ago it holds frightening relevance to our media-saturated culture today.

Speech from the Movie “Network”

Pretty heavy stuff, isn’t it? While this film was made before the advent of the Internet you could just as easily replace the word “tube” with “the Internet” for an equally challenging rebuke.

What do you think…Has the Internet, blogging and social media made things better? Or are we in even more danger of losing our ability to think for ourselves?

In his acceptance speech, he thanked people for listening to his music, adding, “I don’t even care if you download it illegally, give it to your friends, I really don’t care.”

And that’s when the proverbial crap hit the fan.

You see, Keith Urban is signed to Capitol Records, member of the Recording Industry Association of America and sworn enemy to peer-to-peer sites like LimeWire, Rapidshare and BitTorrent. Turns out his handlers weren’t too thrilled at Mr. Urban’s suggestion to illegally download and share his music.

He later did some major backpedaling at what we could only imagine was the very firm suggestion of his label:

What I said came out nothing like I meant. I was referring to the old days when you’d buy a record, do a cassette tape and give it to your girlfriend, and then maybe she likes it and becomes a fan. For the record, I absolutely care about my music not being taken for free. But I love when people are passionate and want to turn friends on to music.

Hmmm, I don’t know Keith. I mean, it kinda did sound like you were ok with fans sharing your music illegally just so long as they listened to it. But what do I know?

Be honest (even anonymous if you must), when was the last time you downloaded or obtained a song illegally? (this includes a friend dumping some of their songs on a jump drive or letting you rip their CD)

This isn’t the first time that fringe “Christians” have gained media attention with outrageous and insensitive accusations – whether it’s the late Jerry Falwell blaming the ACLU, Abortionists, feminists, gays and lesbians for the September 11 attack or the radicals from Wesboro Baptist Church who picket at soldier’s funerals and claim that “God hates fags.”

For the vast majority of loving and Bible-believing Christians, these situations and remarks represent an extreme source of frustration. We work so hard to live out Christ’s message of grace and forgiveness in front of our neighbors and co-workers and then Pat Robertson makes comments that supports the stereotypes so many people have about Christians.

It only takes a relatively small number of people on the fringe to undermine the image and standing of the majority.

A Christian Response to Pat Robertson

Here are a few things to remember when things like this happen.

1. Carefully consider what you say when you respond. Calling Pat Robertson an idiot or moron (or worse) is a poor representation of God’s love and grace.
2. Remember, we’ve said plenty of stupid things ourselves – we’re often just as much of a monster as the one we’re pointing a finger at.
3. Sometimes, the best thing to say is…nothing.
4. Our best response as the church is to do what we already do so well – simply live out God’s message of love and grace in a way that dispels all doubt.  You can’t watch the news without hearing some story of how Christians are serving and helping in Haiti. We were already there before this tragedy and we’ll be there long after the news cameras have left.

It may only take a small number of people to undermine the image of the majority…but God’s love is so much bigger. Love demonstrated in deed is louder than a few fringe wackos.

**Update: Don Miller wrote an excellent article on this subject for Relevant Magazine – read it here.

“One truth that gives me a more grounded perspective on Pat Robertson is that he really doesn’t represent most conservatives. I come from a politically and religiously conservative family, and many, many of my friends are very conservative, and all of them would be in shock at Robertson’s statements. The media would have Robertson represent all Christians, or perhaps all conservatives, but the idea is absurd. It’s also important to let people know we think it’s absurd…” [read the rest of the article]

**Update 2: From a more satirical point of view, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune published a letter from Satan to evangelist Pat Robertson, responding to his comment that Haiti’s persistent troubles, including the earthquake, are due to a pact the nation made with Mephistopheles. You’ll laugh and cringe at the same time (ht: Scott for the link). [read "The Devil Writes Pat Robertson A Letter"]

We have an IMAX theater near us so I thought I would give the movie a fair shot and see it on the big screen. You’re immediately dropped into a story-line that doesn’t waste time on lots of back-story. The movie progresses and you’re slowly reeled in but it doesn’t really take off until your first glimpse of the Pandoran luminescent landscape at night. I leaned over to the people I was seeing the movie with and whispered, “I want to visit that planet!” It was simply breathtaking.

My big hesitation was how well 10-foot blue people with tails would come off. The Na’vi, as they’re called in the movie, take on a life of their own. For a movie that is 2/3 completely digital (created using computer animation) it’s amazing natural and realistic. The tall Na’vi look as natural and realistic as their live-action counterparts.

By the time the movie was over I realized that I had just watched what many are calling a new milestone for filmmaking. Up until now we’ve seen movies try to edge closer and closer to that digital frontier of animated realism. Some fall horribly short and wind up with animated people and creatures that just look creepy (Polar Express, Beowulf) while others have come so close (Gollum in Lord of the Rings). This is, in my opinion, the first movie to blend large portions of computer-generated footage with live action and successfully pull it off.

I’ve seen this movie twice already (in amazing IMAX 3d) and was blown away both times. My only gripe as a designer is Cameron’s use of the world’s ugliest and most over-used font, Papyrus, for the movie title and subtitles throughout the film (I got a chuckle out of “An Open Letter from Papyrus to James Cameron“). Seriously? With a virtually unlimited budget you couldn’t pick a better font than Papyrus? Deep breaths…

Overall, this movie has far exceeded my expectations. James Cameron in all of his genius has created a new world that filmmakers will be struggling to match for years to come (click here to read WIRED’s article on the film for a more detailed look at the new technology Cameron helped pioneer).

Have you seen the movie yet? What did you think?

This was her ideas of a rural home. It ain’t country until you have a horse and a red barn.

The suburbs…well, she pretty much nailed it. A bunch of houses that look exactly alike, a person walking her dog and a blue Hybrid jelly-bean car driving down the road.

When I saw her definition of urban living I realized that she might be just a little sheltered. According to her, if you don’t have a Justice, The Children’s Place, Bath & Body Works or Claires next to you, you’re not urban. Turns out you need to live in an Outlet mall to qualify as urban.

So tell me…where do you live?

Kicking it in the country?
Rocking the suburbs?
Or keepin’ it real under the city lights?

***by this point in my post I have already used the word “penis” three time (a new record for my blog) and have now doomed myself to showing up in the gutter of search engine results***

I immediately sent out a Tweet apologizing for my Twypo – a new word I coined by combining Twitter + Typo. That’s when I realized that there are tons of great word combinations out there just waiting to be made. Like Twam (Twitter + Spam – those stupid DMs you get on Twitter about teeth whitening) or Tweemail (Twitter + Email – for those annoying people who use Twitter like email).

What’s your favorite word combination that you’ve heard or made up?

Share your wordbination (word + combination) here…maybe we’ll help your fandamtastic word around!