CATon

 

Are computers taking the place of paper?

By Matthew Visser

and my elementary school first:

got those brand new box-shaped
computers. You know, the ones that took
twenty minutes to start up and you had
to use floppy disks because there wasn’t
enough memory in the computer? Those
were dark times for the up and coming
technology world and even darker for the
impatient seven year olds who wanted to
use the computers. Looking at computers
now, some are so fast they can download
entire movies within minutes and store
more music, programs and games than
any person actually needs.

So how has the all this made
peoples’ lives better? For starters,
computers are making it easier to
communicate around the world with the
use of the internet. Students can now do
research easier than before (also with
the use of the internet) while they also
have given people the ability to store
information, pictures and make videos.
Parents are now able to let their children
play educational games too, while also
learning about the booming technology
era. But how does all this benefit us?

In a recent article I read in the Tri
City Newspaper, I read about the SD43
wanting to cut down paper consumption
by thirty percent. Now I think that this is
an amazing idea, as even I have killed at
least one tree this year already from all
my printing at Douglas. However, this
will probably put even more emphasis on
computers. I already spend so much of
my day in front of my laptop writing and
researching for school, which isn’t overly
good since I should probably be getting
my ass outside and exercising. But I have
deadlines to meet and unfortunately,
grades have to come before my cardio
workouts.

Now think about how students
of all ages have become dependent
on computers and the internet in

12

] remember back when I was seven

Thonn NARUTO

order to function with society.
Facebook, Wikipedia and Google have
become the biggest ways to waste time
and quickest methods to find answers
that, back in the day, would’ ve required
people to go to the library and read an
actual book in order to find out.

How is cutting down on paper
consumption going to help obesity,
or other physical issues people get
from being in front of a computer for
long periods of time? Or what about
penmanship and other simple writing
skills? Further encouraging laziness,
Microsoft Word fixes almost every
grammatical and spelling mistake a
person makes while using it. While
being able to work with a computer is
an important skill to have, considering
how dependent the word has become on
technology to make lives easier, its sad
people will continue to use the computer
more and a pen and paper less.

Having proper penmanship and
writing skills is as vital as knowing how
to cook. If the school system begins to
go this way, considering most schools
now have laptops for students to use and
learn from, then soon there will be no
need to use plain paper at all. From an
environmental perspective, this is great
for saving trees, but what about having
to power the computers? People can use
renewable resource to do this but is paper
not also a renewable resource? I still have
to print out my essays to edit them, as this
works better than merely reading off the
screen and this too uses paper.

Whether you’re a tree hugger or you
don’t give two craps about wasting paper,
this issue is equally relevant. I, for one,
hate typing while having to sit and look at
a computer screen. So next time you need
to write something, try grabbing a pen
and paper and use those skills we were all
taught as kids. After you’re done, make
sure you recycle the paper too. It’s really
that easy.

  

 

As bought by Jacey: Snuggies

‘As Seen on TV’ product evaluation

    
     

Jacey Gibb

opinions editor

h, the Snuggie. Aka a droopy,
O backwards house coat. Yes, in

case you’ve never seen one of
these things in person before, they’re
essentially what you'd get if a fat guy
stretched out your house coat and you
decided it would look cooler worn
backwards. One of the most popular ‘As
Seen on TV’ items, it only seemed natural
that the Snuggie would be one of the first
targets of my critiquing. Surprisingly
though, I don’t have many negative things
to say about it.

I originally got my Snuggie as a gag

gift from a friend several Christmases ago.

Of course my reaction was an eye rolling
and a question of ‘what am I supposed to
do with this thing’ but I was being naive.
Snuggies are the Pineapple Express of
the comfort-clothing world. They’re not
meant to be a bold fashion statement (and
they hopefully never will be); they’re kind
of like sweatpants for your body. I can
stay warm while watching a movie and
still be able to drink coffee at the same
time! Never again will I be forced to have

 

to compromise like a sucker between
warmth and caffeine.

Another way that the Snuggie one-
ups blankets is its mobility. You don’t
have to carry it or wrap it around you
toga-style because, hey, you’re wearing
it! The other day I was able to play a
successful game of beer pong while
wearing my Snuggie, thanks to its built-in
gripping technology. I’m sure I looked
like a dumb ass, but the comfort card
trumps all.

However, the infamous Snuggie for
Dogs variant is another story. I won’t get
into that though, but let me just say this:
really?

One minor flaw I have to point out
with the Snuggie though is its absence
of pockets. More than once I’ve gone
to put something in the Snuggie’s non-
existent pockets and have been met with
disappointment. If the creators made this
slight alteration, the Snuggie would have
it all.

Evaluation: A. My Snuggie has
definitely become my go-to comfort
attire, whether I’m studying for midterms
or partaking in the occasional game of
Slappers Only, this is an article of clothing
I can definitely snuggle up to.