Category Archives: Media & Culture

Women who regret being mothers

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Is “motherhood regret” the last great taboo? Every couple of years I come across an article about the phenomenon. From the BBC:

A 2023 study conducted in Poland estimated 5–14% of parents regret their decision to have children and would opt to be childfree if they had their time again.

Parents may not speak openly about regret, but they are finding community online. The Facebook group I Regret Having Children, which has 96,000 members. 

I guess you could say l’ve been collecting(?) these stories: Nikol Lohr on pregnancy; “He’d never wanted kids”; I Don’t Want Kids. While I’m more interested in the personal aspect of this trend, the global implications are… ominous? From Perplexity:

Global fertility has fallen from about 5 children per woman in the 1960s to roughly 2.2 today, and it is projected to drop to around replacement level (2.1) by mid‑century and below thereafter. This means population growth is slowing sharply, and the world is expected to peak at about 10.3 billion people in the mid‑2080s before starting a gradual decline.

Most countries in Europe, North America, East Asia, and parts of Latin America already have fertility well below replacement, with some (like South Korea, Italy, Spain, and China) near or below 1.2 children per woman. As their populations age and, in some cases, begin to shrink, they face pressure on pension systems, health care, and economic growth, and are debating pro‑natalist policies versus adapting to long‑term demographic contraction. Meanwhile, Africa still has higher fertility but is also on a downward trajectory, so the global long‑run trend is toward older, slower‑growing or even declining populations.

The most common items people leave behind in rental cars

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I love my old vehicles but anytime I have to go out of town and be certain of getting to my destination, I rent. The guys at Enterprise know and love me. While waiting to turn in my keys this morning one of the Enterprise kids was on the phone to someone who had left not one, but two garage door remotes in the rental. When he finished the call I asked what is the strangest thing he has found in a rental. Continue reading →

The demise of “Hometown Radio”

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Like a lot of small town radio stations, KBOA billed itself as “Hometown Radio.” And it was truly that. My father worked in small town radio for most of his career and I was lucky enough to be part of it for a dozen years (1972-1984).

I spent most of the next dozen years doing affiliate relations for a company that operated regional radio networks throughout the Midwest. It was during this time I witnessed the beginning of the end for small market radio. GPT-5 does a pretty good job of explaining what happened: Continue reading →

How to Surf the Web in 2025

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Editor’s Note: I’m sharing so much of this post because it’s all good and I don’t have the skill to adequately summarize. I encourage you to “surf” to the full post.

“Just as it’s still possible (though seldom necessary) to ride a horse, it is still possible to surf the internet. It’s a thrill not yet lost to time.

By “surfing the internet” I don’t just mean going online. I mean exploring the internet solely by following hyperlinks from page to page, with no clear destination except for that one wonderful, as-yet-unknown website that will amaze and enthrall you when you find it, the one that will seem like it’s been waiting for you your whole life and which you can’t get enough of.

To surf, you must begin on a normal website with outbound links, and avoid all the algorithm-driven thoroughfares (Reddit, YouTube, X, any “apps”) that direct most of today’s internet traffic. You also have to be on a real computer, not a phone. If you end up on social media, you’re no longer surfing.

Younger readers may not even know that the internet used to be made entirely of websites, created by human beings, connected only by hyperlinks. Hyperlinks served as signposts, hand-placed by other humans, to point fellow travelers to unique locations they would not otherwise have known about. There were no corporate-owned thoroughfares, just many pathways shooting off from each clearing, marked by these handmade signs, beckoning you onward to some other place in the wilderness.

This internet, of the late 90s to early 2000s, offered a completely different sensory and emotional experience than today’s. To switch metaphors slightly, the old web felt like an endless city of conjoined, wildly decorated apartments, to be traversed by climbing through little chutes and portals in their walls. Each one sent you straight to some other eccentric space, built by some other eccentric character, each with its own array of chutes radiating out from there.

Surfing through this structure was characterized feelings of wonder and abundance. Just beyond that next portal was possibly something you’ve never seen. You were zipping around the universe, discovering things you didn’t know were even a thing, and the universe was expanding.

This era ended when we weren’t looking. In 2018, I came across an article that gave me a lump in my throat. It was titled I Don’t Know How to Waste Time on the Internet Anymore by Dan Nosowitz. He described a moment in which he was bored at work, tried to surf the internet, and realized he didn’t know how to do that anymore.

I realized then that I didn’t either, and hadn’t for a long time. Our online behavior, by that point, had been captured by big platforms that initially served as portals into that endless ramshackle apartment complex, but had at some point became the entire visible landscape. To “go online”, instead of typing in your favorite websites (fark.com, Digg, LiveJournal) and leapfrogging from there, people started going to their “home” on Facebook or Reddit and ended up wherever they were pointed to, which was usually another place inside Facebook or Reddit. The ethos had become capture-and-retain, rather than swing-by-and-say-hi. Open-water internet navigation – surfing – quietly went away, as these platforms designed slicker and more magnetic engagement routines for us.

While it will never be a habit again for most people, you can still surf the internet. You can pick a website with a lot of outbound links (they do still exist) and follow your heart.”

Media: A defining layer of human identity

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The following is from Distrust That Particular Flavor, a collection of William Gibson’s articles, talks and book forwards.

“I belong to a generation of Americans who dimly recall the world prior to television. Many of us, I suspect, feel vaguely ashamed about this, as though the world before television was not quite, well, the world. The world before television equates with the world before the Net—the mass culture and the mechanisms of Information. And we are of the Net; to recall another mode of being is to admit to having once been something other than human.”

William Gibson is my go-to guy for the techno-future. As she always does, ChatGPT offered fascinating insights on “having once been something other than human.” Continue reading →

Early web influencers

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My blog clean-up project (ongoing) reminded me of these early-web influencers (for me). Some of these folks are still around but most are no longer the “stars” they were in the early days. Link to my posts below. (Descriptions by GPT 4o)

Visionaries, Theorists, and Futurists

  • Bruce Sterling – A science fiction writer and cyberpunk pioneer who explored the social and cultural implications of digital technology.
  • Clay Shirky – An influential thinker on Internet culture, crowdsourcing, and the power of decentralized networks.
  • Douglas Coupland – Coined “Generation X” and explored the cultural impact of digital technology in novels and essays.
  • Douglas Rushkoff – A media theorist who wrote about cyberculture, the social effects of technology, and digital optimism.
  • Kevin Kelly – Founding editor of Wired and a deep thinker on how technology shapes society and the future.

Journalists and Media Analysts

  • Dan Gillmor – A pioneer in citizen journalism, advocating for the participatory nature of news in the digital era.
  • Jeff Jarvis – A media critic who has been vocal about how the Internet disrupts traditional journalism.
  • Steven Levy – A tech journalist who chronicled the history of computing and the rise of the digital age.
  • Steve Outing – An early advocate for online news, exploring how journalism adapted to the Internet.
  • Terry Heaton – A television executive who recognized the shift from traditional media to digital platforms.

Tech Pioneers and Web Innovators

  • Chris Pirillo – Founder of Lockergnome, one of the earliest online tech communities, helping people understand software and the web.
  • Dave Winer – A key figure in the development of blogging, RSS feeds, and podcasting technology.
  • David Weinberger – Co-author of The Cluetrain Manifesto, which framed how businesses should adapt to the Internet age.
  • Doc Searls – Another Cluetrain Manifesto author, emphasizing user empowerment and open-source principles.
  • Jakob Nielsen – The godfather of web usability, setting foundational principles for user-friendly web design.

Marketing and Culture Shapers

  • Halley Suitt – A prominent blogger and voice in the early blogosphere.
  • Hugh MacLeod – Known for his “gapingvoid” cartoons and commentary on creativity and business.
  • Mark Ramsey – A key voice in digital radio and podcasting strategy.
  • Scott Adams – Creator of Dilbert, which captured the absurdities of tech and office culture.
  • Seth Godin – A marketing guru who popularized permission-based marketing and how digital culture changes business.

Entrepreneurs and Digital Business Minds

  • Mark Cuban – Made his fortune selling Broadcast.com to Yahoo, later becoming a major figure in sports and media streaming.
  • Nikol Lohr – Less widely known, but active in early online DIY culture and communities.

When Did Social Media Begin?

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In the twenty-three years I’ve been maintaining this blog more than 800 posts wound up in the INTERNET category, making said category almost useless. And do I make SOCIAL MEDIA a tag, or a sub-category under INTERNET? To sort this out I am reviewing each of those 800+ posts. During today’s lunch break I asked GPT 4o when SOCIAL MEDIA became a thing.

While it’s impossible to pinpoint an exact starting point, social media as a component of the Internet has evolved over time. It depends on how you define it—whether as any form of online interaction or as modern profile-based networks. Here are some key milestones:

1. 1970s–1980s: Early Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) and Usenet

  • BBSs (1978): Allowed users to post messages, share files, and engage in discussions.
  • Usenet (1980): Functioned like a decentralized forum, organizing discussions into topic-based newsgroups.

2. 1990s: The Web and Early Social Networks

  • AOL, CompuServe, Prodigy (late 1980s–90s): Introduced chat rooms, forums, and member profiles.
  • GeoCities (1994): Gave users personal webpages in themed “neighborhoods.”
  • Classmates.com (1995) & SixDegrees.com (1997): Often cited as the first modern social networks, with SixDegrees offering profiles, friend lists, and messaging.

3. 2000s: The Boom of Modern Social Media

  • Friendster (2002), MySpace (2003), LinkedIn (2003), Facebook (2004): Refined the model, with Facebook becoming dominant.
  • Blogs, LiveJournal, Twitter (2006): Expanded social networking beyond direct connections, introducing microblogging.

Conclusion: The “beginning” of social media depends on the criteria:

  • If looking for early online social interaction, BBS and Usenet were the start.
  • If considering profile-based networks, SixDegrees.com is a strong candidate.
  • If marking the moment social media became an Internet-defining force, the mid-2000s explosion with Facebook and Twitter is key.

I remember the modem screech that connected me to my first BBS. Posting to a Usenet group. My first CompuServe email address. And all that followed. Here on smays.com SOCIAL MEDIA started getting some ink in the mid-2000s.

4-Track Tape Players (Predecessor to 8-Track)

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Before the 8-track tape, there was a 4-track cartridge system, commonly known as the Muntz Stereo-Pak or simply the 4-track tape system. It was developed in the early 1960s by Earl “Madman” Muntz, an entrepreneur known for his work in consumer electronics and cars.Key Facts About the 4-Track System:

  • Introduced: Early 1960s
  • Cartridge Design: Used a continuous loop of 1/4-inch tape inside a plastic shell, similar to the later 8-track format.
  • Audio Quality: Offered stereo sound and was considered to have slightly better fidelity than 8-tracks due to fewer tracks being crammed onto the tape.
  • Adoption: Mainly popular in automobiles, often installed in custom and high-end cars of the era.
  • Main Drawback: Required a pinch roller built into the player (instead of inside the cartridge like 8-tracks), making it less convenient.
  • Replaced By: The 8-track format, developed by Bill Lear (of Lear Jet fame) in 1964, became more commercially successful due to support from major automakers and tape manufacturers.

Though 4-track players had a brief run, the format laid the groundwork for the success of the 8-track, which dominated car audio until cassette tapes took over in the late 1970s. (GPT 4o)