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Would Somebody Like A Bull Penis?

Nietzsche once stated his prose was affected by learning to use a typewriter. A MIT research lab believes that clocks have impoverished us because we use them instead of our senses to decide when's best to work eat and play. Neither of them has much to say about Google.

With easy to find sales and vast information literally at your fingertips, does the "information super highway" foster a measurable loss of empathy and thus desensitize us? To some extent, I must admit I gave up some of my humanity a long time ago while trying to become more aware. After reading story, upon story, upon story of headlines with the latest new tragedy or disaster -- well, after a while -- suddenly the shock of such 'terrible events' wore off. Not only was I reading them online, I was seeing them. Experiencing them in full high definition video glory.

And the worst part of being aware? Well... ..I couldn't relate.

Admittedly, a bit of my morality has also been compromised. While my conscience would hesitate to steal a CD from the store; online, I never have had a problem downloading torrents, warez or the latest video games.

The mere existence of file-sharing and its widely-accepted use by all my peers quickly led me to believe that the virtual marketplace was not like the real one at all. Now that the guilt from downloading my fair share of music cds has subsided -- who knows what else my conscience will decide is okay for me to do as long as I'm not in 'real life.'

At the end of the day, as soon as you walk into a room and sign online you are in many ways no longer a part of the 'real world.'

That computer screen, for the time being, protects you from the consequences of reality.

Leave a comment, or send an email to Justin Hedge at justin@eR33t.com.