All Over the Place

So much is our addiction for Wi-fi that Alex Balk isn’t exaggerating too much when he writes:
“The other day, I overheard someone say, ‘If trees gave off Wi-Fi they’d be everywhere. Too bad they only give off oxygen.’”
Perhaps that’s what they should have decided in Paris during the climate change discussions: plant a tree and get free Wi-fi!

Talking of Wi-fi reminded me of certain Russian cemeteries that will be offering free Wi-fi starting 2016. Wait a minute, wouldn’t you be mourning at the cemetery, not in a mood to post selfies? Ah, but these aren’t just any cemeteries: they host (is that the right word?) famous people’s graves. Like Boris Yeltsin. So the reasoning goes:
“Since these particular cemeteries are steeped in history, they're now treated much "like open-air museums." Moscow's city-run funeral service spokesperson Lilya Lvovskaya told AFP that a lot of people "come and find themselves standing in front of a grave and want to know more about the person lying there." Obviously, the best place to look for answers is the internet…”

Thinking of Russia reminded me of Lenin’s claim that “we shall use gold for the purpose of building public lavatories”. That mention of gold reminds me of rags to riches. Which brings me to a mural drawn in a Syrian refugee camp in France that shows Steve Jobs, himself the son of a Syrian immigrant, “wearing his trademark turtleneck and jeans, with an early personal computer in one hand and a sack of stuff slung over his shoulder in the other”. To which someone commented:
“I hope the world will rally to help the millions of refugees who are in need simply because they are in need, and not because they may someday invent the next iPhone.”

Of course, taking any Muslim immigrants was the topic Donald Trump raised. To which many responded indignantly. So far so good. Including a Saudi Prince who asked Trump to drop out of the Presidential race in a tweet. Trump responded by tweeting:
“Dopey Prince @Alwaleed_Talal wants to control our U.S. politicians with daddy’s money. Can’t do it when I get elected.”
Followed by:
“Has your country, Saudi Arabia, taken ANY of the Syrian refugees? If not, why not?”
“Commoners” too poured scorn on the Prince:
“How many non-Muslims have you given Saudi citizenship, by the way?”

You’ve got to love the Internet, from Wi-fi to Russian cemeteries to the iPhone to tweet wars. Plus, of course, that’s where you read this piece!

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