Last week I saw a story about some private colleges and the University of Maryland this year handing out “free” iPhones or iPod Touch devices to some of their students (any parent who has ever written a tuition check understands that the concept of “free” and anything related to their child’s education is dubious, at best).

 Spokesmen for the schools explained the move, stating that, among other things, it would allow for improved security (in the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy) by allowing for a quick and accurate way to reach students with vital information. The technology was also being touted for its ability to help students maintain contact with professors regarding assignments and grades, do research and respond to surveys. It has also been suggested by some that participating schools may simply be trying to elevate their images as “cool”, cutting-edge institutions.

In searching for details on the story, I learned that while the hardware may be given to the students, they must pay for the monthly service fees. Also, the University of Maryland at least is emphasizing that theirs is a pilot program designed to answer specific questions about how both professors and students can integrate the new technology into the classroom, as well as enhancing safety and time management.

Nevertheless, there are concerns for misuse of the phones and the distractions they will cause. It doesn’t seem so long ago that we were hearing about colleges handing out PCs to incoming freshmen, and what a novel and even extreme move that seemed to be. I would imagine that, given a few years, we will wonder what all of the fuss over this latest issue was all about. Professors will still need to be engaging and informative in the lecture hall (if not, students have ALWAYS found ways to be distracted). Students who allow themselves to play games or text their friends instead of attending to their studies are the same ones who, 10 or 20 or 50 years ago, would have found some other way to goof off. And, finally, the “outside” world and its latest technologies and demands will be there waiting when the student leaves school and has to work in and survive that environment, whether they’ve been held at bay outside the ivy-covered walls or not. Better that those tools be invited in, studied and put to creative, positive uses than treated as a threat to the educational process.

Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader

It all started innocently enough about six years ago when I finally agreed to get a cell phone. I lagged well behind most of my peers in getting one because I stubbornly did NOT want to always be that accessible. I gave in when I realized it would be safer making my monthly drives over wintry mountain passes if I could call for help if the need arose (presuming I wasn’t in a dead zone to start with). Of course, it quickly became, if not indispensible, then certainly a huge convenience in all sorts of situations.

Over time, I have gradually acquired other devices that once seemed unnecessary or frivolous but which I now would be hard pressed to do without. It struck me the other day as I took possession of my daughter’s hand-me-down laptop that I have become gadgetized. This is the process whereby one starts accumulating these modern marvels at an exponentially increasing rate. It is as if the gadgets one already possesses create a force field which attracts others of their kind. I’m talking about anything that needs a charger, power cord, earphones, batteries and/or a service contract and an inch-thick owner’s manual or a three-hour online tutorial to teach you how to use it.

I refuse to be someone who won’t embrace new technologies because of the effort required to learn something new, but I do find it difficult to make the time to program/download/integrate whenever a new gizmo comes within my orbit. For instance, my daughter Jenny gifted me with the “free” MP3 player which came with her new laptop (which is how I got her old one), and now I am faced with putting my personal stamp in music, programs and files on both devices. Frankly, that is not how I want to spend several hours on a lovely summer day (and now that Jenny’s back at school, I can’t bribe her to do it for me).

Ah, well, at least when I’m done, I’ll have a killer “Roadtrip Songs” playlist and a good excuse to have looked at all the old picture files. (If you’d like to share your nominations for great road tunes, I’d love to hear them and add them in!)

 Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader

After receiving a tip from a friend that Craigslist has a large market for bicycles in Brooklyn, I did my own research and returned with a 1960s brown vintage cruiser.

I bought the bike from a young lady about my age in Park Slope. My roommate accompanied me and watched as I took the cruiser for a 30-second test ride to the first corner. It seemed like a perfect fit, so I handed over the cash and my roommate and I loaded the bike in the back of her Element and drove back to our neighborhood in Williamsburg.

I became slightly panicked when, after bringing home the bike and eagerly taking it out for a ride, almost immediately there was something wrong with the chain! While crossing a street, I suddenly lost resistance against the pedals and began pedaling like a foolish maniac as my bike sort of just stood there like a stubborn horse in the middle of the road. I managed to drift toward the sidewalk where I checked to see if the chain fell off, but it appeared perfectly intact. Now, I’m not a bicycle expert, but I started feeling that maybe I was ripped off.

This discouraged me, as I always like to think that Craigslist is one of the few websites out there that is still fair and has not been overrun by commercial advertisements. I frantically emailed the girl who sold me the bike, explaining the problem while typing with crossed fingers, hoping I didn’t get scammed! I was a bit ashamed of making accusations so quickly when the girl immediately responded to my email, apologizing and saying this never happened before and suggesting I check the chain while requesting that I keep her posted on the issue. I have a friend scoping out the situation today.

If all turns out well, and I’m sure it will one way or another, I will still use Craigslist as an expedient for finding cool used stuff. After all, I did find a great apartment in Brooklyn that my roommate and I are very pleased with! You can’t win them all, but, at least when purchasing a bike, make your test ride longer than 30 seconds!

-Courtney Centeno, account executive

Are you “Linked In”? Specifically, are you a user of the networking website known as LinkedIn or any of the other such sites?

I understand and appreciate the value of networking. In fact, I am a registered user of LinkedIn. I even admit that LinkedIn has proven to be helpful in a few ways. I have gotten some good business leads, helpful suggestions and even connected with a couple old high school friends.

Recently, one of my friends mentioned the Catch-22 situation involving being on LinkedIn. While it is a great source of networking, there is one glaring drawback. Sure, you can announce that you are looking for new employment, which could be extremely helpful if the right eyes see it. However, there is a great chance that wrong eyes (aka your current boss or coworkers) will also see your desire for new employment. That can’t be a good thing.

I never really thought about that, probably because I am happy with my current employment situation. For those unhappily employed, this presents a problem. I suppose you can always contact your connections individually and inquire about job possibilities, but that isn’t quite as effective as just announcing your quest to everyone.

Maybe this is a good thing. Maybe it makes you work harder in your search for employment opportunities. Sure, it is easier to just announce to everyone that you want a new job in whatever field, but is that similar to a guy walking into a crowded bar and just yelling, “I want a date”?

I might have gotten a bit philosophical (or ridiculous) with that line of thinking, but it does make sense. The other option is for me to try to figure out how to get the message out semi-anonymously. That second option is a lot more time consuming, so I am going with the first, especially since I am self-employed and don’t need to figure it out.

-John Wroblewski, distribution specialist

Today marks the release of the highly anticipated follow-up to Batman Begins, The Dark Knight. It is expected to gross over $100 million during opening weekend and Heath Ledger, who plays the Joker, is earning rave reviews and there is talk that he may win a posthumous Oscar following his death in January. I was never a huge fan of superheroes and comics, but I always enjoyed Spiderman and, particularly, Batman and I am excited for the new movie.

Even if Ledger does not win an Oscar, he earned himself a spot on the Top 25 Movie Villains list, as compiled by Moviefone. I heard about the list on the radio during my drive to work yesterday and I decided to check it out further and see if I agreed. According to the list, the top ten are:

10. Queen, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

9. Max Cady, Cape Fear

8. Hans Gruber, Die Hard

7. Chigurgh, No Country for Old Men

6. Goldfinger, Goldfinger

5. Joker, The Dark Knight

4. Hannibal Lecter, Silence of the Lambs

3. The Wicked Witch of the West, Wizard of Oz

2. Darth Vader, Star Wars

1. Lord Voldemort, Harry Potter

Personally, I do agree some of those villians are scary - Hannibal Lecter, Chigurgh, Voldemort. But I also think Michael Myers, Halloween, should have been higher than #12. And the Wicked Witch, #3, come on!

Anyway, this list inspired me to create The Global Traveler Blog Top 25 Best Travel Movies of All Time. Please send me your suggestions and we can put together the list in a future blog! I thought of Lost in Translation or the new one, The Darjeeling Limited, about brothers on a trip through India. Maybe Thelma and Louise on their road trip? Start sending suggestions!

-Kimberly Krol, circulation and public relations executive