I came across the following quote on Facebook earlier today: "Fifteen years ago, the internet was an escape from the real world. Now, the real world is an escape from the internet."  The quote is attributed to Noah Smith, a professor of finance. What Smith is essentially saying is that we seem to "live" digitally now more than we do the traditional way. It makes perfect sense. If you're like me, you probably communicate more with friends and family via email, text, WhatsApp, or social media than you do in person. You're likely shopping more online than you do at brick-and-mortar stores. And you're probably watching movies more frequently through services like Netflix than at the movie theater. While there's no question the convenience the internet affords us has made our lives easier in myriad ways, it's also made human interaction much more impersonal. If you'd asked me in the 90s whether relatives and friends would someday wish ...

What's your preferred way of traveling? Would you rather travel to places in person, or in your head? For certain people, the latter seems more up their alley. The reasons for this are varied. It may be that they're: Afraid of airplanes Hesistant to deal with the stress that comes from travel Strapped for cash Uncomfortable with the thought of being away from home for days in an unfamiliar place Perfectly content traveling vicariously -- through videos, books, documentaries, and other sources I think I can be a little of both. It all depends on the mood I'm in. Sometimes I would rather spend the weekend at home learning about a city -- say, Paris or Honolulu --- via travel books or videos than by actually traveling there.  Every once in a while, though, I do get the itch to venture beyond the comfy confines of my condo and explore museums, mountains, and other attractions that glossy magazine photos don't do justice to. Some people might argue ...