~Big questions~

The University of Southern California is the latest school to offer a class on the selfie, which I think brings the latest count to at least two or three. Back when *I* was in school, we took serious classes. Like Star Trek. And Beyonce. (Lucky for ME, you can take an online selfie class for free, anyway!)

1. The man who sold his face to the Internet. Literally. Hostgator Dotcom -- not his Christian name -- auctioned off tattoo space all over his body. Ten years later, he's mentally ill, covered in ads, and still living in poverty.

2. What is a YouTube star worth, exactly? These goofy kids with camera phones are a new class of celebrity. Which is weird, because no one really knows yet if they're worth actual money.

3. On food, robots and "cognitive" machines. I spent several days with Watson, the IBM computer that just "co-wrote" a cookbook (and previously won Jeapordy!!), and ended up pondering ~big questions~ like what constitutes creativity.

Smile like no one's watching

Pocketable: The start-up that wants to cure social anxiety. (1886 words/8 minutes)

Postscripts: The cheapest computer. The worst selfie. The most subversive beauty vlog. Checking in with Myspace Tom and defending "Cannibal Cop." These are (a) the most annoying things people tweet and (b) the worst American Idol clips. I'd be a whole lot more productive if I hadn't spotted this. How the Internet ruined humans. How it specifically ruined men (!). More in that very cheering vein: trolls, photos and women.

Until tomorrow!
@caitlindewey

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