Pet Rocks, Singing Fish and AOL

Published: July 28, 2021, 7 p.m.

b'GamerDude remembers some of the odd, weird, and unique inventions that came about while he was growing up.\\xa0 He talks about the original Pet Rock, and how, thanks to technology, you can now get a USB Pet Rock. He talks about how the change from VHS to DVD inspired someone to create the "DVD Rewinder."\\xa0 He also talks about inventions like Big Mouth Billy Bass, the Snuggie, and the egg cuber.\\n\\nHe also talks about how the internet has impacted the world.\\xa0 He remembers his early days on AOL, and how AOL became as important in its time as Facebook is today.\\xa0 And he discusses how technology has changed our lives, not necessarily for the better.\\xa0 He talks about how the art of conversation has changed, and how it\'s much harder to read people and get to know people when your primary means of communication is through text message or DM. He talks about how people tend to over-share everything, and how that has changed how we interact with family, friends and acquaintances. He also talks about how technology has changed our attention spans.\\xa0 Long, slow movies, with establishing shots and carefully crafted plots have been replaced by cut scenes and jump cuts becasue we no longer have the patience to simply pay attention anymore.\\xa0 And, GamerDude suggests that it might be helpful to take a few minutes off from technology occasionally, just to clear your senses and take a break.'