Birthday Love!

I celebrated my birthday three weeks ago. Hooray, 34! Dozens of friends and family members sent me their congratulations, greetings and all around good vibes on my Facebook profile. A friend recently said, “I love Facebook birthdays. You really feel the love.” I very much agree. (That’s the Leo in me talking.)

Not everyone agrees with us, and I see their points, though I myself disagree. Sam Biddle of Gizmodo’s User Guide said, “On Facebook, your birthday is automated and empty because nobody has to devote a single shred of mental energy to remembering or celebrating it.” And JD Rucker at Soshable commented, “We used to get cards. We used to get calls. We used to get visitors. Today, we get wall posts.”  Continue reading “Birthdays in Holland: Before Facebook, the Dutch Showed the Love on Real Walls, and Other Notes on the Netherlands”