Facebook.

I heard about Facebook through the youngest son 3 or 4 years ago. He was a participant and suggested I get on for the fun of it. I did and looked at it all of about 5 times in a year.

About a month ago a few people I know began asking me if I was a subscriber to which I applied to the affirmative. Now a wave has hit with all my children, many old friends, and even old high school buddies checking in. I don't know if it's just me or if the Facebook wave has finally caught on to the boomers. If it has -- look for growth.

I admit, I like to look at the pictures of old friends and their children and to catch in a non-intrusive way. It's "hey, I'm here, loved the kids pictures," and move on. They do the same to me. We exchange a quick email or two and then continue looking in as occasions warrant.

Facebook is a great idea for the 45 - 60 age group who are curious about people they knew well -- in years past.

To put it in a broader philosophical context, applications like Facebook are about the person living as he always has, with a desire to know others. I can bemoan the loss of the cross-Atlantic letter-writing of two separated friends, but there is no going back, at least in that context. This is the world we live in, and it's not so bad.