Pope Benedict: A Modern Man?

http://www.courant.com/business/sns-rt-us-pope-twitterbre8a80xg-20121109,0,7417139.story

http://heresthethingblog.com/2011/06/29/popes-twitter-video/

One international body that universally embraces traditions and rejects the newfangled inventions of today is the Catholic Church.  However, the Vatican has recently yielded to the sleek grasp of change; eighty-five-year-old Pope Benedict, who “is known not to love computers and still writes most of his speeches by hand,” will soon board the back of the blue bird.  Yes, Pope Benedict intends to join Twitter.

“Primarily the tweets will come from the contents of his weekly general audience, Sunday blessings and homilies on major Church holidays.  They will also include reaction to major world events, such as natural disasters.

“The leader of the world's 1.2 billion or so Roman Catholics will not, of course, write the tweets himself, but he will sign off on them before they are sent in his name.

“But even divine intervention might not help squeeze the gist of a papal encyclical, which can run to more than 140 pages, into 140 characters.

“Those tweets will probably be limited to a link to a URL with the entire document.

“The papal handle has not yet been disclosed but it is widely expected to be @BenedictusPPXVI, his name and title in Latin.

“The pope has given a qualified blessing to social networking.”

While I hardly condone social networking, I propose that a papal Twitter presence will improve the world a smidge.  RELIGIOUS LEANINGS ASIDE, the concept is a good one, as mankind would benefit from the heightened accessibility of benevolent, righteous, and spiritual guides.

Imagine this.  A man suffers a horrid day of spousal drama, professional pains, and personal dissatisfaction.  As usual, he checks his phone before returning home for the evening.  Generally, he scans the tweets of his friends, all of which are either somber complaints or useless nonsense.  Today, however, he scans the uplifting and compassionate offering Pope Benedict posted to Twitter moments ago.

Such a scenario heightens that man’s likelihood of smiling, sympathizing, and succeeding.  That man will arrive home with corresponding kindheartedness and will straighten every gnarled branch of his own tree of life.

My recommendation:  Tweet on, Pope Benedict.  Tweet on.

More White Squares, Fewer Green Rectangles

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/08/31/can-square-remain-hip/?ref=technology

This article discusses Square, a payments company that permits all businesses, regardless of size or savvy, to accept credit cards by attaching a card reader to their Android, iPhone, or iPad.  Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter, leads this company.

As the article notes, “Square charges merchants 2.75 percent of the amount transacted when a card is swiped, or $275 a month.  That’s at the low end of the fee scale.  But it may also be too low for Square to profit on payments below $10, which are a big part of Square’s business.”  Evidently, some speculate that Square’s profit margin is unsustainable, given the fees charged by credit card companies.  However, partnerships with such retailers as Starbucks offer hope to Square as it attempts to expand the popularity of its tiny, white payment device.

My two reactions to this article are seemingly contradictory.  Predictably, I am disappointed by the nearly universal rejection of traditional forms of paper currency.  Little by little, money is becoming more of an idea and less of a germy, clanking, graffitied, yet still satisfyingly tangible object.

Conversely, I do promote those technologies and devices that assist small businesses.  Because it is exceptionally difficult to compete with the power sellers that manipulate and define this global economy, I am pleased to read of a tool that specifically targets the world’s smaller scale companies.  From farmers to in-home manufacturers, Square will aid such overlooked businesses as they complete daily transactions.  For this reason, I view Square as a less superfluous technology than most others.

And thus, the double-edged sword stabs us once more.