I am losing my wife to technology. In England there is a phenomenon known as the football widow, in which wives are unable to compete with their husband’s obsession with soccer. Well I am becoming a Web widower, struggling with my wife’s addiction to the Internet.
It started with her blog, Café Mode, which first appeared three years ago. Since then, many evenings have been spent updating the beast. More recently, Twitter and Facebook have taken up huge chunks of her time. And of course she checks her e-mail every ten seconds.
Her latest discovery is the smart phone app Foursquare. It’s a GPS-based social network that allows you to tell your friends where you are. When you « check in » at bars and restaurants, you win points. Visit the same place more than other players and you become mayor (maire), entitling you to a free drink or other special offers.
« Someone is already mayor here. Where can I become mayor? » Géraldine asked me as she checked in to our favourite bar. « How about Flunch? » I suggested. She gave me a withering look and proceeded to check Facebook and Twitter for the next fifteen minutes.
At least Foursquare gets us out of the house. Géraldine is determined to gain as many points as possible, so now we spend our lives hopping from bar to restaurant. And we have great conversations, apart from the moments when the iPhone gets all her attention.
