Did you know that Finland is the first country in the world to make broadband internet access a legal requirement. According to a story on NPR, spokesperson Suvi Linden said that broad band connections with speedy access are a necessity for all of the nations five million people.

I consider it a necessity too.  Technology has a way of taking over chunks of our lives – in a good way.  I’m a bit weary of hearing how “addictive” the internet can be and how bad it is that we spend time in front of a screen.  I enjoy it, both in the way it enhances connections in my life and in the challenge of learning new things.  I love that I can keep in touch with friends on Facebook, send out updates about my businesses by email, buy plane tickets to visit my grandchildren, print out coupons, pay my bills, share this blog, etc., etc.  All this in the privacy of my own home without burning up any gasoline.

For me, its even more fun when I have the right tools to do the job.  I just upgraded to a fancy new computer and I’m a very happy camper. I’m in that new love affair euphoric place  - I can’t wait to get home to see it, I stay up too late hanging out with it, I’m neglecting my other obligations, and I want to know everything about it.

I thought my old computer was just fine but now that I’ve made the switch I realize that the old keyboard was the equivalent of a 1920′s Royal manual typewriter in comparison and the monitor suddenly looks out of focus.  I guess it’s like driving a perfectly reliable old clunker for years and not knowing what you’re missing with cruise control and power steering.

The technologies, like high speed internet, are a means to an end of course.  To me it all boils down to having yet another tool in my bag of tricks for strengthening my link with others. Making connections and being able to communicate in more effective and efficient ways, is the payoff.

Anything that makes telling our stories easier is OK in my book.

I just found The Experience Project online.  It tells you to Be Yourself, Be Real and to anonymously connect with people just like you.  They claim to have had 3,253,248 stories shared.  The stories are divided into catagories:  experiences, confessions, challenges, dreams or advice.

You can search the site by groups i.e. “I Live in a Sexless Marriage” (7388 members) , “I Like to Read” (8674 members), or “I am a New Member at Experience Project” (8658 members).  I guess it’s reassuring to know that more members read than don’t have sex with their partners.

OK, I confess, I went to the confessions.  It told me I was not alone, and that secrets are best shared with friends.  When I join the network I will have millions of friends.  Some of the categories I perused were love, family, venting, funny and other.   Here’s an example of an other confession:

Vegetarian pain: oh my goodness … I SO want to eat some chicken. It’s not just that I’m hungry right now; I want chicken. I’m not a full-blown vegetarian or vegan so it’s OK if I have it but I’m striving to be as vegetarian & vegan as I possibly can. If I fight this craving, it’s a victory all around.

And a funny story that I didn’t think was so funny:

I made my dog fall on her face:  I have a wiener dog named Pebbles. Well, she was sitting on my lap today and started barking at my german shepherd. So in an attempt to keep Pebbles from getting in a fight with the shepherd, I lifted my leg so she couldn’t jump over it. But instead of preventing her from jumping it made her lose her balance and she fell on her face. She even lost a tooth. I felt so bad that I’m letting her sleep with me tonight.

I Googled anonymous stories and came up with a bunch of other online resources:

A Story to Share collects and shares true stories of heartache and love from all over the world

Stop Our Silence are anonymous testimonies of survivors of sexual violence

America Anonymous is a site for sharing addiction and recovery stories

Stories Told is a place people with eating disorders can share

You can read Coming Out Stories on the All Things Queer Gay and Lesbian Issues website

And the mother of all confessionals, Post Secret, which started with postcards and is now a fancy website with their own song.

It seems that there are ample opportunities to tell stories but I must confess that I’m still most interested in seeing the face of the person telling.

How about you?  Is anonymous better than facing up?

We are just starting the too-much-to-do season.  Here are some upcoming events to add to your calendar.

Finding Voice Project is presenting a retrospective exhibition (2006-2009) of photography, writing and digital stories produced by international students at Tucson’s Catalina Magnet High School. Through their images, words and digital stories they will take you on a very personal journey from the countries they emigrated from - Afghanistan, Bhutan, Ghana, India, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Kuwait, Liberia, Mexico, Nepal, Marshall Islands, Russia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Vietnam - to a Tucson you have likely never seen before.

Finding Voice is a literacy and visual arts program in Tucson dedicated to helping refugee and immigrant youth in English Language Development (ELD) classes at Catalina Magnet High School develop their literacy skills by researching, photographing, writing, and speaking out about critical social issues in their lives.

The show will be at the Union Gallery, 3rd Floor of Student Union, University of Arizona from October 16 – November 13, Monday – Friday from noon to 6 p.m.  The opening reception is on Friday, October 16 from 5 to 7 p.m. with an artist talk starting at 6.  Call 520-621-6142 for more info.

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A party to raise funds for the 2010 Tucson Poetry Festival takes place on Friday, October 16 from 6 to 10 p.m. at 2020 E. 4th Street.

You can enjoy beer, wine, food, poetry and good company while supporting the efforts of the 2010 festival. There will be a silent auction/raffle including works by Sherwin Bitsui, G. Foushee, and Gavin Troy. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased through your poetry festival friend, or at Antigone Books, 411 N. 4th Ave.

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A benefit for Chax Press and Voices, Inc will feature a book launch and celebration with authors Linh Dinh, Stephanie Balzer and Jonathan Rothschild on Friday, October 30 at 7 p.m. at the Rogue Theatre, 300 E. University.  Food and drink will be available.  Tickets are $10.  Call 620-1626 for more info.

Chax Press is a Tucson nonprofit literary and book arts organization with programs in literary publishing, fine art bookmaking, education and exhibitions.

VOICES is a community-based nonprofit organization that provides youth with safe space, positive relationship and skills training to document real-life stories.  Their mission is to”mentor low-income youth to tell their personal, family, neighborhood, tribal, and community stories so they can strengthen their cognitive, artistic, emotional, leadership, and higher education skills. Youth who are creative, resilient, educated and active citizens are youth who benefit themselves, their families and our community now and in the future.”

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POG- Poetry in Action -  is a “collective of poets, literary critics and practitioners of other art forms who have joined together in Tucson to offer public programming and other related events, which will promote active appreciation of and engagement with avant-garde artistic work in a variety of media, especially poetry and multi-disciplinary art.”

Some of their upcoming events include:

November 13, 2009, 7 p.m. to 2 a.m., Aural Pleasure Extravaganza Benefit for POG, music, poetry, dancing at Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St.

November 21, 2009, 7 p.m., Myung Mi Kim and Barbara Henning, The Drawing Studio, 33 S. Sixth Ave.

December 12, 2009, 7 p.m., Tony Luebbermann and Stephanie Balzer – The Drawing Studio, 33 S. Sixth Ave.