Where travelling was once a sign of luxury, people are now globe-trotting as a hobby. While travelling, one would like to keep their possessions to a bare minimal which equates to carrying less weight around. If you are an avid traveler as I am, electronic tickets are definitely your best friends. Having your ticket stored in your phone, allows easier access and storage without panic attacks when you have to dig into your bag to search for that elusive paper ticket.

In the aviation industry, the International Air Transport Association estimated that 3-square miles of forest are saved annually if e-tickets are used exclusively. In fact, train companies are even offering reusable travel cards or plastic tokens at cheaper rates to encourage commuters to purchase these cards instead of using paper tickets. Even bus companies are jumping on the bandwagon to offer a convenient and faster fare payment method so that the bus captain can concentrate on his vehicle without handling money and discourage thieves.

Although e-tickets are advantageous, it does have its drawbacks. With a database reliant on electricity and computers, computer crashes or power cuts may result in the loss of data. It has happened before and it will continue to happen. With increasing world-wide usage of the internet, these important databases can also be seen as a challenge for hackers to prove their mettle. Aside from the online threat, the reliance on self-service tickets could affect job opportunities as certain positions are rendered obsolete. Counter attendants are slowly being replaced with self-service kiosks and soon, there may even be an absence of attendants at checking counters.

There are equal amount of positive effects from the introduction of e-tickets. Anyone can purchase tickets in the comfort of their home without leaving it. Customized options for seats, price or discounts can be selected for free without having to queue in a counter or call a hotline number. However one may feel about e-tickets, one fact is for certain; electronic tickets are here to stay and replace their paper counterparts.

This iManila writer still remembers when Nokia was the mobile phone giant which dominated the market. Anyone who was of age to use their first mobile phone usually received or chose a Nokia phone; it could have been a fad or it could have been a sign of wisdom. Nokia phones were known for their sturdy build and reliance when one accidentally (or not so accidentally) dropped it on the floor. In fact, there were anecdotes of how when one throws a Nokia phone at a person, the unlucky person would suffer greatly while the phone remained intact.

Walking down memory lane, Nokia models were known to display information when the right code was dialed. There was the hidden backup battery where one can increase a depleting battery to 50%. There was the code that will display the phone's serial number to show you where the phone was made in. In fact, keeping a copy of the serial number allows the owner to request for the phone to be blocked in the event of a theft. The most memorable of all is the rice remedy that originated from Nokia users.

As accidents more often than not involved water (this might have been due to the newfound usage of phones in toilets) back then, many users complained of unable to recover the soaked devices. During this period of time, the suggestion of disassembling one's phone and leaving it submerged in uncooked rice spread like wildfire. This method proved successful and seemed to solve the problem for at least a year. When touch-screen phones were the fashion, the popularity of the rice remedy faded with the decline of Nokia.

If you still have your old Nokia phone with you today whilst the Samsung and Apple giants are muscling their way through the mobile phone market, kudos to you!

So it is not a surprise that your best friend is tying the knot with her fiancé of 10 years. She has her event planned down to the tablecloth of the reception and the pre-wedding photographs turned out stunning. Guests have replied to the Facebook event invitation and confirm their attendance while those who could not, send their apologies. Everything seem arranged to perfection and the couple is a match made in heaven.

What faux pas has this couple committed?

One only need to type ‘wedding invitation via Facebook' into Google's website to read the various arguments on inviting guests over one online platform. There are of course more articles that are against online invitations for important events and to quote Jeanne Hamilton's opinion in her website etiquettehell.com, “Emailed and social network site invitations have an air of technical sterility and bland conformity to them.” A user on whattoexpect.com's forum expressed financial concern for mother and friend who were helping her invite guests to her baby shower. Although event invitations via Facebook or Evite.com are a lazy way out, those who are stuck with a tight budget or tight schedule see this alternative as life-saving.

There are occurrences where important correspondences are lost in the mail hence, why online communication is preferable. However, online platforms come with a set of problems too: invites may be diverted to spam folders or mass invites could end up in the wrong inbox and uninvited guests could crash your event.

Perhaps technology ought to be blamed for creating new social mistakes. Where snail mail once was the proper and polite method of inviting guests to events of importance, now many opt to turn to online means. Is the 20th Century generation reshaping social etiquettes by incorporating technology into their daily interactions? That is another argument for another day in the future.

Despite the popularity of social networking sites such as Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and Friendster, these sites are also a dangerous medium in which online predators prey on the young. By the year 2008, youths were spending more time on online media as they were in schools. During the earliest introduction of social media, there was a lack of online security and safety which led to multiple cases of cyberbullying.

The apex of rampant cyberbullying saw numerous cases of suicide and complaints of harassment and bullying via social media. Mean behaviors and comments were the common method in which cyberbullies taunt and belittle individuals. Many reported group cyberbullying where the bullies incessantly leave cruel remarks that degrade a victim. In the 2006 USA case of Megan Meier that shocked the online community, the cyberbullying ended with Megan's suicide.

The line between expressing one's honest opinion and bullying is finely threaded since the tightening of online safety on websites. Despite the numerous precautions, cyberbullying is still rampant and various social media platforms have now become a battlefield of words or wits. Regardless, the sharing of private photographs that ridicule a person still occurs and tweets to insinuate a person of obscenities carry similar harm to a bully victim. With every new creation on the World Wide Web, it contains a threat that can be exploited by online predators.

It has been nearly 8 years since Megan's death and yet, cyberbullying is still a serious issue that web developers face. Teenagers are more wary and cyber-savvy now when utilizing the internet as schools have also employ preventive measures to monitor internet activity and expose them to the dangers they might face on the internet. By being vigilant, we may unconsciously prevent another or a few Megan incident from recurring in the future.