Hey, is that a Python?!

What words would you use to described the picture to the left? Yes, that is a live python wrapped around my neck. They say a picture is worth a thousand words... well, after some recent studies, perhaps a picture is worth only 800 words. I read an article recently that I can’t seem to find, so I Googled some keywords to track down similar articles that mention that teenagers today have a far less vocabulary (like 50 to 75% less) than teenagers had from the 1950's. You can attribute this "dumbing down" of vocabulary to video games, texting, TV, etc. One article from earlier this year said, "A generation of teenagers risk making themselves unemployable because they are using a vocabulary of about 800 words a day, according to the government’s first children’s communication czar... McEnery found that the top 20 words used by teenagers, including ‘yeah’, ‘no’ and ‘but’, account for about a third of all words used." Wow! Just makes you wonder what it'll be like in 20 years from now. I still use complete sentences when using IM and chat programs. Does that make me a loser? Actually, my work just got me my first mobile phone this month. It's official: I'm no longer the only person in the civilized world without a mobile phone.