Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures

I want to share something with you all as I just found a way to save a few minutes of time each day. By my estimates, I figure this will save me 3-5 minutes per day - or one and a half to two and a half hours per month. You see, there is a new website - informationageprayer.com - where for only $3.95 a month, a computer with text-to-speech capability will say my prayers for me! Through speech synthesizers (and I'm assuming faith and humility, although the website does not explicitly state this) a computer will voice my prayer at a volume and speed equivalent to a typical person praying. Now, you might be that person who is not strapped for time like many of us, but consider that this website "gives you the satisfaction of knowing that your prayers will always be said even if you wake up late, or forget." Can't ask for much more than that.

In fact, there are a variety of prayers: a prayer for financial help ($3.95); a prayer for your children (a great deal at $1.99); Hail Mary prayers at 7 cents each; or you can (I'm not kidding, it really says this!) "Show God you are Serious... Get the Complete Rosary Package." Now if they could just throw in some blessings on food, we could really be in business!

I shared this website with my classes today, and I had some really funny responses as to how stupid this is. What does this say about our world? At least these 14 year-olds in my classes, many of whom can't remember what day of the week it is, understand. They get it; they know ridiculous when they see it. Gives me some hope for our future.

By the way, I doubt this computer can simulate the humble (and cool) prayers of my 4 year old. Doubt it knows to ask to get bitten by a spider so it can turn into Spiderman.