The technology that delivers our important news continues to evolve. Ten years ago, Sandra called me on my cell phone to tell me about Joe's birth; I was driving on Interstate 495 at the time. A few years later, I learned about Tess while I was driving Route 101 in Silicon Valley, California.

So, it was expected that Mike would call me on my cell phone with the announcement of Cassandra. What's new is that much of the news spread via instant messenger. Matt was online at the time and sent the news to all of the people in his buddy list. As a result, some kid named Tony heard about the baby before Michael Francis did. Michael Francis was at football practice at the time. He informed his friend Erin via IM as well.

After visiting at the hospital, Matt rode back with me. We talked a bit about music and stuff. I was gratified to learn that I wasn't totally clueless. I knew the names of his favorite band (Linkin Park) and radio station (Kiss-108). A supra-middle-aged guy trying to be hip about music isn't always the most attractive sight in the world, but Matt was polite.