Defining Our Past And Shaping Our Future
The
world seems to be advancing technologically so rapidly that even some of the
devices which were at the pinnacle of consumer luxury a couple decades ago are
now some of the most rudimentary and perhaps sometimes not even recognizable by
the younger generations. I myself am relatively young at 24, and yet I've had
the opportunity to witness the incredible advancements of quite a few branches
of technology in my time so far. There must have been a time when record
players, to give a simple example, were such amazing devices, and then cassette
players became so much smaller and portable, and then CDs offered so much more
space and quality, and then the digital era offered even better quality and eliminated
the frustrations of skips and scratches and misplacing and limited storage. I
remember listening to cassette tapes as a kid, and buying my very first CDs as
a young teenager, and then buying my very first mp3 player a few years later,
and being so utterly fascinated at
every step along the way.
The
first mp3 player I ever bought, sometime around 2004, seemed so wildly
incredible at the time. For the hefty price of $70 or so I could fit 40-some
songs on a 128 megabyte device, which was more than twice what I had grown so
accustomed to fitting on a mix CD. And on top of that there was no concern over
tracks skipping on a jog, or ever having to buy new blank CDs when I wanted to
make a new mix. This was the most profound appreciation of mine at the time; I
didn't need piles of mix CDs anymore. I didn't need to toss a disc every time I
wanted even one single new song to be included on the current mix. The digital
contents could simply be updated. And now, for the same price or less, you can
easily get 8 gigabytes of space or
more and the capacity for thousands upon thousands of songs and any combination
of separate playlists. The sum of the contents of dozens and dozens of mix CDs
can be enjoyed by a few touches on a handheld digital media player with
sufficient size.
Similarly,
video media has gone from VHS to DVD to Blu-ray (not even considering all of
the varieties of digital file types able to be shared online) with the quality
and cost improving all along the way. Of course, when a new format and new
devices to play them with are developed, across all medias, the prices start higher,
but they quickly decline and before long a device vastly more powerful than the
one you purchased several years before is even
cheaper. Today I could buy an mp3 player with 16 times the storage capacity
than that first one I ever purchased for a mere ten dollars. And you would probably face difficulty in even finding
a place that will take your old VHS tapes or even DVDs from you for a fraction
of what you paid for them back in the day. Their demand has almost entirely
vanished, for good reason, in the wake of so much vast improvement.
This
digital age has certainly disrupted things, and not only in the music and video
industries. The high technologies of even a few decades ago not only lose their
popular use and their monetary value, but you can hardly even give them away sometimes. They just
become so utterly outdated by the perpetual advancement of newer devices and
ideas, and eventually only the vintage or nostalgia-seeking collectors see any
use whatsoever in their ownership. But they will always serve as healthy
reminders of how far we've come, and tantalizing hints at where we're still
going.
Not
too long ago I bought a shiny new printer. And the other day I needed to scan a
document so that I could attach it to an email. And so I did; I put the paper
on the tray, pressed the scan button, and selected its destination. And it
struck me right then, considering for the first time this option that was now
available to me to send it directly into a folder on my PC, how absolutely incredible technology is. This was all done wirelessly--the printer
has no tangible link with my computer. And yet, when I place a piece of paper
onto its tray and command it to scan it for me, suddenly an exact digitized
replica of it exists as parts of the 1s and 0s navigable within the depths of
my computer. And I can send this data to anyone else on the planet if I wanted
to, and they could have it, see it, even print it out for themselves, and no
physical link was ever made between us. It's like exactly how magic would be if
magic were a real thing, but this is
real and we can understand it and we can manipulate it to our will.
Arthur C. Clarke said that "Any
sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." I think
this holds some deep insights, considering so much of what we have at our
disposal in today's world that would probably send a person from a thousand
years ago screaming away in terror and condemning us as demons. Who could have
thought, at the time, that we'd be able to almost effortlessly communicate with
people anywhere else on the planet without even any physical link? Or even see
them on video monitors? Or fly across the oceans? Or film movies? Or cover so
much of the planet with artificial light? Or find the answers to so many
questions with just a few keystrokes into an online search engine? Sometimes I
wonder if the entire concept of magic has really been all along just the inexorable progression of our thoughts and understandings of
the world transformed into the fanciful dreams of what we wish we had the power
to do.
And then the day comes when we do have that power. Have you noticed how
so many things are becoming more and more automated and touch-free? Oftentimes doors will open for you as you
approach, lights will turn themselves on as you enter a room, toilets will
flush for you as you leave, faucets and soap dispensers and hand dryers will
dispense for you as you place your hands under them, and devices will even operate
by spoken command and turn themselves off after an idle period. Increasingly
often you don’t even have to touch a doorknob, or a light switch, or a toilet
or faucet handle, or a paper towel dispenser (or even a paper towel). You can
walk into a bathroom, use the facilities (well, a guy, at least), wash and dry
your hands, and leave, all without ever
touching anything.
You don't even have to touch your
hard-earned cash anymore. I
handle cash less and less often even as I continue to make more money and
purchase more things. I rarely have more than twenty dollars in hard cash in my
wallet; more often than not I have none at all. It strikes me sometimes that
this is a really incredible thing, this ability to accumulate and spend money
without ever actually touching the
tangible pieces of paper and cotton and linen we’re so used to thinking of it
as.
Like
most, I imagine, I work a job and have funds automatically deposited to a bank
account with every paycheck. I never actually see it. I don’t bring a check to a bank, and my wallet doesn’t grow
fat with bills. The money just shows up as if a fundamental part of my being. So
long as I utilize only that amount of money, debit purchases are like the
simple returns on that labor, to be acquired at will. Each time it deposits it’s
like I just became worth that many more dollars, and it’s almost as if I can
just walk into places and visit websites and help myself to my desires, as if
my presence holds an intrinsic worth only requiring verification by a small
piece of plastic and a few numbers. With the simple swipe of a card I can walk
out with a cart full of food, or appliances, or video games, or any combination
of things I wish to own, or even have them delivered
to me. And that little piece of plastic, that card which represents my
monetary worth, doesn’t change. It remains
safely in my wallet and yet represents so much of what is laid before me to
enjoy. I only have to go out and acquire it. Sometimes it feels like I’m not
actually purchasing something, I’m just going and grabbing a thing that I want
and it’s now mine and later I go and perform some tasks that I enjoy doing and
the cycle repeats and the world is just mine to appreciate as I please.
Social
media has become a truly massive force in the world. In a few seconds you can
create a profile on any of several major websites, add some pictures and some interests and some history,
and continuously present yourself to the
world through public postings. Some
reports say that as much as 25% of all Internet page views are on social media
sites alone. You've probably heard some of the generic complaints such as
"people used to actually know their neighbors" and yet today's
society has been shaped so that you can know any number of people all over the world. Of course there is
some concern over still maintaining actual physical relationships with people,
but sometimes it seems as if the simple new wave of potential is making it seem like so much of the physical is
gone. Such a phenomenon has never been known before, so it's no surprise that
the controversies abound. I don't believe this is the case; I still see people
hanging out outside with each other all the time. I still spend as much time as
I can get with my dear friends around town. I still cherish face-to-face
communication more than any other, and I can only assume that this is generally
the case universally. It's just that we have so many more opportunities now. If not for social media I would have lost the
majority of the connections I've been able to maintain despite the major moves
I, and others, have made. Never before has a person from, say, the U.S. been
able to randomly become acquainted with a person from, say, Australia, and
share thoughts and feelings with each other without ever having actually been
closer to each other than a few thousand miles. A healthy mix of digital and
physical communication is arguably more valuable than any other combination has
ever been. You can even share your physical relationships with your digital
ones, and vice versa. You can connect with more people around the planet than
you can likely even comprehend. Thus cultural hurdles are so much more easily
avoided. The world seems like a much more fitting, opportunistic, shared place when people have social
access to others around the globe. I don't see how that's a bad thing if you
look past the minor issues.
If
you're curious about something, you can find almost anything to your heart's
desire with a brief Google search. The amount of information available to us
just sort of "floating" around on the internet (also in textbooks and
the like) is truly staggering. A person can get at least a basic understanding
of such topics that took the prodigious minds of Newton, Darwin, Bohr,
Einstein, and the like an entire lifetime
to puzzle out…using nothing but a keyboard and a few keystrokes, and/or some
page turning, and some reading. As a certain telescope manufacturer, Meade,
proclaims on their website, with even a cheap telescope and the knowledge of
how to find certain celestial objects one "will see more objects in one
night than Galileo saw in a lifetime."
For
so much of history a person's skill set has been almost exclusively utilized
for monetary gain. That was how you made your living. But today, with this
tremendous advent of social connectivity through the internet most of all,
people are willing to share their expertise on a subject, with their own
precious time and resources, for no other gain than the near-selfless enjoyment
of doing just that. Of course, some
gain fame and fortunes still, but so many remain virtually anonymous despite
their thorough investigations into insightful questions or the development of
popular apps or wiki articles or software or independent music or film or
artwork or writing or general advice or practically anything one could desire
to seek out. There seems to be a profound movement in the use of spare time and
skills for the betterment of the general public even if this means that the
contributor does not receive specific recognition. Perhaps such people just
simply treasure the enjoyment of doing something worthwhile even if it's not relevant to their personal
career. I find this incredibly beautiful.
And
there are always still people out there making discoveries, even at this very
moment, and our descendents will, in turn, be able to seek out and understand
their contributions in the same way (probably even more efficiently) that we
are entitled today. You don't have to be an employed astrophysicist, or
personally know someone who is, to share
in the current times of such a field. Each generation has the advantage over
the previous of having access to the accumulation of all of recorded history in
their grasp, and today more than ever (and tomorrow even more so) this unimaginably
deep well of knowledge, this collection of our incessant desire to understand
the deepest workings of the world around us, can only continue to provide us with more understanding, which in turn leads to more probing questions,
which in turn leads to more insightful answers, which in turn leads to more
understanding, which in turn leads to more probing questions…
The
world is certainly changing, shaping, progressing ever-onward. We have at our
disposal things that were probably never even dreamed about in the wildest
fantasies of our distant ancestors… feats that they may have never even
imagined the grandest wizard could perform. The boundaries of our knowledge
are, at every new moment, always pushing the frontiers of our thoughts in new
directions. The most fantastic, magical ideas in the minds of those living
today could very well be the simple play-things of the children of a few
generations to come. This all just makes me so
prideful to be here—part of humanity. I look forward to every other new
advancement, every improvement on our quality of life, for as long as I can
enjoy them. The best is yet to come. It's going to be so fascinating.
Posted by Unknown
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12:28 AM
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13 comments:
I think this article brings up an interesting point about how the world is changing. We are gain so much information and almost magically, however the more information we gain and the more accessible ti is to learn things, the more questions we will have.
I mean if you just need something to spend time on Wikipedia is almost infinite, especially given that it constantly changes. Then there is YouTube and other sites to spend your time and learn from. Even Libri Vox offers free book recordings and Gutenberg is an online repository of texts. You practically don't have to go to school any more. I suppose if people can prove themselves by their actions and not the degrees placed next to their names, then formal educational institutions' bubble may burst. What do you think?
I have been watching education videos all my life and I have learned quite a bit from them. My Mom used to take me to the local community college library and I'd watch VHS documentaries about authors and historical events. Then as time progressed and I continued watching videos at the library and getting documentaries, I also got encarta which had some videos ( I think it was 2003). I remember this map, which was sort of like Google maps, but not nearly as comprehensive and I would play it every day. My parents knew the world was changing and they were crazy about computers so he sent me to computer camp for basic HTML and JAVAScript as a kid. So, a large amount of my education has come from the public forum of libraries, and places other than school. That is not to say I haven't tried to grasp as much as I can out of high school. Indeed, I learned far more with library resources outside of elementary than in elementary school. However, when I started going to Middle School (which was also connected to a high school) I got access to higher level things and could read about history and calculus when I was waiting for my Mom in study hall.
Ever since around '05-'06 the internet has really picked up with allowing me to gain information. I remember seeing Wikipedia with fascination and spending much time on it. Then videos came up and I would watch them. The programming skill I picked up helped along the way, because I was usually was working with older model computers and had to figure ways around the new formats that were coming out so I could still watch them. Anyway, Khan Academy is amazingly helpful these days and it keeps expanding almost everyday. MIT course ware is a life saver for AP and then onto college work. Furthermore, MITx is amazing and I would definitely take it if I weren't already with a full school schedule or wasn't going to to school. Then Reddit where I have a wonderful amalgamation of news, to politics, to ask science has me reading on here several times a day. I love Reddit and all the access to information I get here. You do bring up a salient point about forming to the rules of bureaucracy. I suppose if bureaucracy was drilled in high school more than going to college wouldn't be necessary, but it is; besides, you have a nice environment to meet people and grow. I think it is a fascinating world we live in. I am very grateful for this sometimes clunky computer, because it gives me access to the entire world. It's space may be small and it's capabilities somewhat limited, but I still love it. Hopefully I can learn more than ever on the computer and through books too, but the computer will always be a great supplement. I think one of the most important things is creating a good government, and the knowledge that the computer imparts may actually allow us to create a great state of government, which will employ all the sciences and all the studies from physics to art to philosophy and even more.
I adore technology.. I was born in the 60's and I am amazed at how fast technology changes. I love it, I am excited by every new gadget. I love that I can go to any blog on the net and it automatically translates to English. I am a people person and I can get to know people all over the world.
I like your blog:)
To Isatis_tinctoria, sorry I didn't respond any sooner, I meant to! It kept slipping my mind when I had the chance. But I am glad you also feel so passionately about all of this! It truly is such a wonderful world full of so many opportunities for so many people to connect and share knowledge. There is so much that we can learn from just simple searches on the internet... always wary of false content, of course, but in general it's very accessible and knowledgeable.
To your question, I think this ever-present danger of researching less-than-academic information is always going to work in favor of educational systems. But I think you have a point worth value towards online educations... you really don't actually need to go, physically, to a college nowadays, as more and more have a very good online program available to those who would like to pursue their education through online means entirely. But simply browsing the internet is probably never going to be enough for anyone but the most informative, skillful researcher to gain an equivalent education from the general web.
And lettersfromlaunna, thank you! It's nice to hear that someone likes this blog. Most people don't take the opportunity to comment, so I never know what most people think. I agree wholeheartedly that it's such an incredible thing that we can get to know so many people from all over the world through this wonderful media we have in the internet. I hope you will look at more of the posts, and share your thoughts on them as well! :D
Great job! I remember a couple parts of this post that you shared on Facebook in the recent past and enjoyed them at that time, although disembodied from this greater work.
I particularly like the part "Like most, I imagine, I work a job and have funds automatically deposited to a bank account with every paycheck. I never actually see it. I don’t bring a check to a bank, and my wallet doesn’t grow fat with bills. The money just shows up as if a fundamental part of my being. So long as I utilize only that amount of money, debit purchases are like the simple returns on that labor, to be acquired at will. Each time it deposits it’s like I just became worth that many more dollars, and it’s almost as if I can just walk into places and visit websites and help myself to my desires, as if my presence holds an intrinsic worth only requiring verification by a small piece of plastic and a few numbers. With the simple swipe of a card I can walk out with a cart full of food, or appliances, or video games, or any combination of things I wish to own, or even have them delivered to me. And that little piece of plastic, that card which represents my monetary worth, doesn’t change. It remains safely in my wallet and yet represents so much of what is laid before me to enjoy. I only have to go out and acquire it. Sometimes it feels like I’m not actually purchasing something, I’m just going and grabbing a thing that I want and it’s now mine and later I go and perform some tasks that I enjoy doing and the cycle repeats and the world is just mine to appreciate as I please."
I had commented back then that I remember standing in line with my pay check to cash and/or deposit it. Many people were, and still are, reluctant to get their pay by direct deposit, but for those of you who grew up with it the entire process is so natural.
Thank you for sharing this entire essay...and for singling out several of us who don't take enough time to follow your blog naturally.
I continue to love your writing. I can actually hear you speak much of it as if you were in the room with me.
Keep up the insights with your wonderful perspective.
As a typical adult.from 1991, I've grown accustomed to technology. I too, am amazed at how much it has progressed
The printing is too small and I can't seem to enlarge it using Firefox. But I will come back and visit.
Ah, I'm sorry! I made it a little larger. I hope it helps. Thanks for letting me know.
I liked your thoughts aboutt how technology has advanced. Thanks
Namaste brother, excellent post. I have enjoyed following your meanderings and invite you to follow my site so that we may enjoy your unique perspectives.
In Lka' ech, prosper in truth live in love...
I think there is so much to be said for keeping up with technology that we sometimes lose ourselves in it.
It is a real challenge to keep a handle on all the new social media tools evolving each month it seems.
Great article and just found your blog, so thanks...
When I started college, calculators were quite new, and most of us couldn't afford one, since they ran around $200. This was back in 1972. The majority of us relied on our trusty sliderules. Two or three years later, I was able to buy a simple one for $8 at K-Mart.
And here I am now, with nearly 20 years on the Internet and an iPad, along with a number of other great toys. My cars have features I never would have dreamed of. It has been a privilege to witness the transformation.
Blessings,
Orea
http://orea-highervoice.blogspot.com/
I am a decade and a half older and I can recall life before computers. Then life before the internet. Life before cordless phones. Then life before cell phones. It is absolutely remarkable how each advent of change has opened more doors for us and yet closes only those we choose to stop going through.
I run into problems with technology in the sense that my husband, for example LOVES to be connected. So much so that he has all of his "breaking news" tweets texted to his iPhone.
20 years ago that sentence made no sense!
It is hard to eat a meal with my husband when he is constantly searching his phone for the next piece of news.
But that isn't to be blamed on technology. That is to be blamed on technology advancing so quickly that we, as a society, have not developed etiquette rules that everyone follows. I am sure it will come eventually.
What a great blog. Thought provoking as well as profoundly articulate! I'm glad to have found you, I look forward to more!
Thank you all for sharing your own thoughts, I'm glad so many can relate to this. LDswims and all, thank you for the compliments I really appreciate it! ¦]
I hope you all will explore the other posts, I am working on updating them all for a complete collection. There probably won't be much brand new stuff but I'm hoping updates will show up in the news feeds of followers.
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