Before I start I need to say - Happy Pi day. Go check out the Pi videos on Numberphile's YouTube Channel.
My wife's iPad broke, or at least the screen did. Cracked is more like it. But we are already looking at how to replace it. and since she's thinking of one with more memory, that will mean an upgrade. While I believe we will be able to hold out for while it is still something that got moved up the priorities list. Also, After backing up her iPad, I figured I better back up my iPod touch - you know, just in case. One thing led to another and here I am staying up late to install new software on the thing. It wasn't supposed to take this long.
Four years ago I said that I didn't need an iPod. I didn't have enough music to fill one. But then my work had a spring training conference. Three days of sessions, outings and speakers. It was a lot of fun. But then the big finisher. A dutch over cook-off and the drawing for the grand prize, an iPod touch. Guess who won? Me obviously. It was my official introduction to the world of mobile technology.
When I worn out that iPod touch I realized that I needed a new one. I would like to say that this need was not due to a feverish, addicted senses of the word, but rather a "I used it to organize my life" mentality. There may have been some withdrawal influencing my decision or the fact that the first was a 2nd gen and now they had 4th gen that fueled the desire to replace it. When all was said and done though, it was an honest evaluation that in order to remain organized of everything from my E-mail, calendar and even my finances I would need to replace it.
When did I get so dependent on technology? At first the iPod was a luxury, but what turned it into a necessity? Perhaps the bigger question is, at what point did society become so dependent on technology?
Perhaps even that is the wrong question. If you look up "the history of technology" on Wikipedia it starts with a picture of the wheel. Technology is what some people argue sets us apart from other lifeforms. Our ability to mold our surroundings to our purposes is unique. There are animals that use tools however, how many animals have used those tools to change their surroundings. Even from a religious point of view, Adam and Eve were sent "to till the ground from whence [they were] taken" (Genesis 3:23). Without technology they could not have tilled the ground. So using technology is an integral aspect of our species. Even the Amish, known for their desire to live simply have some pretty impressive stuff. One line I found interesting in the Amish story is "the more technology they add, the more technology they need."
So at what point did society become so dependent on technology? The answer seems clear - when we started adding to it. Perhaps the only was to avoid a dependence on technology is to keep from adding to it. Compare these two clips from The Gods Must Be Crazy comparing the Bushman of the Kalahari and the modernized (1980s) world. (Or just watch the whole show - it's delightful). In many ways the Bushman live like the chimp do in the "animals that use tools" clip. They don't change their environment but have simply adapted to it.
We have made our world with technology whether it be the plow to till the earth or the space shuttle to explore new Earths. Am I an advocate for returning to the state of the bushman? No. I love modern technology am pretty sure that My survival skills in a primitive environment would only last me so long. Eagle Scout award included. It's interesting that I should happen upon an article from the Chronicle of Higher Education's The Chronicle Review today as I write this. The title - "Misguided Nostalgia for Our Paleo Past" I won't try to sum up everything there in, but the subheading is "We weren't well adapted then, we aren't maladapted now." I'll end with the final paragraph from Marlene Zuk's article
My wife's iPad broke, or at least the screen did. Cracked is more like it. But we are already looking at how to replace it. and since she's thinking of one with more memory, that will mean an upgrade. While I believe we will be able to hold out for while it is still something that got moved up the priorities list. Also, After backing up her iPad, I figured I better back up my iPod touch - you know, just in case. One thing led to another and here I am staying up late to install new software on the thing. It wasn't supposed to take this long.
Four years ago I said that I didn't need an iPod. I didn't have enough music to fill one. But then my work had a spring training conference. Three days of sessions, outings and speakers. It was a lot of fun. But then the big finisher. A dutch over cook-off and the drawing for the grand prize, an iPod touch. Guess who won? Me obviously. It was my official introduction to the world of mobile technology.
When I worn out that iPod touch I realized that I needed a new one. I would like to say that this need was not due to a feverish, addicted senses of the word, but rather a "I used it to organize my life" mentality. There may have been some withdrawal influencing my decision or the fact that the first was a 2nd gen and now they had 4th gen that fueled the desire to replace it. When all was said and done though, it was an honest evaluation that in order to remain organized of everything from my E-mail, calendar and even my finances I would need to replace it.
When did I get so dependent on technology? At first the iPod was a luxury, but what turned it into a necessity? Perhaps the bigger question is, at what point did society become so dependent on technology?
Perhaps even that is the wrong question. If you look up "the history of technology" on Wikipedia it starts with a picture of the wheel. Technology is what some people argue sets us apart from other lifeforms. Our ability to mold our surroundings to our purposes is unique. There are animals that use tools however, how many animals have used those tools to change their surroundings. Even from a religious point of view, Adam and Eve were sent "to till the ground from whence [they were] taken" (Genesis 3:23). Without technology they could not have tilled the ground. So using technology is an integral aspect of our species. Even the Amish, known for their desire to live simply have some pretty impressive stuff. One line I found interesting in the Amish story is "the more technology they add, the more technology they need."
We have made our world with technology whether it be the plow to till the earth or the space shuttle to explore new Earths. Am I an advocate for returning to the state of the bushman? No. I love modern technology am pretty sure that My survival skills in a primitive environment would only last me so long. Eagle Scout award included. It's interesting that I should happen upon an article from the Chronicle of Higher Education's The Chronicle Review today as I write this. The title - "Misguided Nostalgia for Our Paleo Past" I won't try to sum up everything there in, but the subheading is "We weren't well adapted then, we aren't maladapted now." I'll end with the final paragraph from Marlene Zuk's article
But in a larger sense, we all sometimes feel like fish out of water, out of sync with the environment we were meant to live in. If gnawing on that rib or jogging barefoot through the mud is therapeutic, enjoy. But know that should you wish to join us, the scientific evidence will gladly welcome you to the 21st century, in all its inevitable anxious uncertainty.I've got to go. My computer is telling me to clean up its hard drive.
You make some really good points. There are some times when it takes more effort to avoid the technology than to just use it in the first place. There is technology that I avoid, and others I can't live without. It is the old adage, all things in moderation.
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