Slaves to Our Technology

The Internet has been down in my domain for a fair chunk of the afternoon. The post I had planned to write this afternoon will not be published because it is too involved, and I no longer have enough time with a meeting this evening and other responsibilities to give it the kind of thought necessary to post something that is at least somewhat coherent. I could not send, until a few moments ago, two important emails in which the work I was finishing involved deadlines. To be sure, I have plenty to keep me busy that does not involved being online, but when the day is planned and the schedule is underway, these kinds of interruptions are not welcome.

A few years ago when I lived in another place, one morning a storm took out the power all over the town. After the storm was over, I went to the post office to buy a book of stamps. I could not because the power was down. I asked if I could pay cash and get the stamps. I was told that as long as the power was out, no business transactions could be made.

I have been and remained amazed at the brilliant minds who have given us all the technology we enjoy. I am even more amazed that these folks keep developing even more sophisticated ways of communicating and computing, and doing all the things that we now take for granted our technological age. And things continue to move quite rapidly. (I recently told my children to their amazement that my first personal computer didn't even have a hard drive. The programs were loaded by a 5 and a quarter inch floppy disk.)

And while I am so impressed and welcome all the new developments, today I was reminded of what a slave I have become to the technology that I no longer can live without.

Do I have any profound point to make as I ramble? Not at all... I'm just thinking off the top of my continually-graying head.

Things are not what they used to be.