Technological Friday Five

Yesterday I had two separate conversations in which people were musing about how much change is occurring. The WW II generation, of which my mom is a part, went from horse and buggy to automobiles, saw the lessening, or even the end of many diseases, went from widespread use of kerosene lamps and outhouses (in the country, and most folks were rural)) to a totally electrified and plumbed society. The fastest means of communication was a telegraph. The second conversation--gulp--was about MY generation and how much change occurred in the last half of the 20th century. The person said his 13 year old had not seen a vinyl record album until a few days before, couldn't remember a time without cell phones, and on and on.

As for the questions!

1. What modern convenience/invention could you absolutely, positively not live
without?

My iPod. I resisted getting one for quite some time, and now I’ve no idea why I would do such a thing. It is my companion on the treadmill, driving to conferences, riding the bus to the office. Errands around the house? NPR Podcasts make a great soundtrack. BUT I’ve noticed that it can definitely separate me from the world around me, so I try to abstain from using it too much around the family. That having been said, we definitely enjoy car trips with a couple episodes of “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” to pass the miles!

2. What modern convenience/invention do you wish had never seen the light of day?
Why?

I don’t have a problem with cell phones, but I could really do without text messaging and Blackberries. There’s something anti-social about watching our students stop in mid-conversation to tell someone “LOL.” On my way back from Nashville a few weeks ago, I spent a good portion of a plane ride watching an officious, overweight businessman flaunt FAA rules with his Crackberry; I wanted to rip the damned thing out of his pudgy hands and throw it into the toilet.

3. Do you own a music-playing device older than a CD player? More than one? If
so, do you use it (them)?

Nope – but we do own a car with a tape deck, no CD player. We use a trusty “tape with a cord” for a portable CD player or my iPod. My parents bought a stereo about ten years ago, and they had to look long and hard to find one with a vinyl record player for all their old Statler Brothers / Peter, Paul & Mary / Herb Alpert records.

4. Do you find the rapid change in our world exciting, scary, a mix...or something
else?
Nothing, really – technology, as wonderful as it can be, is only a tool. The 42” plasma TV we were lusting after a few weeks ago remains a dream, and that’s no problem for us. When it becomes a problem, then we know that we’re putting too much value into our stuff.

5. What did our forebears have that we have lost and you'd like to regain? Bonus
points if you have a suggestion of how to begin that process.

1. The joy of creation. My great-great-grandfather built much of what he used with his own hands. My grandparents were accomplished cooks, toolmakers, toy-menders, etc. I would love to be more of a creator and far less the consumer that I am.
2. The rhythm of life. I truly believe we are meant to follow the seasons and the sun, and electricity, with all its benefits, does give us the false impression that we are the ones in charge of our lives.

Now, as to how we can begin the process: start creating, start listening to the world around us. When the sun goes down, I try to go down with it – I’ve been known to spend some time in the basement with only one lamp by which I read, and I find that I sleep much more soundly when I do so. I try to make my own food as much as possible, and to find ways to fix and reuse the stuff we own rather than just pitching it and buying something new. It’s just a start, but it feels like I’m being a better steward by doing so. AND sometimes technology can play a part, too. After all, downloading the latest Chieftains CD to my computer and my iPod doesn’t use any natural resources: no plastic for the CD and jewel case, no paper for the insert, etc. The issue is really stewardship, not the ethics of the things themselves. Or so I think as I sit here blogging and listening to Pandora via my computer – good stuff, eh?