About Technology

While my last posting was really more about Image generators listed on Flickr than Flickr tools I want to write now about technology in general a bit. Especially about the Luddites still laying low among us in the workplace and elsewhere.

It is obvious that technology can be overwhelming. Nothing original about that. The pressure to keep up, to do the latest, to have the latest, to provide the most service, to be open 24 hours. And remember that all this refers to the affluent societies. But I have to think that sometimes the Luddites have a point. Remembering that they are not devils out to bring down society, many of them are people who realize that Technology (with a capital T) has never learned the meaning of "Enough." Nor has the drive to make money by marketing this technology. And sometimes enough is enough. And yet the boosters of technology react so strongly when someone suggests a different path to happiness that doesn't involve all this stuff. And yes, vice versa I realize. It reminds one of the discussion by C. P. Snow in the late 1950s about the communication divide between scientists and artists. Lately I have been seeing more evidence of this divide between the supporters of all this technology (no matter what it is) and a few more skeptical individuals in the workplace. Do we really have all these incredible communication tools and yet have no respect for those who disagree?

Yes, we are a society under tremendous pressure to change and to follow the philosophy of "progress." But also remember that our progress has come with a price. You could make a list of hundreds of items- more stress, less quality leisure time, declining intelligence (math, geography, history), alienation, etc. etc. etc. So maybe those skeptical about the benefits of "progress" have a point. At least we can respectfully listen to them and then we can agree to disagree if need be. What we don't need is the "take no prisoners" model of communication. And I have seen it.

So maybe we can envison "progress" as a judicious use of machines so that they serve our happiness and not the companies making them for profit. Isn't a telephone already amazing without watching Dr. Zhivago on a 3 in. screen (cheap shot I know).

These random afternoon musings are not well thought out but you know how it is when you just sense something is wrong and you wonder why does it have to be this way. There is a SF short story called The Waverlies by Fredrick Brown (I believe- 1945) which tells of aliens who simply destroy the power used to run an out of control society. After a period of adjustment life becomes regional. Food is grown locally. Teachers become important. People perform plays, attend dances, and play acoustic instruments. Interesting to think about. Does that society have anything to teach us?

And yes I am aware of the irony of writing this on a powerful computer connected to a huge network. So I must be a Renaissance Luddite.