What do you wish you could have technology wise in the future? Specifically, if you could have your phone do anything, what would it do?
Growing up in the nineties, one was often outside as much as inside. Yes, technology was starting to “take over” in the form of laptop computers, mobile (cell) phones, video games, and more. I remember that we did have a Nintendo 64 with Super Mario Brothers and Sonic. My sisters played with it more than I did; I preferred to be off daydreaming and reading stories, escaping into imaginary worlds. My oldest sister had a clamshell Macbook in blue that she gave to me once she got an iBook G4 (I also ended up getting that one as well). And I got my first cell phone at sixteen.
Once Upon a Birthday
Funny story, my parents set the ringtone to be “Happy Birthday” and called my number to wake me up in the morning. However, since I am hard-of-hearing and wear hearing aids, it did not wake me up. They ended up coming in, waking me up and handing me the box. I still didn’t hear the phone, but felt it vibrating. Opening it, I found a silver flip phone. I loved that phone, with its’ click when you opened and closed it. While I had an extremely hard time hearing on it, I discovered the joy of texting. And have yet to go back to really talking on a phone. Though now with FaceTime, Google Hangouts, and even apps like Marco Polo, or Glide, it’s easier to talk “face-to-face” with family or friends.
Technology Now
Phones – and hearing aids – have also advanced so that it will connect directly. I recently was able to get new hearing aids and my mobile connects automatically to my hearings aids so music and calling comes in directly to my ears instead of trying to find the microphone on my hearing aids. On that note, now mobiles are also music players. There is not a separate need for a iPods or Zunes, Walkman, or a record player.
Mobile phones have turned into mini computers – the internet and all the “google” searching at the tips of your fingers. Not only do you have the internet, but also music, cameras and photography apps, messaging, and more. Is there anything that we could want the phone to do that it already does?
When I think about that, I’m not sure. I mean, I’d love to have a phone, or a computer, that can simply type up exactly what I am thinking so I don’t have to think about what I’m going to say (type) next. Yes, I know that I would have to go back through and weed out the extras. But wouldn’t that be lovely? Or what if your phone could drive your car? I’d really like that as I really don’t like driving. I love good, solid, public transportation.
The Trapping of Technology
On the other hand, I think we often are too fascinated by the technology and its’ traps. I try not to be on my phone with my little one, so that he can see my face and interact with me and his dad instead of seeing just a phone in my hand. But it’s hard – my phone is also my camera so I can record his first laughs, first steps, and eventually first words. It’s also my playlist for when I’m jogging with him, and my way to talk to his grandparents. It’s my calculator, even a word processor if I don’t have my laptop. And it’s where I can quickly look up information or check a status.
So while I strive to not have my phone attached to my hand, more times than I care to admit, I pick it up when I’m playing with him. It’s become so ingrained in our society that we have a hard time disassociating from it.
Is this really what I want my son to grow up in? The T.V. show Continuum has a phone that is connected to their brain (I guess their brain?) – they can search by thinking, rewind basics of their days to rewatch, and as soon as their pregnant, they will know if it’s a boy or a girl. Is this what society is going towards if we continue pushing the limits of our technology?
Lasting Technology
I’m not sure. I don’t know. I love technology, but as I’ve mentioned before, I love all the vintage technology too – polaroids, typewriters, record players, and more. Can we really have a society who is “in-touch” with each other and still have all the wonders of technology?
Who knows. But I still have the Clamshell Macbook – and it works, even connecting to the internet through an ethernet cord. Sometimes, vintage technology can last even through the changes.
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