Imagine waking up one morning to
find technology missing from our lives - proof that one man's dream
is another’s nightmare…
AD: Hey, what’s up? You seem deep in
thought…
BC: What would happen if there was no
noise from the TV and radio, no live streaming from the internet, no
hazardous rays from the mobile, no…
AD: Wait! Are you trying to wipe out
technology?
BC: No, just imagining a more peaceful
life…
AD: You’re taking us back to the dark
ages!
BC: That’s ridiculous. Not too long
ago, we were living without these devices.
AD: When you have conveniences and
don’t make use of them, you’re…
BC: …an idiot?
AD: Well, I was going to say that
you’re behind the times. Imagine waiting for a newspaper to bring
you today’s news tomorrow! For instance, T20 matches happen in
under four hours – so why wait for 24 hours to know the result?
BC: The way we are playing, one doesn’t
have to depend on technology to know the result – a basic knowledge
of the game is enough.
AD: You’re being too hard on the
boys. But even your newspaper is a product of technology, isn’t it?
Not too long ago, you had a newspaper with a talking ad.
BC: Look at the way people are getting
hooked to new-age inventions – they seem to go mad without a day’s
internet!
AD: I’ve seen you in the mornings
when your newspaper is late – and man, are you grouchy!
BC: I have reason to be – I've grown
old! But you wake up with an alarm from your smart phone, which you
pick up before you pick your toothbrush up, and check your messages
and your mail.
AD: That’s because our offices in
other time zones work when we sleep and we need to know if there’s
a fire on elsewhere.
BC: Really? Back in our days, we
probably were good at reading smoke signals - there were fires back
then too, you see.
AD: Maybe these are new-age fires that
need new-age gadgets…
BC: But then, you don’t need a fire
to cook your breakfast. You get it out of a microwave that you
control with your mobile, probably through Bluetooth…
AD: Actually, a microwave that can be
remote-controlled by smartphones via Wi-Fi is being launched in
Korea. But hey, you use technology as much as I do, so don't crib…
BC: Do I?
AD: Yes, you check your sugar level
every morning – you need a glucometer. Once you get the bad news,
it's time for the day’s shopping...
BC: At least it’s not online.
AD: But what you take home is an
end-result of a complex supply chain management software, an
accounting software, a bar code, a scanner device, automated billing…
BC: Look, we're discussing a whole
generation that's addicted to technology, like people get addicted to
tobacco or alcohol. They can’t do without it. I see kids using
their mobiles non-stop, even when they’re in the company of
friends.
AD: That’s multitasking!
BC: There was a news item recently
about pilots who are struggling to handle mid-air problems because of
their ‘automation addiction’.
AD: Do you think they have rehabs for
these?
BC: I don’t know, but if flights are
flown more on autopilot than by a pilot, things could get worse.
AD: What do you mean?
BC: You could have a whole generation
that’ll need GPS to get back home from work every evening.
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