new technology doesn't solve all
10 december 2006 :: john
I'd like to poke holes in the assumption that new technology is always superior to doing things "old school."
Progress seems to suggest that any task can be done better with technology. The technology "solution" is almost always more expensive and complicated than the old method it replaces. Headaches abound. And after the smoke clears, the end result is often no better than as obtained doing it the "old" way. Sometimes, it's much, much worse.
Some examples of what I mean:
Computers and PDAs to manage information. Lose power, have file corruption, forget to sync your data and you're hosed. Paper and pen have always been faster, easier to use, and have lasted the centuries. What electronic computer has?
Tell me that you "have to use that tech because that's how it's done," and I'll respond that you've been seduced by the allure of technology.
Try the Hipster PDA. You can make one in less than 5 minutes! You'll be amazed by its Zero boot time, its low cost and its inability to become obsolete.
The use of a car for every trip no matter what is another fallacy of "better living through technology." At our house, we regularly get groceries, supplies, 50 lbs of bird feed...even awkward things like shower rods - on our BIKES, and get them home faster than if we'd used the car. Plus, we feel great.
As anyone who maintains a car knows, any $1000-plus repair bill can leave you REALLY wondering if the whole mess is worth it. You feel like you "have to" use a car. But do you? Really?
We in this culture have a love affair with techology, friends. We've been sold on the idea that only losers and idiots do things without involving fuel, microchips and huge infrastructures needed to supply and maintain them.
In reality the only ones who depend on this stuff for their existance are the companies who sell it to us. No black ink, no business.
As always, feel free to contribute ideas, information, articles, links... send to: thinkplan.