Do we rely too much on Technology?

I use tech, but can live without it

but, I'm old, like veitnam old.

I remember in 1983 being pround to be able to commnicate with Washington DC from Hawaii in only 30 seconds.

think about that for a few days.

now, you can talk with anyone almost anywhere on the planet, in realtime.

want to see tech evolution over a period of time? Watch "Buffy" and "Angel" episodes, they start with nothing, get pagers, then flip cell phones. Nope no smart phones for these kids, the internet is thru a PC with CRT in latter episodes.

My wife and I watch older movies and always at some point in the move, one of us will say "just use your cell phone".

Modern Tech ruins quite a few older movie plot lines......

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I think you're on to something. I believe we absolutely DO rely on technology too much. An example of this is people who use GPS for directions when driving. To me GPS is unreliable so no matter where I'm traveling to I look at a map and plot my course. My kids, 29 and 31, think I'm crazy because of it- but who is really crazy when they get in a dead zone and GPS isn't working while crazy old Mom keeps on trucking?

My hubs started teaching the grandgirl how to read a road atlas while she was here for the summer. She will be an anomaly of her generation!

a reply to: thedigirati

You look so good in your avatar pic.

a reply to: GeauxHomeYoureDrunk

Not many people know it but if you click on the GPS screen it shows and old style top down view of a map. Same rules on how to read it apply.

I think the issue is not that we depend on technology so much. It's just the nature of all our technology does less to improve our lives and more to make us economic slaves to the people peddling the wares.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk
Well this new technology, microwaves, all electric cookers etc. what's wrong with you FCD??? You turned into the resident chef come foodie, now you question technology?

I work mainly in the New Forest (S.England) and as the name suggests is fairly rural and the phone coverage is patchy at best.

I spend a lot of time telling tourists where they are as they get lost all the time, had a group of teens/early twenties out for a walk the other day and as they passed where i was working i said 'Morning, you off for a walk to nowhere?' they stopped and asked me what i meant - they were taking a road that would only take them to a major road, so after a few miles they would have to turn round and come back. They asked me which way they should go and i produced a map of the area from the car - didn't help them in the slightest as it didn't have a 'zoom' lol.
I pointed them in the direction of the nearest pub and wished them well.

Often they have a real map from whichever campsite they are staying in but rarely do they know where they are on it.

Another fast disappearing skill

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I think we rely on tech too much, but not necessarily for the same reasons. I think cars that have tons of features are making our driving habits lazy. The only thing that's been needed is the backup cameras. Lane alerts and self braking, etc., make people way too reliable on the car's computer. Smart phones and social media are also bad. We're moving towards the future too fast and it's about to kick us in the ass. It took us 200 years to make the first automobile. In the last 10 years, cars and phones have changed and introduced faster, bigger, more tech advanced every year. It's like a slow heartbeat that starts getting faster and faster and is now on the brink of explosion.

a reply to: gallop

Your edit... I read it... It got me.

a reply to: Nickn3

I think schools should teach courses on survival and how to read a compass. Things like that.

I don't own a smart phone, I do not own a GPS, I do have a couple of good compasses I can use if I need them. I try to avoid high technology, but you cannot get away from it completely.

This comes from a guy who was just out cleaning out two gas Impulse nailers on the picnic table up until twenty minutes ago. I ordered two new batteries for them on Amazon, the oldest two needed replacement. The fuel cells in them expired in 2007. So I had to buy a couple of fuel cells too.

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
Is technology our demise?

No, but considering technology the solution to all our problems may be.

Do we rely too much on technology?

What is "too much"? Technology is a way of providing tools to solve problems, so if we allow the problems to happen just because we know we have a way of solving them I think we are looking at things the wrong way.

Do we rely too much on tech? We kind of always have been. Tech makes us more efficient, smarter, less wasteful and speeds the rate at which we can advance. It also unlocks more doors and possibilities. That has always been the case going back to creating and controlling fire.

I would argue we’re excessively reliant on social media in general - so that component of tech, yes. so many risks associated with SM that people for some reason choose to ignore.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Without technology, we will always be stuck in the one place.

We are really at the mercy of the Sun. It has the capability of removing all of our electricity and communications, and without them, our current reliance level would certainly result in the deaths of many.

We need to harden our technology to be able to withstand a huge Proton event. We know they happen at least every thousand years or so, and it could be that we are statistically due for one very soon.

How we go about that will challenge our best minds and workforce. We just have to do this, if we want to survive the next one.

a reply to: charlyv

At any given moment our Sun emits about 3.86x1026 watts or about 3.8 x 1033 ergs of energy.

Imagine if we could tame such power?

Should we ever manage to industrialize and/or colonies our own low Earth orbit, we will be able to at least harvest a portion of such via solar energy collection.