i,Robot

I'm sitting here flipping channels on TV and I notice a movie that I've seen a zillion times that I like. Nothing else on, so here I sit. Watching i,Robot. It brings to mind endless conversations Chris and I have had.

Technology, getting to big. Everything now-a-days is computerized, automatic, and doesn't need you. Now people don't have social skills, don't understand the art of making things by hand - that espresso is better when you have a barista pulling the shot not a machine. Now - not to sound too conspiracy theorist - the government can find anyone anywhere any time. Now we do nothing for ourselves, but have everything done for us. Now our cars can control us, instead of us controlling it.

So we bought an old car. We plan on tricking it out over the years so that we are self-contained and self-sufficient. And not computerized. Our car is a car. "Technology uncomplicated" is how Chris phrases it. Low-tech life. Not no-tech, low-tech.

We do not want to get to the point where our car can decide where we go, that someone could hack our car and keep us trapped. We're going to have computers and phones and so forth. But at the end of the day, we are the ones in control.

I find it interesting that fictional writers and some movie people can see the potential. Writers going "no man, look, this stuff can get outta our hands real quick" (but more eloquently) but the daily Joe who USES all this technology can't see past his belly. And I suppose that's what it is - people even before all this technology didn't use it, could get by without it, and didn't much care for it I would theorize. People now-a-days not only use it but NEED it. Of course he can't see past his belly - he doesn't know how to do otherwise.

 I say a barista pulling a shot is better than a machine doing it, but how long will it be until people no longer know how because they don't need to - machines just always do it. People already have started to loose the ability to cook, to entertain themselves, to communicate. Will we be surprised when we can't even make our own espresso any more?

And truly, it won't be their fault. We can't breed useless people then blame them for being so. Like that line from Ever After (that's right, I like my Cinderella stories). She proclaims that the kingdom basically breeds thieves, then punishes them for something they have no say over. Society is doing that to the next here. Society pushes us to go with this way of life - this technology-driven way. Now how many parents are proclaiming that their children can't do half the stuff they did when they were the childrens' age? Even you 20-40 year old children. I know a lot of people with kids tell me how we young whippersnappers don't know how to do this, or won't do that, or can't do the other anymore.

In twenty years we'll be saying how back in our day we pulled our own espresso shots. Had people who's entire job it was JUST to pull espresso. Now you stick your cup under a machine and speak the words of what you want to it and it spits it out. No skill needed. No effort needed. People anymore don't appreciate espresso. Can't. Don't know what goes into it. Why, back in my day it took SKILL! Not everyone could do it. Some were better than others. But you kids anymore just don't get it.

Yeah, that'll be us. Because of technology. Nope - me, I'm avoiding all that stuff. Have fun with that....