Module 2 Blog Post

 Where to start this week? I feel like there was so much information packed into this lesson that picking it apart is nearly impossible. 

"The History of the Telephone" video was enlightening to say the least. The technology we have grown accustomed to now makes the telephone seem prehistoric at this point. Although I am old enough to tell my kids about rotary phones and call waiting, that seems like a distant memory; like something learned in a book. Speaking of books...

What are books? When did we get so far away from libraries and the smell of old pages, highlighters, and bookmarks? I'm an avid reader. I like a little of everything. But only after ordering my textbooks for my courses this semester did I realize how digital I've become. Kindle has become my go to for one of my favorite hobbies. I realized last semester though that a textbook on Kindle is just not the same--as in, I NEED paper and pen to function and truly commit things to memory--so this semester I opted for actual paper-bound books, and frankly, that feels odd now. I can't help but wonder what Gutenberg would think now? Would he feel like his work was for nothing, or be proud of the pioneer that he really was? 

When did technology take over? One of my favorite sayings is "Electronics are great, as long as they are working." Short of Wifi drops, cell tower outages, and cracked screens, is anything not working these days? Without the pioneers of the now basic technology, would we be where we are today? With the invention of the phone, did they ever imagine that people would carry them in their hands everywhere and be glued to them like we are? Is it possible that we are getting so used to the idea of talking to and through a screen so much that before long, that will be our only interactions? Will checking out at the store be done through some sci-fi holographic form of a human? Will ordering fast food only be done through apps and screens? 

When I was a kid, I remember staring down at the Pac-Man machine in the lobby of the Pizza Hut while we waited for food to hit the table. I was so engulfed by that flat piece of glass separating me from the digital world beneath it. I wondered how it all worked. How did the lights know exactly when and where to change? I had no idea one day the entire world would operate behind a glass like that. Coming from the days of BMG Music orders, libraries, and Highlights, I still can't believe how much I prefer the ease of an Amazon, Kroger, or Walmart order over actual shopping. I'm not as sure that I'm addicted to social media as I am to digital versions of life and conveniences in general.