Sometimes technology’s ease-of-use amazes me. Kerry had a church orchestra rehearsal this Saturday morning in Saline and I decided to drive her. While she was there I went to one of my favorite coffee shops in Saline to do my Saturday morning ritual (coffee+paper+good book). Normally I’m in and out of this coffee shop pretty fast but today was the first in a long time where I actually got to sit down. Quickly I realized they have free wireless Internet so I pulled out my powerbook and started downloading my NRP podcasts and blogging. I remember being a teenager and getting Internet access one year for Christmas. It took about 10 minutes for your 18 baud modem to connect and there was no DNS. You had to have what was called “The Internet Yellow Pages” that would tell you where to go. Now, maybe 10 years later if you find yourself with 5 extra minutes you can connect in a matter of seconds in a coffee shop through the air.
I’m amazed in my teenage-adult life how far technology has come. However, now that I’m about to be a father I find myself asking, “What technology will be out there when my kid is 10, 15 or 21?” My guess is that the Internet will no longer be something that you connect to but rather something that is integrated in your everyday life. The idea of any information, at anytime, anywhere. You are beginning to see that with the creation of wireless devices, however I still believe they have a ways to go. Of course, I hope that with the creation of all this stuff that we never do away with low-tech activities such as reading a good book, or meeting in person with friends and family. I’ve always been a believer that technology can both bring us closer together and father apart.
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