Bob, Another excellent, truly fascinating post. Line so many, I delight in the benefits of cellular phones while decrying the interference and disruption they create. On the one hand, they have simplified our lives while simultaneously complicating them immensely. Although I did not comment on it (I should have), I was struck by a view of the audience during Oprah's interview with Kamala Harris. While there was a small live audience, most of the seats in the auditorium were occupied by screens of viewers, including the entire upper tier. It was really creepy. Rick
Every morning when my bride and I have breakfast, when we sit down to eat she grabs her smartphone to check the weather, text messages, etc. I commented once to her that if I had done that with the morning paper she would have been upset, she agreed, but does it anyway. Years ago I paid $150 for three business phone lines and another $40 for a home phone plus long distance charges and Internet was dial up. Today we pay $145 for three mobile phone lines and Home Internet -- unlimited talk, text and data. And $$$$ for software as a service and keeping data in the cloud, streaming, etc. Is it progress?
In his novel THE DIRECTORATE, author Berthold Gambrel imagines a society that has collectively agreed to eschew mobile phones and social media for the greater good.
In 2005 I gave a speech on data storage tech trends at the hard disk drive industry’s annual year-end get-together. “Can you imagine,” I asked, “people happily watching ‘Lost’ or ‘Harry Potter’ on a tiny cell phone instead of a big screen? These things are just so many shiny objects that have temporarily captured the public’s imagination. And seriously, can you imagine a public so trusting and foolish that they would allow their personal data, photos and financial information to be stored in some imaginary cloud?”
Our family has seen the dangers of adolescent screen time up close, and it’s not good. One big problem is the constant reinforcement of one’s opinions. I understand that algorithms are used to present “more of the same.” Obviously, this problem isn’t confined to social media, but social media and isolation magnify the problem. If a young person has thousands of other adolescents telling him his thoughts are correct, and no one online is opposing him, why should he listen to people in his own family?
Regarding item #3, I would note that the American Academy of Pediatrics and the USPSTF started recommending universal screening for depression in adolescence in 2009. The recommendation took a few years to really catch on. The epidemic might be real, but adolescents are notorious solipsists and if you ask them if they might possibly have symptoms of Ebola a significant proportion will say they do.
Today we rely on electromagnetic waves, traveling near the speed of light, to communicate over long distances. Earlier ‘optical’ attempts to communicate over long distances, like smoke signals semaphore, and light from lighthouses were limited by visibility. However, the first successful method for communicating long distances over the horizon came not from the optical sciences, but from metal science (metallurgy); in particular, from the purification of copper, Cu.
Scientist knew that copper was a great conductor of electricity. But like most metals, when stretched to form a wire, copper broke. The ‘breakthrough’ (pun intended) came when chemist learned how to remove impurities from copper — to produce a metal that was 99.999% pure and super ductile. High purity copper could be stretched into wire many miles long without breaking. Only then could copper wire be manufactured for telegraph and later telephone lines. And in 1858, a copper cable, buried in the Atlantic Ocean, carried the first telegraph message between Europe and North America.
Tool or weapon? It depends on how it's used. I am unaware of any that couldn't be used in some way as a weapon, but I'm certainly not aware of all the tools that exist.
And of course the intent of the user of the tool enters into the discussion.
We can't quit inventing new tools (AI anyone) for fear they'll be used as weapons. Of course they will, by someone at some time.
Think you should change the name f your blog to:
Bastiat's Restaurant---Delicious tidbits served!
This batch was marvelous!
Thanks! I think I'll dub this sort of piece a "tapas" post. Small plates of appetizers.
Love this, especially the 1919 cartoon.
Bob, Another excellent, truly fascinating post. Line so many, I delight in the benefits of cellular phones while decrying the interference and disruption they create. On the one hand, they have simplified our lives while simultaneously complicating them immensely. Although I did not comment on it (I should have), I was struck by a view of the audience during Oprah's interview with Kamala Harris. While there was a small live audience, most of the seats in the auditorium were occupied by screens of viewers, including the entire upper tier. It was really creepy. Rick
Thanks! I didn't know about the Kamala / Oprah / screen thing. Strange!
Every morning when my bride and I have breakfast, when we sit down to eat she grabs her smartphone to check the weather, text messages, etc. I commented once to her that if I had done that with the morning paper she would have been upset, she agreed, but does it anyway. Years ago I paid $150 for three business phone lines and another $40 for a home phone plus long distance charges and Internet was dial up. Today we pay $145 for three mobile phone lines and Home Internet -- unlimited talk, text and data. And $$$$ for software as a service and keeping data in the cloud, streaming, etc. Is it progress?
It has changed social mores, hasn't it?
The cartoon from 1919 is fantastic! I love it.
Some related thoughts:
In his novel THE DIRECTORATE, author Berthold Gambrel imagines a society that has collectively agreed to eschew mobile phones and social media for the greater good.
In 2005 I gave a speech on data storage tech trends at the hard disk drive industry’s annual year-end get-together. “Can you imagine,” I asked, “people happily watching ‘Lost’ or ‘Harry Potter’ on a tiny cell phone instead of a big screen? These things are just so many shiny objects that have temporarily captured the public’s imagination. And seriously, can you imagine a public so trusting and foolish that they would allow their personal data, photos and financial information to be stored in some imaginary cloud?”
I have since given up prognosticating.
I predicted in 1993 that you would post this comment. :)
great piece! thanks!
Our family has seen the dangers of adolescent screen time up close, and it’s not good. One big problem is the constant reinforcement of one’s opinions. I understand that algorithms are used to present “more of the same.” Obviously, this problem isn’t confined to social media, but social media and isolation magnify the problem. If a young person has thousands of other adolescents telling him his thoughts are correct, and no one online is opposing him, why should he listen to people in his own family?
Excellent comment.
Another box of chocolates...
Regarding item #3, I would note that the American Academy of Pediatrics and the USPSTF started recommending universal screening for depression in adolescence in 2009. The recommendation took a few years to really catch on. The epidemic might be real, but adolescents are notorious solipsists and if you ask them if they might possibly have symptoms of Ebola a significant proportion will say they do.
Great point!
Today we rely on electromagnetic waves, traveling near the speed of light, to communicate over long distances. Earlier ‘optical’ attempts to communicate over long distances, like smoke signals semaphore, and light from lighthouses were limited by visibility. However, the first successful method for communicating long distances over the horizon came not from the optical sciences, but from metal science (metallurgy); in particular, from the purification of copper, Cu.
Scientist knew that copper was a great conductor of electricity. But like most metals, when stretched to form a wire, copper broke. The ‘breakthrough’ (pun intended) came when chemist learned how to remove impurities from copper — to produce a metal that was 99.999% pure and super ductile. High purity copper could be stretched into wire many miles long without breaking. Only then could copper wire be manufactured for telegraph and later telephone lines. And in 1858, a copper cable, buried in the Atlantic Ocean, carried the first telegraph message between Europe and North America.
Great history and physics lesson!
Tool or weapon? It depends on how it's used. I am unaware of any that couldn't be used in some way as a weapon, but I'm certainly not aware of all the tools that exist.
And of course the intent of the user of the tool enters into the discussion.
We can't quit inventing new tools (AI anyone) for fear they'll be used as weapons. Of course they will, by someone at some time.