Jacob Anderson
Professor Rowley
English 114B
February 18, 2012
The Life and Times of Technology
Since
the invention of the wheel, technology has made human life easier helping our
society. Before modern technology day-to-day life was at a much slower pace,
society relied solely on manual labor. Since then technology has become a race
to the most efficient product. Such as the invention of televisions, radios,
automobiles, and cell phones. Although we have such efficient products today
what is stopping us from creating products in the future such as hydro cars
that make our lives much more resourceful. The great life of technology is a
long one, and has not only helped people of the present day, but the past, and
the future.
In
Society Is Dead, We Have Retreated Into the iWorld author Andrew
Sullivan implies that life would be better without the creation of machines, he
states “It’s Narcissus heaven: we’ve finally put the ‘I’ into Me.”(Para. 9)
However before modern technology the way in which people lived their daily
lives would be considered primitive in today’s society. For example before
vehicles were produced people had no option but to walk from destination to
destination. In our eyes this would be ridiculous and a waste of time. Another
example of the lack of technology and how it has helped us tremendously since
the past would be the fact that before television and radio the only way to let
your imagination free and to relax would be to come across a book and start
reading. Books although may not be a thing of the past are definitely becoming
used less and less. When thinking about cell phones our society today envisions
an electronic device not only used for pleasure but also a means of
communication specifically for emergencies, such as 911 calls or a personal
call to a family member. Before cell phones or any electrical device used for
communication our society relied on word of mouth or letters, which were
obviously much more ineffective as the resources we have today.
In
the past several years our technology has become more advanced and is of great
use in every day sonorous. Today we use automobiles to travel from one
destination to the other giving us more time for leisure and academic
activities. Meg Kluge one of three authors of Is Being “Plugged In” Changing
Campus Life? A Conversation expresses her feelings about technology today
she says “there is nothing inherently wrong with cell phones, computers,
headphones… But I have some real problems with the roles they are taking in our
society—both civic and campus.”(Para 4) Although she has every rite to an
opinion Kluge must consider the positive points to current machines. When
something goes wrong medically we not only have a greater knowledge on medicine
because of online courses and the ability to research medical articles but a
numerous amount of medical machines such as x-rays and cat scans to help be
certain of the problem. These machines as well as others help us in every way
possible. They are much safer alternatives and in some cases faster. For
example when Henry Ford created Ford Motor Company he was the first to use
factory machines as well as human workers to create a faster and economical way
to produce vehicles.
When
speaking of the life of technology one may only wonder how far we will be able
to go. Author Jason Holt even describes the possibility of human machines in
the article Artificial Minds he writes, “Can computers do what we can?
Yes. Are artificial minds possible? Yes. That’s the way out.”(Para. 1) Consider
the idea for hybrid cars, in the past it was an idea that would have made
scientists and technicians laugh but now it is a reality. So when thinking of
futuristic prototypes one must realize that anything is possible and that these
prototypes may make our future lives even more efficient. One example may be
the possibility of a hydro car; a car solely runs off of water. This concept
would not only solve our crisis and need for oil but also help cut down the
pollution that the new technology adds to our atmosphere.
Throughout
history technology has changed the way humans go about living their lives. The
ideas and triumphs of technology in the past has helped shape what the world
can do today. Pioneers like Henry Ford with the assembly line, Steve Jobs and
Bill Gates, and Thomas Edison and the light bulb, have made advances that have
shaped our world. Without these vital things, human life would not have evolved
the way it has today. For what the future holds we can only guess. However one
thing is for sure, technology will continue to benefit all forms of human life.
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