Computers and Electronic Toys
Technological Dependence or Modern Day Personal Development?
by Paul N. Dion
I am addicted to technology. I admit it and I understand that is the first step to healing. I awake at approximately 6:00 a.m. daily and do this without the assistance of an alarm clock, even though two (digital) are physically present in the room. I don’t need them and I can visibly see the time projected on the ceiling above my bed throughout the night. My sleep is, in fact, assured by the heated and humidified air forced to my lungs by the CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine I utilize to keep me breathing throughout the night. The home in which I live also sleeps at night but timers trip lights on and off at set times and a host of devices with “stand by” lights happily glow throughout the darker hours lending navigational aid to those who may wander nocturnally. Should a miscreant attempt to enter my home without authorization, each window and door is wirelessly connected to an alarm system that will audibly warn me as well as directly phone the a monitoring service which will, in turn, send the authorities if needed. This same system has the capacity to warn me about fire, smoke and even carbon monoxide in my home. As I arise, I smell the freshly brewed coffee smell coming from the kitchen, as the automatic brewer as prepared this morning ritual automatically and to my great delight. After getting my coffee, I enter my home office. Therein you find my greatest TechnoToy, the computer. Specs: Dell Dimension XPS 3.20 GHz Pentium 4 CPU with 2 GB of RAM, using Microsoft XP Service Pack 2 in a RAID(0) array with the use of 200GB of hard drive space, a 256MB DDR ATI Radeon 9800 XT video card, Samsung CD-R/RW, TEAC DVD+RW, Logitech Quickcam, Kensington Expert Mouse, HP Scanjet 4570c scanner, Epson Stylus Color 880 Inkjet, HP Color Laserjet 2500L, Linksys Wireless-G router, Surfboard Cable Modem, BCM V.92 56k Modem for computer enabled fax transmissions, two Viewsonic FLD monitors, and a 115MB external USB 2.0 hard drive all with a sound system that rivals any stand-alone home audio system on the market. Besides the computer, the office contains a wireless telephone, stand-alone fax machine and a large-display caller ID box in addition to a complete home audio system that includes a 300 disc CD changer, a double-deck cassette player (which I never use) aswell as a receiver and a totally outdated turntable. On the shelves are littered small devices such as a USB-stick MP3 player, wireless headset telephone, wireless telephone computer interface cable along with various headsets, compact flash cards, electronic postage scale, digital camera, digital camcorder and a blender, I think. My office adjoins the music room in which is two electronic keyboards that can reproduce the sounds of hundreds of musical instruments with digital clarity and accuracy. The Yamaha Tyros Workstation keyboard has an actual hard drive and floppy drive (as does the Yamaha PSR-740). The workstation is connected to a Yamaha EMX66m powered mixer that can accept input from 6 microphones and three instruments. It can add individual effects to each input and run the signal through various filters and an equalizer. It is capable of producing a volume loud enough to be heard in the next county if turned past about half-volume (and it has a separate sub-woofer). Yes, my home is comfortably endowed with all manner of technology but I can still access some of it when I venture out into the wild, unwired world. Before I leave home, I forward my land telephone line calls to my wireless cell phone. I arm my home security system as I leave and as I walk down the steps of my front yard, I push a button on my keychain and unlock the doors to my truck. The truck lights playfully blink twice to signal its understanding of my command. Then, with the push of a different button, I actually start the truck running. When outside my home but still on my property, I note some less exotic but clearly technology-based amenities such as the fountains that display cascading water, the automatic lights of the barn, duck house and chicken coop, and the security lighting on all 4 sides of my home, some of which come on automatically at dusk or when sensing motion. Back inside, the second most technologically enmeshed room would have to be the living room. At first glance, the room looks deceivingly analog…but with a peek behind the shoji screen you find a 53 inch Toshiba High Definition projection television. It is serviced by a home stereo system with speakers in the 4 corners of the room, a DVD player, VCR, and a TIVO. The television can display 5 video modes and accept input from five sources (and even display two sources at the same time). The TIVO records programming onto a hard drive (no media) for time-shifting of my favorite programs. I can even pause live TV and resume as I see fit. TIVO “knows” what I like and records programs for me as determined by my viewing habits and with some small input I may occasionally give it. The TIVO runs on a Linux system and never shuts off. It came with a 30GB ard drive, but I hacked the TIVO and installed a companion hard drive and increased its storage capacity about threefold. The cable service offers me hundreds of channels from which to choose. In addition to pay-per-view, I can watch and re-watch any show on a pay service I have subscribed to with a service called “on demand.” Although High Definition programming is available and I have the physical equipment to receive a high definition signal, I do not take advantage of this particular technology (yet). The house contains 4 cable boxes, each with its own television. In fact, the set in the cellar (exercise room) has its own stereo system, DVD player and VCR, as does the set in the den. In the corner of the room is a propane heating stove that I can start electronically with the touch of a button. Instant fire. So adept at technology am I that word has spread and I have been asked to bring the joy of technology to others. I build computers; install hardware and software and coach peripherals and other machines to play nice with computers and audio/video equipment. I can program VCR machines (for those without TIVO), use and set up digital cameras to connect and interact with computers and even set you up with a digital camera that will print your pictures without the use of a computer. PDA? No problem. MP3 players, a breeze! Bring it on. Yes, all this technology assists us, supports us, entertains us and most importantly, distracts us. As for the addicted component of my association with technology, well, I’m afraid it’s true. There’s nothing sadder than seeing me sitting in the dark (with perhaps a candle) during a power outage. No computer screen’s comforting glow, no television’s company, no techno-security or wireless communications. Indeed, the darkness is all the more dark when not a choice but the result of being forced off-line at the source. Being off the grid…and having some downtime. Sometimes, I wonder what kind of person I would be if not for technology’s influence. I used to be somewhat of an artist. I painted and drew. I made tables, shelves and clocks. I was fascinated with color, texture and even with nature itself. Did I grow older and less mobile or just compliant with the new technological distractions available? Would I now be a master craftsman? An actual artist? Perhaps, I would be a musician of some accomplishment. It’s hard to say, really. Or is it that technology has made me more a Renaissance man? Have the opportunities that technology presented encouraged me to experience more than I might have otherwise? Perhaps adapting to the technology is what living in the present is all about. Denouncing technology may, at times, be denouncing progress. Is it better to be “old school” or take advantage of the tools and abilities of the modern age? Some people eschew technology or are afraid of it. But perhaps they have similar reactions to all things that are new or different. Or is technology actually scary? Maybe HAL from the movie 2001 A Space Odyssey left a mark on the collective social conscience. Maybe the visual of a world leader with his finger on the button of a nuclear weapon system comes to mind when people press Control-Alt-Delete on their computer keyboards. I would like to continue this discussion but I just got an instant message from a friend (ICQ) and my cell phone is displaying the fact that I have a text message from my daughter. Looks like I am needed elsewhere in space/time and I will get there without having to leave this ergonomically designed and adjustable chair, thanks to technology and a few domesticated electrons…
