LETTER

Walking a high-tech plank, voluntarily

 

Has it occurred to you that we don't interact in person anymore but do most of our socializing through high-tech means? Young and old, I have seen people in restaurants, where everyone is on his/her phone and texting. Texting who? Their friends at the table!  Wouldn't talking be easier?

On the subject of social media, what is it with stuff "trending" on YouTube? Why do thousands want to view the building of a world-record submarine sandwich? Or a child blowing milk bubbles through his nose? Is it because thousands are bored? How are they able to get any work done? To be plugged into technology as we are means "sensory overload".

Young and old, so many folks are Tweeting, Facebooking, Instagramming, etc, on I-don't-know-how-many devices. No doubt, the world has become dependent -- no, addicted -- to the internet.

Back in 1992 when working on a project, my employer arranged for me to have a cellular phone. It was huge, resembling those field phones from WWII. Only a few had such phones then. Today, even children have their own. Young/old, rich/poor are constantly looking at their phones, sometimes walking into a telephone pole!  (There are tons of such videos on the internet.)

What would happen if some rogue country decided to release an EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) weapon on another country or countries? It will have devastating consequences for the victim country. If you don't know what an EMP is, you might want to Google it, while you still can!

Steve d'Eça
Aylmer