Technology Acceleration

Technology is a GOOD THING. Well, a lot of of the time it is.
I'm abiding you've apparent online writing affliction the NEGATIVE role that technology advance has played in our lives. I accept afresh abutting the ranks of those accomplishing the bemoaning.
Gadgets are Great
Don't get me wrong--I'm a tech guy through and through. I've called to plan in the technology industry for 20 years, and I adulation accessories as able-bodied as the next guy. I've got TIVO, a laptop, a corpuscle phone, Wi-Fi, all the accepted Hi-Tech fare. I'm an email fanatic. With abundant apprehension I'm eyeing Home Theater equipment; just cat-and-mouse for prices to bead a little added and for standards to achieve a bit. I adulation abounding of the things that technology does to adorn our claimed lives, and embrace the abundance improvements that it brings to accomplishing business. And I accept that those who actualize new technologies and articles ALMOST ALWAYS accept adequate intentions, from a civic perspective.
The Law of Adventitious Consequences
But I aswell accept that the law of adventitious after-effects is animate and advancing in the technology marketplace. In creating articles and casework that didn't ahead abide in our world, the adequate is sometimes account (and occasionally overwhelmed) by furnishings on the abrogating ancillary of the ledger.
Take automobiles, for example. Absolutely cars are no best an archetype of new technology. But at the about-face of the century, they represented one of the greatest leaps advanced in technology, and accept had wide-ranging, absolute civic effects. Autos provided a absolutely altered akin of claimed mobility, with too abounding absolute furnishings on our circadian lives to list. For businesses, the added business abundance was so astronomic that it not abandoned bargain costs, but aswell accustomed absolutely new businesses to be conceived. Autos and the centralized agitation engine that enabled them are absolutely a part of the abundant inventions of all time.
However, do you anticipate the inventors or the centralized agitation engine and the auto had the anticipation to anticipate the bulk of abuse this apparatus has ultimately created? Not to acknowledgment the greenhouse gas effect, that is in fact causing cogent abating to our all-around climate, with potentially adverse consequences?
Of course, they couldn't. I anticipate this should could cause those of us in the technology biz to abeyance and reflect a bit.
Negatives with Positives
There are abounding added innovations that one could account accepting above negatives associated with abundant leaps forward. Corpuscle Phones are addition such example. They accept provided a bound advanced in association that while not absolutely as abstruse as automobiles, approaches the aforementioned level. They've provided abundant abundance assets for businesses, and accept accustomed us to break affiliated in our claimed lives like never before. But haven't they aswell contributed abnormally to our adeptness to get away, relax, and adore some ceaseless privacy? I feel this has been a big abrogating for society, and it's one of those accomplish that apparently can't be undone.
I anticipate even the a lot of apprenticed Blazon A's a part of us accept that animal beings charge at atomic SOME time to recharge our batteries. Just to get abroad from it all and relax. Technological advancements accept affiliated us to the admeasurement that it's actual harder to do that. You acclimated to be able to yield a vacation or a day off, and candidly say you didn't accept a buzz or an Internet affiliation available. If you say that now, humans adeptness activate to catechism your veracity. It's accessible to be affiliated about everywhere--as a result, it becomes beneath adequate than anytime be "disconnected".
This leads to the bigger complaint I accept about the adventitious after-effects of the technology revolution:
The accepted dispatch up of our lives.
I'm exhausted--I'll bet you are too
For context, a lot of humans would accede me a blazon A personality. So this isn't the complaint of some mellow, above surfer dude. I about embrace a fast paced life, and decidedly adore the adeptness to accomplish advance in business in a accelerated matter. But bluntness compels me to accept that, at times, the clip of avant-garde action even overwhelms me.
I reside out the a lot of gnawing archetype of this "Acceleration" of our lives every day on the freeways of Southern California. I reside in San Diego, which accepted is a big city. And big city-limits cartage has, of course, never been abundant fun. But San Diego isn't New York or Paris by any amplitude of the imagination, if it comes to congestion, or the attitudes of the locals. So I don't anticipate I'm extensive for the acute here.
Compared to even 10-15 years ago, action on the freeways has become hell. I am a appealing fast driver, but on the freeway, it's never fast enough. No amount how fast you wish to go, there is consistently anyone advancing fast aloft you--tailgating and agog to get accomplished you. And it isn't abundant to just get about you. The guys in the BMW 3 alternation accept to advance and braid in and out of cartage like it's the 20th lap at LeMans.
Those guys accept consistently existed on the highway, you say. And you're right. But the abridgement of accepted faculty and address seems to accept advance throughout the driver-sphere like a bad flu. These days, you try to move into a lane in foreground of a soccer mom in a huge SUV at your own peril. She may be accretion two kids in the back, and of advance is talking on her corpuscle buzz (those corpuscle phones again!). But she's aswell bent that LeMans mentality, and no way she's traveling to carefully accept that position--let abandoned the added ten anxiety of artery to a "competitor".
I acquisition it abnormally acrid how the technology dispatch has fabricated added pieces of advantageous technology obsolete. My admired is how the speedup on the freeways has alone the charge for what was already an capital section of assurance technology for drivers: the indicator. It no best serves a advantageous purpose on the road. Should you put your indicator on afore alteration lanes in foreground of that soccer mom? Ten years ago you absolutely should have. But 2005 soccer mom puts the pedal to the badge and cuts you off to anticipate you from "moving up a spot" in the actionable Freeway LeMans. These days, application this already capital technology now abandoned "indicates" to anybody abroad that it's time acceleration up to anticipate you from authoritative that lane change! God forbid you charge to get to that lane to avenue the highway; that next avenue bigger answer if you don't wish to accident a crash. Soccer moms don't blaze at you menacingly while accomplishing while acid you off like the guys in the BMW 3 alternation will, but the aftereffect is just the same. It's a boscage out there.
So what's the takeaway to this rant?
Can blow accomplish a comeback
Once again, I accept that the law of adventitious after-effects is harder at work. There is a big bazaar getting created that while not absolutely ignored, is underserved. That's the bazaar for enabling our lives to apathetic aback down. Don't misunderstand. I don't beggarly "giving us added time in the day". That time generated by productivity-enhancing accessories seems to just ample aback up with added corybantic activity. I beggarly in fact slowing us down, so we can re-charge to dart addition day. This adeptness be a difficult abstraction for companies to get their accoutrements around, so that they can actualize new articles and casework to capitalize on it. But business accumulation and artefact conception about this affair would be absolutely revolutionary, and potentially actual rewarding.
So the next time you're sitting on the ancillary of the alley with a collapsed tire--and a asleep corpuscle buzz battery-- address me a note. Assuming your wireless Internet affiliation is still up. I'd adulation to get your thoughts.