Old people can basically be broken into two categories: there are those that are endlessly fascinated by the advancement of technology, and there are those who despise it and do everything that they can do to fight the slow creep of progress in their lives. If I were an old person, I believe I would fall into the former category. Although I've only been around to witness eighteen years or so of technological advancement, I still manage to happily occupy myself with any gadgets I can get my hand on. I distinctly remember sneaking into the kitchen to play with the turkey baster as a child, and as I've become older, I've graduated to more advanced and fascinating technology. I've always wanted a Roomba, and my eyes light up every time I get a text message.
The pinnacle of technology, possibly the single greatest achievement of mankind, is unquestionably, absolutely the news ticker. Everything that I could ever possibly need to know about the world is delivered directly onto my desktop. It's got everything that I need -- politics, world events, sports (sarcastically my favorite), culture, crime, and really, really stupid news. The novel has not been written that can top the crap that comes across my news ticker. Nothing makes my day like waking up in the morning to headlines like "Man wants estranged wife to pay for kidney," "Somali pirates drown with ransom money," and 'Couples wed fast-food style." It does my heart good to know that no matter how crazy my life gets, it can't possibly be as weird as the rest of the people in the world. Thank you, news ticker, for keeping me informed about the world, reassuring my confidence, and giving me an endless supply of people to laugh at.
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My favorite gadget is my new iPhone.
ReplyDeleteIt is stunningly beautiful in its power and simplicity.
Does the sheer volume of news that we're exposed to every day desensitize us to its importance? Does it overload us with information that is irrelevant to our daily lives?
ReplyDeleteI was camping in the back woods for 10 days over winter break and got no news, heard nothing about the economy, and realized I loved it. It was less depressing and I didn't miss out on anything that would have directly affected my day to day life.