|
|
 |
|
| |
|
|
ExamForce :: Article Archive :: Newsletter Article
 The Cert Times: IT Edition Article Archive
|
| Wish List (B1N@RY N@T10N (A.J. Axline)) |
"So, just so that I understand you correctly... this is caffeinated eggnog?" I asked.
Vector smacked his lips and grinned. "Yep."
"And, how did you make this again?" I asked.
"I could tell you that," Vector replied thoughtfully, "but then I'd have to delete you."
We sat by the fireplace, playing Backgammon and snacking on various food items of dubious nutritional value. In the adjoining room, there was a group of people participating in a deathmatch of some sort. There was a lot of hooting and hollering, interspersed with the sub-woofer enhanced booming of heavy weapons fire. I sighed as we set up the pieces for the next match.
"You seem glum," Vector remarked.
"I was just thinking," I said.
"Whoa. And here I thought the smell of smoke was coming from the fireplace," Vector said.
"Here we are nearly halfway through the first decade of the 21st Century, and we haven't come up with any great technological achievements," I said. "I mean, we keep churning out faster processors, faster buses, faster memory. The average consumer can go out and purchase more digital power than what was available across the entire planet forty years ago. But, we're not really doing anything new with it."
"What do you mean?" Vector asked.
"I mean, what the hell are we doing with all of our technology?" I said. "We're still using toxic chemicals and radiation to fight cancer, but you can pop a pill that gives you an erection on demand. It's like, pay-per-wood. Computers are smaller and faster than ever before, but we're still using keyboards and mice for data entry. My cat gives better responses to voice commands than my PC. Hell, I don't know. It's just..."
I paused, and took a sip of eggnog. My pulse raced.
"There's a difference between advancements and achievements," I said. "We keep making advancements, but we're not achieving anything new or exciting with them."
"I disagree," Vector said. "We've come a long way with communication, and the availability of information."
"Yes, but to what end?" I asked him. "Global communication and the exchange of ideas haven't prevented the traditional power cabals from doing business as usual. We've produced incredible medical technology, but most of it is inaccessible to anyone below the financial aristocracy. The ability to communicate and exchange information across great distances is a form of empowerment, yes. But most of the time, it just means that you know a lot more about how corporations and governments are screwing you. Does that really change a damned thing?"
Vector shrugged. "It means that some of the old lies aren't as effective anymore. Does that make a difference? Probably not. You can't create accountability through technology. You can heighten awareness. You can help those who want to help themselves become better educated about the world around them. But in the end, much of today's technology is simply doing what Gutenberg's invention did over 500 years ago: it's taking knowledge out of the hands of the traditional societal power groups and placing it in the hands of the average citizen. Nothing more, nothing less."
"That doesn't change the fact that we're about to enter the year 2005, and I don't have a laser pistol or a flying car," I said sulkily.
"Both of which actually exist, but neither of which would be much good for society in mass production," Vector said, "especially in your hands."
"But, I would only use them to do good!" I protested.
"Yah, whatever Frodo," Vector replied.
A.J. Axline
A.J. Axline is a freelance author and alpha-geek who seriously wants a personal hovercraft that he could use to intimidate rush-hour commuters.
He maintains a semi-regular web presence at Closet Universe, as well as on certain law enforcement sites.
Send all comments to: AJAxline@CertTalk.com
|
|
|
Posted by
nam on 28/03/2006 08:47 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ExamForce, Inc. is not sponsored by, endorsed by, or affiliated with Cisco Systems, Inc. Cisco®, Cisco Systems®, CCDA™, CCNA™, CCDP™, CCNP™, CCIE™, CCSI™, the Cisco Systems logo, and the CCIE logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. in the United States and certain other countries. All other trademarks, including those of Microsoft, CompTIA, and Citrix are trademarks of their respective owners.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
