Here is what I imagine... what I want from technology if it insists on pervading our lives and delving so deeply into our personal business...
I imagine a life where all of my financial information is connected. I have ordered my preference for the payment of my bills, and the web takes care of the rest. It sees when bills are due, it assesses how much money is in my account. It knows my credit rating, which is much improved since I no longer have to remember to pay my bills.
I go to work and my hours are clocked. Everything in my life is clocked, in fact, on a small implanted chip. I go to drive my car, I scan my chip and the car starts. The car has mechanical trouble and it knows my preferred mechanic. It gets me a price quote, checks with my budget to see if it's affordable and it makes itself an appointment. It tells my calendar and my alarm clock so that I can be awake to take it in. It first checked with my calendar to make sure there was no scheduling conflict. Moments later, a car arrives, my car, in it's poor health, called a driver for me for today, so that it wouldn't have to. I go to use the computer and I scan my thumb chip. This turns on the computer to my personal settings. There is a list of things wanting my attention. I have prioritized this list. First on the agenda, view new photos uploaded by my family members. Second, discrepancy in the finance department of my life, review and decide. Third, jobs matching recent search queries have opened up in my area. Credentials have been sent, interviews set up. Note times.
As you can see, what I am picturing is not all that far off from what Kevin Kelly described. The web is everywhere.
I was thinking to myself today, as my laptop is undergoing repair, that I live more than half my life online. Most of my communications, my education, my socialization, my finance, and (some of) my leisure activities are dependent upon my having internet access. Short of breathing, eating and sleeping, I could conduct most of my life without ever leaving the computer screen. Of course, that thought scares me to death, and I hate it. I don't think we're quite headed for a life of complete stagnancy. We as creatures of nature recognize the value of unplugging once in a while.
But wouldn't it just be easier if instead of worrying about Credit Card fraud and identity theft if I had my own personal chip in my thumb. Go to the store, scan your thumb... go to the movies, scan your thumb... gas station, thumb. Greenhouse, thumb. Farmer's Market, thumb. McDonald's or Chez Paris, thumb. You'd never have to worry about it. So long as you weren't overspending, which you'd be alerted to well ahead of time, you'd never need to worry about tracking your finances, paying your bills or your taxes. Paper money could be a thing of the past. All trade will be in goods and services. Like one giant web monitored barter system. Now if only that thumb chip had a speaker for my music files...
Katie May
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Katie May,
ReplyDeleteIf that were the case I hope your thumb is never slammed in a car door! In all seriousness you seem to have taken this idea and made it into a sort of utopian society. I like how you have taken such a bleak future and pointed out how useful this technology could be. I too would enjoy the benefits of scanning my thumb for my car (I would never loose my keys again) alarm clock etc. My days would seem much longer if I didn't have to take time doing all of the little tasks including going to the bank, scheduling appointments etc.
On the flip side we would be loosing quite a lot in my opinion including the capability to do basic tasks. Would be even learn math anymore if we had a chip in our thumb to do it for us? Would we still know how to write or even speak for that matter? Would communication all be typed from out thoughts and sent to those around us? It seems that if we stopped needing to learn we would choose to stop learning and in my opinion that would be a shame. Even if I don't need to learn I gain a sort of pride from learning. I would hate to see knowledge be put aside.
Chelsea
Chelsea,
ReplyDeleteI can't help but wonder where it's all going, all this technology. I think we are already losing a lot, but I think we are gaining a lot too. I can't help but to point out the example of our troops overseas now able to video-chat with their families here. In the past, a letter, which could take who knows how long to arrive, was the only connection. Maybe a phone call, if they were lucky.
I remember when my sister got stationed in Germany. She called me one day and I conference called my grandmother and my older sister. My grandmother was reminiscing about the days when talking to someone in another state was a big deal, and they would all line up at the phone hoping for a chance to talk. But nowadays I call my friends in Texas, Arizona, California, Florida... etc. and it's no different on my cell phone than calling a friend up the street.
As far as choosing to stop learning... well, some people do that nowadays anyway. But some people choose to continue their education all the same. I think that until we have plugs in our heads like in The Matrix, and can upload entire bodies of knowledge into our brains, we'll still have to take time to study the things that interest us.
And maybe it's not a chip in our thumb, but a national ID card that links to our entire digital life... maybe that seems a bit more realistic. In any case, the possibilities are there. Fortunately, there will always be the appeal of the past (which is why people still do Civil War re-enactments and Renaissance Fairs, I suppose).
Thanks,
Katie May
Fab post, Katie, extra points for a really creative imagination this week!!
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