Thankful!!!

Well, here I am supposed to be blogging about all of the wonderful things that technology does for us, and for what about technology I have to be thankful.
Today I walked into work to discover that we had gotten a "Windows Anitvirus Pro" malware program on our main computer. Since I am no whiz, I have no idea what to do about it. I found a patch that stops the malware running, but you have to open it before the malware program opens, or the malware blocks you from opening the patch. Hooray.
I would be really thankful if we could get some new computers at work (maybe even Macs) and maybe, perhaps, perchance some professional grade antivirus software, instead of relying on the freeware.

Ok, done being sarcastic.
All said and done, technology has allowed us to make wonderful advancements in our quality of life and our quality of education. Information is so available now, it's almost scary. When you google a topic, it's hard to imagine there is anything left yet to be studied, researched, pondered, tested, examined, designed, or invented.

I am thankful for Facebook. I know that might sound trite, but really, I am. I am in contact with so many people I would never have found again. I can talk to people all over the world (including my sister in Iraq) at the push of a button. For that matter, I'm thankful for Skype.
But back to Facebook. I am thankful that at any given moment that I have a random question, I can see who is online and bug them for an answer. One friend might tell me what movie to watch, another might tell me what is the best vocabulary word for my sentence, and yet another might help me fix my computer problems. And yes, I really do bug people with such questions. They're on Facebook, which they maybe oughtn't be if they are doing anything important...

I am thankful for my TI-83 Plus calculator, without which, Statistics would be... well, really time consuming.

I am thankful for my debit card, the most pervasive piece of technology perhaps... I am thankful for the microwave oven that cooked my dinner, and
And don't even let me go into all of the medical equipment that I am sure to one day be thankful for...

I am thankful that I can attend my classes at 2:30 on a Sunday morning in my pyjamas, and that I can renew my library books online.

There really is a lot to be thankful for when it comes to technology. It really makes our lives so much more connected to one another, when we choose to use it that way. It allows me to know the answer to just about any fact based question my little brain might invent, such as, what is the average flight speed of a Monarch Butterfly?...

"Traveling at an average speed of 12 mph (but sometimes going up to 30 mph), the monarchs cover about 80 miles a day. They can fly at heights of up to 2 miles."

-gomexico.about.com

It truly is amazing that I can be walking down the street and learn that my sister in Iraq shot 98% accuracy on the range that day, or that my older sister just arrived at Venice Beach and it's beautiful...
I really admire the connectedness we have now with our world. Because, really, at what point, pre-technology, could a person even know the average flight speed of the Monarch Butterfly?

Thanks,
Katie May