Technology Addicts

[Insurgent]

This is a very eye-opening essay...its observations hit a little too close to home 

Technology Addicts
by Dale Allen Pfeiffer

Read the essay here http://www.mountainsentinel.com/#techaddict

[Lex]

We don't have TV and I know many others that don't. I don't see what the big deal is.

[error]

We don't have TV and I know many others that don't. I don't see what the big deal is.

Ah, but do you still download TV shows on BitTorrent?

[penguins4me]

You're free to move away from town, buy a horse, and start living off the land, away from all the eeeevil technology. Otherwise, the article is starting to sound similar to Kaczynski's viewpoint.

Some people are jerks, and our society has progressed to the point where jerks generally aren't reliant on those in close proximity to them to sustain their lives, and if they are reliant, can easily go elsewhere to continue being a jerk.

Rather than blaming technology, it seems to me that lack of parenting, and in particular, personal responsibility, is largely to blame for the collapse of our polite society.

... either that, or the virtual disappearance of carried firearms.

[ThePug]

Rather than blaming technology, it seems to me that lack of parenting, and in particular, personal responsibility, is largely to blame for the collapse of our polite society.

... either that, or the virtual disappearance of carried firearms.

I think that it's a bit of both. That, and the general attitude that "society" has a "responsibility" to take care of everyone, rather than those who truly are incapable of taking care of themselves. Of course I don't think that the state should "take care of those incapable of taking care of themselves", but I do think private voluntary charity should do so. But that's going a bit off-topic...

[dalebert]

... either that, or the virtual disappearance of carried firearms.

This is going a bit off topic too, but last night at the firing range, someone mentioned she was brought up in a gunless household. I said "That's child abuse!" Or anyway, it's at least neglect, IMO. You need to bring your kids up to live in the real world, and the real world has guns in it.

[Lasse]

Technology is great, and more liberty and less government intervention will see to it that more technology is developed. Stem cell research, replacement organs, further advancement of communications..

It seems being a card-carrying member of the 'Technology Is A Way For Them To Control Us More' club is mandatory in some circles.

[J’raxis 270145]

This is going a bit off topic too, but last night at the firing range, someone mentioned she was brought up in a gunless household.

Heh, same here.

You need to bring your kids up to live in the real world, and the real world has guns in it.

Massachusetts doesn't.

[Lex]

We don't have TV and I know many others that don't. I don't see what the big deal is.

Ah, but do you still download TV shows on BitTorrent?

Nope. Netflix.

[error]

There are still plenty of guns in Massachusetts. But the only people who have them are the very few who have bowed and scraped for permission from the local authorities, and the two criminal classes.

[Puke]

Sounds like the author is a bit of a luddite.
I doubt people were generally happier years ago before we had electricity.
I suspect that they would kill a baby for the chance to live in a place with plumbing.

[lildog]

When I was a child, Saturday was my favorite day of the week. On Saturday, all of the networks ran cartoons from early morning until noon. All morning, I would veg out while watching my favorite shows, with occasional breaks to bounce around the room pretending I was some superhero.

That's SOOOO true.  When I was a kid I wouldn't leave the couch until about noon and even then it was iffy because occasionally they would show Godzilla movies around noon.

But now there's Tivo so my kids can watch TV a little in the morning then go out and play until they get too tired then come back in and not miss a single one of their favorite cartoons.  And on rainy days they can veg and watch cartoons all afternoon.  Not to mention not have to miss anything when they need a bathroom break.  I can remember doing the dance but not wanting to get up until a commercial break so I didn't miss what happened to Scooby or Captain Caveman.



The one down side to all this technology is it becomes easier for those in the right places to be able to monitor and track the public even easier.  Companies track where you come from before hitting their websites or where you go after with tracking cookies, Tivo has the thumbs up and thumbs down buttons so you can let them know which shows you like and which you don't so they know what to recommend.  Cell phones are used to track people down.  Etc etc etc.

[money dollars]

the article is starting to sound similar to Kaczynski's viewpoint.

Then it is right. 

[Little Owl]

Most modern technology has been a blessing, not a curse.  The notable exception being cell phones.  Like cable TV, all the emphasis is on bandwidth, little on content.

Technology gives freedom, and like so many freedom-enablers, this is a losing proposition for the irresponsible.  But for those who can handle freedom, its a good thing.

[Insurgent]

I think that the pretext of the essay may have been misconstrued, by only reading the introduction that I posted, which mainly dealt with television. That wasn't the point of the article at all, so I removed the teaser and left just a link to the original article so that folks will find it necessary to read the entire article