Techno Mama
As I was forced to reflect once again while watching the news on how bad the economy is with all of the store closings, I thought to myself, "Well I hate for all of those people to lose their jobs, but fairly soon we probably won't even have retail stores anymore." Does that sound crazy? Well think about it: with this new techno world we will say farewell to actual printed books on paper and newspapers will soon be a thing of the past as a source of news. There will be no more "nightly news" for me to even watch with Brian, Charlie or Katie. Land lines in homes will go by the wayside - remember those first Princess phones? Can you believe that Encyclopedias (as touchable books) no longer are being sold or published in book form? Many students have no idea how to use a dictionary. Publishing -- everything will be on-line News - everything will be on-line Personal interaction - other than sex, it will be on-line until you decide the person is worth the sex time. No more greeting cards arriving by postal service --in fact there will be no U.S. postal service. No more Christmas cards -- e-cards with i-pics will warm your heart when received sandwiched with the spam. Why would we ever need to go to a movie theatre, except for the better popcorn? We can now view movies on our I=phones. Bank personnel will soon be a thing of the past - no one will walk inside a bank and there will be no need for loan officers since all loans will be government issued fairly soon by a strict formula.. And back to the retail stores -- who needs those when you can order everything on-line. All of those empty pad sites will contain a small unmovable ATM. Will repairmen be necessary anymore or will they soon be able to adjust malfunctions simply via computer. Cars are already being built that way. I envision a time, not too far off in the future, when every citizen will be required to have an e-mail address, along with an identity card. Wait a minute, the e-mail address will BE their identity. Why in the world will we need office buildings full of communities of offices - as long as you are networked, there will be no need to commute anywhere in order to accomplish your tasks. So will we have real estate or leasing agents? All we will need are title lawyers to transfer deeds after viewing, selecting, and negotiating between buyer and seller on-line. Will we actually go to a Courthouse for a trial, or won't the Plaintiff and Defendant each be positioned on-line, along with the Judge and jury. There will be a new kind of computer nuance that will evolve, replacing our gut reactions to people we meet in person. The list of possibilities goes on and on, but our kids and our kids' kids need to start thinking about the jobs that will die off and what the new professions will be.
So what jobs and businesses will be left? Obviously Fed-Ex and UPS will be huge. The roads will only contain delivery trucks. We will still have to have a person paint our nails and cut our hair. Perhaps some restaurants, as a change of pace from home deliveries, will linger. Now garbage collecting and recycling will boom because of all of the packaging boxes to be discarded after deliveries. Will we go on virtual vacations instead of embarking on hassled airline travel in order to actually visit another country. How will the hospitality industry fare? Will we visit our relatives anymore when we can talk to them on-line via Skype and see them simultaneously on the screen? We will have a new doorbell which will be answered or not on our computers so we can decide if we need to "dress" before going on-line where others might see us. All cars will be bought on-line, where you log in your specs and get to test drive via simulation. Groceries will be delivered -- that was a great concept when it came out a few years ago, just a little before its time and not cost effective. But it will be soon. I have a feeling that delivery charges will be factored into everything we buy on-line as a given, not an add-on. Will we go to Church anymore if the service is telecast? I think that our artists will be bigger than ever - musicians, writers, painters, singers, and dancers -- the only problem will be if they are actually singing or actually painted the picture, or if it was synthesized or computer programmed in the production.
Now what made me start thinking about all of this? While my son was visiting me we went to an AT&T store to purchase a new telephone for me. It was time that my 12 year old candy bar type phone be replaced before the government made me do so. When we entered the store, I felt like I had just arrived at the fanciest of hair salons or a Rodeo Drive boutique. It was so sleek, sophisticated and elegant. Certainly, not the way I had always thought of good ole AT&T.
Now my son felt perfectly at home and knew exactly what he was doing and what to ask for. Then it hit me. This is the wave, not of the future, but now. The only thing that is not evolving is me. I am just getting my first "flip" phone while the I-phone is probably about to become extinct. Why have I become so immobilized, instead of moving with the wave? It is not that I am afraid of change or that I feel that technology is too overwhelming, it is letting go that is hard.
I don't want to not touch parchment paper and turn the pages while reading; I don't want to never see people in person or feel their presence; and I don't want to not open an envelope and have a photo fall out at Christmas. Silly OLD me. In one week, I am now on Facebook, have a Blog, and a flip phone. What more could I have asked for this Christmas?
So what jobs and businesses will be left? Obviously Fed-Ex and UPS will be huge. The roads will only contain delivery trucks. We will still have to have a person paint our nails and cut our hair. Perhaps some restaurants, as a change of pace from home deliveries, will linger. Now garbage collecting and recycling will boom because of all of the packaging boxes to be discarded after deliveries. Will we go on virtual vacations instead of embarking on hassled airline travel in order to actually visit another country. How will the hospitality industry fare? Will we visit our relatives anymore when we can talk to them on-line via Skype and see them simultaneously on the screen? We will have a new doorbell which will be answered or not on our computers so we can decide if we need to "dress" before going on-line where others might see us. All cars will be bought on-line, where you log in your specs and get to test drive via simulation. Groceries will be delivered -- that was a great concept when it came out a few years ago, just a little before its time and not cost effective. But it will be soon. I have a feeling that delivery charges will be factored into everything we buy on-line as a given, not an add-on. Will we go to Church anymore if the service is telecast? I think that our artists will be bigger than ever - musicians, writers, painters, singers, and dancers -- the only problem will be if they are actually singing or actually painted the picture, or if it was synthesized or computer programmed in the production.
Now what made me start thinking about all of this? While my son was visiting me we went to an AT&T store to purchase a new telephone for me. It was time that my 12 year old candy bar type phone be replaced before the government made me do so. When we entered the store, I felt like I had just arrived at the fanciest of hair salons or a Rodeo Drive boutique. It was so sleek, sophisticated and elegant. Certainly, not the way I had always thought of good ole AT&T.
Now my son felt perfectly at home and knew exactly what he was doing and what to ask for. Then it hit me. This is the wave, not of the future, but now. The only thing that is not evolving is me. I am just getting my first "flip" phone while the I-phone is probably about to become extinct. Why have I become so immobilized, instead of moving with the wave? It is not that I am afraid of change or that I feel that technology is too overwhelming, it is letting go that is hard.
I don't want to not touch parchment paper and turn the pages while reading; I don't want to never see people in person or feel their presence; and I don't want to not open an envelope and have a photo fall out at Christmas. Silly OLD me. In one week, I am now on Facebook, have a Blog, and a flip phone. What more could I have asked for this Christmas?
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