I was sorting through old issues of Imprimis among other things and came across a discussion of how America is susceptible to Electromagnetic Pulse. My Father served in the USAF as an Electronic Warfare Officer, which job on a very basic level involves disrupting an enemy's electronic signals and rendering his equipment useless while leaving ours functional. So, any missile they fire, any bomb they drop, any attack they mount, etc., depend solely on visual acuity and the application of physics without correctional guidance provided by technology.
I was readying comments posted on a friend's blog about how people depend very much on electronic devices for their life and livelihood. So much of what we do depends on our access to networks, electricity, etc., that if an EMP hit us, I doubt very much many people would know what to do. Most would lose all their data and records, and the pulse would render man of our devices if not all completely inoperable. Although the push of the future asks and almost requires that in order to be competitive in the global market that men must be tech-savvy, there is a call for familiarity with old technology.
Old technology doesn't mean it's not valuable. The other day, I sold one of my old cassette players to an old woman who wanted to be able to record stories for her kids. Many old people don't know how to use our technology, but she's comfortable with cassettes and will use that media. I lent one to my mother once because she only had a particular song on cassette that she wanted to share with a group, so I enabled that. Furthermore, many old technologies are easy to repair; not all, but many.
Consider Scotty's Castle in Death Valley, CA, operated completely by mechanical systems that enabled its original owner to enjoy fresh, clean water and electricity despite being distal from any public utility system. Consider the simplicity of the 1.8L engine in my Saturn SL1 which, since it's not burgeoning with complex electrical systems, doesn't break down as often as newer cars which have so many intricasies that they prevent the average joe from being able to work on them. Also, the AC Compressor system works on simple physics principles but provides comfort in the 120F heat of a Vegan summer.
In addition to the opportunities it creates, it also serves as a protection. For example, if someone sees my car in the parking lot, which stereo do you think they'd steal? The one in my car, AMFM stereo cassette or the multi-CD changer in the Mercedes adjacent? While in graduate school, my knowledge of DOS enabled me to recover a file, at least in part, that Windows had jettisoned to the normal user via the recycle bin. The data was still on the drive, and because I knew how to find it, I saved untold hours of labor.
Many Americans have become so dependent on gadgetry, that they cannot function without it. For my own part, I hate the feeling that cell phones, pagers, email, etc., have become a leash for us rather than freeing us, as people come to expect instant gratification of their requests. Leave me a message, or I won't call you back. I had a friend in Reno who set a goal of going off the grid, such that during an outage in the valley he and he alone had electricity and warmth because he wasn't dependent on public utilities, or beholden to them either. When electricity goes out, can you cope?
The point of this article revolves around encouraging individuals to cope with technology without allowing it to become their master. By knowing about but doing without we remain marketable but free from the shackles of a technologically-dependent though -advanced society. I endorse the learning of skills exigent to technological sophistry. While it may be cheaper or easier to depend on modern technology, it's not always in OUR favor. Complex cars require trips to the mechanic, quickly hyping the cost. Packaged food, while quick and cheap, often robs us of final nutrients because food isn't ripe when picked, or it contains excesses of deleterious contents that harm us more than we'd choose if we were truly aware.
A short time ago, I challenged an acquaintance to a contest. We would, through various means of orienteering, navigate a course to certain way points in the Nevada wilderness and measure who made the journey most accurately in the least amount of time. Since I selected the way points, I purposely chose an area that mitigated the effectiveness of modern technology. Armed with a compass and map, I hit the way points relatively easily. As soon as this other person left the coverage area of his service provider, his GPS navigation system ceased to function, and he couldn't call for help because there was no cell phone coverage. I did that to teach a principle, that knowing why and how works better than knowing what button to push, especially if the macro feeding the button breaks.
Electronic gadgetry is great, but if you make it your crutch, it could let you fall without warning. For that reason and more, I thank my parents for involving me in Boy Scouting. It truly, I believe, gave me an edge.
Buyer beware.
I was readying comments posted on a friend's blog about how people depend very much on electronic devices for their life and livelihood. So much of what we do depends on our access to networks, electricity, etc., that if an EMP hit us, I doubt very much many people would know what to do. Most would lose all their data and records, and the pulse would render man of our devices if not all completely inoperable. Although the push of the future asks and almost requires that in order to be competitive in the global market that men must be tech-savvy, there is a call for familiarity with old technology.
Old technology doesn't mean it's not valuable. The other day, I sold one of my old cassette players to an old woman who wanted to be able to record stories for her kids. Many old people don't know how to use our technology, but she's comfortable with cassettes and will use that media. I lent one to my mother once because she only had a particular song on cassette that she wanted to share with a group, so I enabled that. Furthermore, many old technologies are easy to repair; not all, but many.
Consider Scotty's Castle in Death Valley, CA, operated completely by mechanical systems that enabled its original owner to enjoy fresh, clean water and electricity despite being distal from any public utility system. Consider the simplicity of the 1.8L engine in my Saturn SL1 which, since it's not burgeoning with complex electrical systems, doesn't break down as often as newer cars which have so many intricasies that they prevent the average joe from being able to work on them. Also, the AC Compressor system works on simple physics principles but provides comfort in the 120F heat of a Vegan summer.
In addition to the opportunities it creates, it also serves as a protection. For example, if someone sees my car in the parking lot, which stereo do you think they'd steal? The one in my car, AMFM stereo cassette or the multi-CD changer in the Mercedes adjacent? While in graduate school, my knowledge of DOS enabled me to recover a file, at least in part, that Windows had jettisoned to the normal user via the recycle bin. The data was still on the drive, and because I knew how to find it, I saved untold hours of labor.
Many Americans have become so dependent on gadgetry, that they cannot function without it. For my own part, I hate the feeling that cell phones, pagers, email, etc., have become a leash for us rather than freeing us, as people come to expect instant gratification of their requests. Leave me a message, or I won't call you back. I had a friend in Reno who set a goal of going off the grid, such that during an outage in the valley he and he alone had electricity and warmth because he wasn't dependent on public utilities, or beholden to them either. When electricity goes out, can you cope?
The point of this article revolves around encouraging individuals to cope with technology without allowing it to become their master. By knowing about but doing without we remain marketable but free from the shackles of a technologically-dependent though -advanced society. I endorse the learning of skills exigent to technological sophistry. While it may be cheaper or easier to depend on modern technology, it's not always in OUR favor. Complex cars require trips to the mechanic, quickly hyping the cost. Packaged food, while quick and cheap, often robs us of final nutrients because food isn't ripe when picked, or it contains excesses of deleterious contents that harm us more than we'd choose if we were truly aware.
A short time ago, I challenged an acquaintance to a contest. We would, through various means of orienteering, navigate a course to certain way points in the Nevada wilderness and measure who made the journey most accurately in the least amount of time. Since I selected the way points, I purposely chose an area that mitigated the effectiveness of modern technology. Armed with a compass and map, I hit the way points relatively easily. As soon as this other person left the coverage area of his service provider, his GPS navigation system ceased to function, and he couldn't call for help because there was no cell phone coverage. I did that to teach a principle, that knowing why and how works better than knowing what button to push, especially if the macro feeding the button breaks.
Electronic gadgetry is great, but if you make it your crutch, it could let you fall without warning. For that reason and more, I thank my parents for involving me in Boy Scouting. It truly, I believe, gave me an edge.
Buyer beware.
2 comments:
Great post Doug. I only have one comment (and granted, from a techie), your compass was considered 'modern' gadgetry when it was first introduced and people relied more on other means, but eventually the compass proved superior. Perhaps now, the GPS might not be superior to the compass... but perhaps one day those limitations will be mitigated.
Perhaps you have seen the medieval helpdesk... it is somewhat related: http://youtube.com/watch?v=pQHX-SjgQvQ. I don't know anyone that wouldn't take a book over a scroll today. :)
GPS has severe limitations for many applications. For example, if you rely on birds eye directionality in visiting the places I've seen in Nevada, it will not steer you well. Triangulation of the site using the coordinates is fine, but many of the roads are unmarked and not easily discernible. Don't get me wrong; I'm glad I had the thing. Helped me get home a time or two ;)
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