Day 8- Technology

 

 

 

 

"One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man." ~Elbert Hubbard

"Some people worry that artificial intelligence will make us feel inferior, but then, anybody in his right mind should have an inferiority complex every time he looks at a flower." ~Alan C. Kay

"For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life, please press three." ~Alice Kah

Okay, okay.. I'll stop there, because we all know I enjoy my computer time as much as the next person. But, it is true.. technology has taken over and replaced the organic experience of life. Instead of meeting your future husband at the local coffee shop or, the good ol' fashion way, in a bar, we are using internet dating sites or social network. When we're upset with a friend, instead of calling her up and letting her have it, we update our facebook status. She knows youre talking about her.. and, for the record, that is the most cowardly thing a person can do!! If you really care about your friend, family member or whomever it may be, have the courage to call that person up and work the problem out!! Also, it is rude to talk on your cell phone when you're having dinner, in the car, at a movie... etc. (duh)! With that said, I'm guilty of relying on technology for many things. I use my cell phone as an alarm clock. Every morning, when the house is still sleeping, I sit at my computer w/ my coffee and read emails, then check facebook and if, for some reason, the boys wake up early or we're having a storm and the computer is down, I feel a little out of sorts. The Internet feels a lot like a life line for me. I live so far away from the ways of the world yet, with one little click of a mouse, I am connected. I can read the thoughts of others, share thoughts of my own. I can live vicariously. It's most definitely an escape & form of entertainment for me. However, nothing takes the place of real life experiences. We should all think about how technology has effected our lives and how differently our children will grow up as opposed to how it was when we were young.. back when life was simple, before Facebook and Twitter, The Kindle or iphones.. if you had something to say you wrote it down on paper or picked up the phone or said it in person.. Before the Wii, when kids played outside and used their imaginations.. when we read to our children & there was no such thing as 'an app for that'. Back when people used maps and paid their bills by mail... although, I must say, I don't miss that.. I still always seem to get myself lost and online bill pay is just fantastic. But, you get my point!!

Okay, moving on... I was very frustrated with this challenge b/c I could not get my settings right. I wanted to make the computer blur and the background stand out but, for some reason, it wasn't happening so I just played w/ the effects and thats that. I will keep trying. For tomorrow... Faceless Self Portrait.