I've not done one of these in a while. Guess just all the work and such I've not been able to keep my mind on track long enough to write things down. Maybe I just didn't feel the inspiration to write anything. Well this morning I did. Just like typical mornings go lately it involved me waking up, taking a shower, making some coffee, then sitting down to my computer to check email, do a daily quest, and read updates on facebook and the like. What really got me thinking about how much I've taken those last few things for granted are.
Last night, just for the sake of finding something to watch on Netflix I watched a documentary on the start of video games. I got to see the same history of video games I knew before, but it suddenly struck me, the people who crated the technology we are now using, as they were making it. I think they had a little bit of an idea of what they could do with it. I don't think they even could fathom however what has been done with it. The ability to manipulate an object on a screen back in the early days was amazing. Now we don't even bother to think about how a mouse on our computer screen works. Or even the fact that I am typing on a thin bit of plastic and words are appearing on a screen. Then when I press the publish post button, it is sent out all over the world for people to read. I didn't have to ink up a printing press, and place letters in a plate, run the press, cut the paper and walk around town and get people to read this by handing them a physical object. No you are look at this as it appears on your screen as liquid crystals cool and heat to display the images of words. You got this from the transition of little electrical signals that turn on and off representing 1's and 0's of logic.
As I looked at my email today I had an invitation to play the beta test of a game that I was interested it. I didn't sign up to be asked to play that beta test. Somewhere in this vast information superhighway we call the internet, my preferences were discovered and my email address was used and I was sent an invite. Nothing is completely anonymous. Everything you do on the web is connected to you. I am not saying this to be freak you out with conspiracy propaganda or anything of the like. I am not saying being so hooked into the web is amazing. The data we place on the web of our likes and dislikes are essentially making the web, a best friend that knows everything about you. Yes the information is something advertisers can use to manipulate and sell you products. I have new for you, if they can tell what you like from just the information you posted on the web about yourself, then chances are the things they are going to try and sell you are things you are probably going to buy anyway even if they didn't place it right in your face.
Last night as I was falling asleep watching the same few channels I subscribe too on youtube, I decided I liked the music that was playing in the background, low and behold she had included the title of the song in the description of the video. Suddenly, I am looking up the artist and going through other songs they have posted on the youtube. Then this morning, I find myself on my amazon player, downloading selected songs from the artist. It is something we take for granted almost every day in this time. I heard music that I liked from some one miles and miles from me. I looked it up on this tiny magical box that is not connected to anything. I it use as a phone, and more often a clock to tell me what time it is and what time to wake up. Now in the morning I am purchasing that music that I listen too on it.
I guess what this is really about is, holy shit technology it has become so easy to reach information that it is hard to imagine that people will still hold such limited and ignorant views of the world. I can see the reasons though. Among the wealth of information there is a torrent of distractions and misinformation. It is easy to become confused, you don't have any credit or way to verify most of the information you get on the internet. I like to think that I can spot the bullshit from rest. I am not going to say I always can.
This is just me having a sudden realization. As meaningless as I feel when I look up at the stars the things that we have accomplished so far as a young species still strike me as amazing.
