Time for a Break

I’m taking a few weeks off from my blog to recharge and renew as I see my family in person for the first time in a year and a half. I’ll be back in August.

            In the meantime I leave you with some thoughts. Have a great summer and don't forget the newly released novel McPine for your summer reading.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Modern World

No one can deny that we’ve become used to the many benefits of our electronic age.

            I check my email while having my porridge in the morning, then I answer some or write others. A few days ago I had to write to someone in Australia. I penned my message and clicked send. In a matter of moments it was read halfway around the world and amazingly I got a reply in less than an hour. I come from a world where when you wanted to communicate with someone you had to write an actual letter, put it in an envelope and go mail it. So much more efficient today.

When writing something by hand, did you ever come to a word you were not 100% sure how to spell, then somehow expected that, by some magic, any error would be corrected? We’ve become used to the “magic” of the electronic age. I first experienced that magic when I began using a word processor all those many years ago; I was amazed that I could amend or delete text without having to use an eraser! 

But our new communication ease does have its problems. Take phones, for example. I remember a time when most families had a black phone that served everyone’s communication need. Then someone thought that there should be colour, and there was. People harmonized their phone with their decor with phones that were red, blue, pink, etc. But the arrival of the cell phone changed everything. I remember being in Hong Kong in 1987 and seeing a man talking into a rather large hand-held phone. That was the beginning of the revolution. Today, of course, a cell phone that connects you to the rest of the world fits neatly into a small pocket.

I’m sure my grandparents had no idea what humans were capable of imagining.

Another problem with modern communication is that every phone is now a camera something some people forget when they go about doing things they should not be doing. And there’s also the cameras put up in and outside buildings as well as cameras cities put up to allow them to keep an eye on things and people. Unless you live in the country and don’t go into cities, you are bound to be seen on a camera somewhere and your actions analyzed. I find that a bit scary, but then it’s a great tool for law enforcement to find those who are up to no good.
            And so it goes. I think this is just the beginning of modern communication possibilities, but it reminds us to be vigilant to ensure that our rights are not violated.