I mean, take a look around you right now. How many computers, cell phones, PDAs, laptops or pagers do you see? Sort of took it for granted there, huh? Wonder what it was like in our parent’s day? How the heck did they even cope?

Past Revisited

To be honest, all I can remember from my earliest childhood days is the black and white TV in our living room that we watched occasionally. Not a whole lot on back then! Other than that, there was the AM radio and the newspaper or magazine laying around. That was The Source of information back then.

The paper was the main source of breaking news albeit it was only after it left the press room that it became “Hot of the Press” type news. You could either wait for the boy to bicycle it to your yard that afternoon or pick one up at the news stand on the corner.

Fast Forward

Now, we get the news “as it happens” due to the technology of the day. Via news crews that rush to the scene of the latest breaking story to your TV (in most every room of the house), your computer (via news feeds run off RSS), your cell phone (via text message), and even your pager! Not to mention, your car radio on AM | FM or Satellite. With RSS feeds we can keep up with our favorite topics from all across the internet either via a browser or right on the desktop by use of an applet.

Newspapers

Most of what we see now pertaining to news is very nearly as it happens or right afterwards. Newspapers are having a heck of a time playing catch-up with technology’s advancement because many of them are either a morning or evening only edition these days. However, this does give them the advantage of having an accurate and complete story for their readers as their time frame allows them the ability to better research the piece better than their electronic counterparts who strive to be the first one out with the news.

Now It’s Real Time

Take the recent debates going on across our country with the Presidential candidates such as the one last night between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Fascinating!

The entire time the debate was taking place, it was also being broadcast across the internet and discussions were going on in various forums, chat rooms and blogs. All in real time! Imagine what our parents would think if they had this capability back then?

Our dependency on technology today has increased to the point now that we really can’t live without it. Imagine living without your cell phone. Kinda hard isn’t it? Or try staying away from the TV…not gonna happen is it?

My Take

Technology is a two-edged sword in a manner of speaking. On the one side it keeps us informed of pretty much anything we might want to know about. It also can inform us of a lot of things we DON’T want to know about too.

On the other side, we have the ability to be better able to help others in a moment’s notice whether it be in a library here in the States or way across the Globe in a medical facility residing in a war-torn nation.

Either way, it’s up to us as a people to utilize the Technology of our day to both our advantage and that of others less technologically advanced wouldn’t you think? Come to think of it…what has technology done for you that you’d feel as if you really couldn’t do without it? I’m curious what many of you value most in technology these days.