When Robots Make Dinner

While I was on the phone with the service center for a major computer/printer provider today it occurred to me how dependent on technology I have become. Like many people my job depends on a never ending stack of paperwork that has to be drawn up, printed, reviewed, signed, emailed, forwarded, scanned, faxed, and copied. If during one step of this process I encounter a problem, like say the printer is down, than my day is shot. Instead of continuing through my work, I spend two hours on the phone with someone across the globe installing and reinstalling software; just so I can print a simple listing… or whatever.

During a particularly long rendition of a semi-patriotic elevator song I began to worry about our future as a society. With all the technology available to us I am afraid that we are forgetting how to troubleshoot during times of distress. For example, if my daughter’s cell phone loses reception while she is using the GPS to find the location for a job interview will she know what to do? When I graduated school everyone was still calling for directions, and if we got lost we stopped and bought a map. How many young adults these days could use a simple road map?

Not to mention the fact that I used to have to memorize or write down phone numbers. Be honest, now that you just put numbers right into your phone do you know your spouse’s work number? What about your children’s’ cell phone numbers? Alright, here’s a good one… your sister’s phone number? Ha! The only number I never forget is my cell number because that is always the one I give to others as they program me into their phones. Heaven help me when my battery dies, which it does (often). Then I am completely out of touch with everyone! I keep buying phones with “excellent battery life” but because each phone does more than the one before it the battery cannot sustain all my new applications and last through a few hours of calling.

I haven’t even gotten into our complete reliance on the internet. The word google is actually in the dictionary these days (Verb /ˈgo͞ogəl/ To perform a search on the internet). As much as I love having access to just about everything, I wonder what would happen if we somehow lost our connection. On a smaller scale maybe I should start practicing drills in the event that that my e-mail is down, our office computers get a virus, or there is a shortage of ink cartridges.

I am just as guilty as the next person- I buy a new computer every few years. I have an iPhone. I use my GPS to get everywhere. The use of technology in the workplace has increased my business and saved my butt on more than one occasion. Heck- I almost broke down and bought that gizmo that vacuums the house! My only point is that I am worried we will forget how to solve our own problems if we are constantly relying on the latest gadget. If my robot housekeeper runs out of lithium in the middle of making dinner I don’t want my hungry ten year old asking, “Hey mom- is there an APP for that?”

Sarah Moore, Broker/REALTOR - CRS, CDPE, SFR, e-Pro RE/MAX EXECUTIVE REALTY 7752 GATEWAY LANE, SUITE 204 CONCORD NC 28027 www.WeOpenMoreDoors@hotmail.com 704-706-4160