I’ve been thinking a lot about the progress of technology lately. When one considers the evolution of technology over time, it’s not hard to notice an obvious pattern: the old and more ancient technologies are inevitably replaced by newer more advanced ones. Let’s take for example the progress of devices in communication. Years before modern cordless and cellular phones existed, the corded phones ruled the day. Corded phones claimed their precedence through the course of a small developmental evolution of their own. However, even the oldest looking telephone seems new when compared with the telegraph, a device which was invented almost two centuries ago. Again though, even the telegraph’s inception in the 1830s and 1840s improved upon the faculties and developments of its primitive predecessors. Communication technologies seem to move forward in ways in which Alexander Graham Bell and Samuel Morse could have only dreamed. Just as devices in the realm of communication have evolved, so too have machines endured transformation in almost every other conceivable area. Not surprisingly, the older is always succeeded by the newer.
In light of this documented progression, I want everyone to take a step back from the technological scene of today and try to imagine the future. It’s hard to imagine a world in which our contemporary devices are no longer thought of as cutting edge or modern. Yet, as the incessant progression of technological development tells us, one day all of our technologies will cease to exist as we know them today. With your now distanced perspective, try to envision a world in which everything is so new that even our generation is forced to ask its grandchildren how to operate the latest devices. In order to envisage such a world, a great deal of difficulty is usually encountered. In other respects, though, it’s not so hard to conceive of such an existence because of the presence of some seemingly archaic and inefficient devices today. There are several “modern” devices whose future evolution is imaginable because of their inept qualities today. I have made up a list of three contemporary devices which I think people will one day, maybe a century from now, look upon with laughter and disbelief.
1) The modern gas-powered automobile: Is it even hard to imagine how this clunky and antiquated invention will one day be replaced? I don’t think so. The automobiles of today just look and act old. The rumbling of the bulky and oversized engines, the emission of contaminating pollutants, and the constant need to repair and service these mechanical brutes illustrate their utter incompetence and antiquity. We’re still using cars which are essentially modeled after their ancient ancestors. Isn’t there a better means of transportation with another, more efficient fuel source that we can come up with?
2) Microwaves: Upon first glance, the microwave oven might seem competently designed and developed. However, microwave ovens suffer in a number of ways. Why do you think some researchers tell pregnant women to stay away from microwaves? They must not be as safe as we think they are. And even if they are safe if properly contained, what happens if a leak in your microwave oven develops unbeknownst to yourself? Moreover, the time microwaves take to work sometimes amazes me. Yes, I realize that when compared to a great many other things in our culinary repertoire, microwave ovens work at near light-speed. Yet, when I want to defrost something, a microwave can take more than 10-20 minutes (depending upon the size of the food being defrosted). One day, I think that humanity will invent a safer and more efficient version of the microwave oven.
3) Central Heating and Air Conditioning: Although heating and air conditioning may seem like it is already as about as advanced as it can be, I think the future will transform how we heat and cool our homes. The current system of heating and cooling our homes is very cumbersome: installation or overhaul requires putting in a rather large outdoor fan and linking this with an even larger apparatus in one’s basement. Additionally, the outgrowth from these machines is a mass of ducting and vents. Who could even imagine a more unwieldy or bulky machine? One day, I believe that heating and air conditioning will take on a more organic character, one which will shed its ungainly physical excesses.
For me, it’s not hard to visualize how these three devices will one day be thought of as old-fashioned or clumsy. Maybe you have a different list of modern devices which you think will one day be thought of as old or inept. If you can think of a couple, comment on this blog post. It should be interesting to see what type of world we each believe the future will hold.
No comments:
Post a Comment