Will we ever reach a point where technology is just too much?

[JDFP]

Subjective question, but it's coming off the topic of different Romero apps on the iPhone in the "Dead" section. First off, I'm not a Neo-Luddite (though I think Heidegger was one of the most intelligent thinkers of the 20th century), I have nothing against technology. I'm on a computer right now posting this on a forum on the internet. I don't have an issue with driving my car which has computer parts in it or talking on a cell phone, but I think we eventually reach a point where we just have too much technology for our own good. An example of this would be being able to communicate with anyone anywhere while at the same time never in history being so far apart from human contact. Sitting on your phone .TXT'ing to someone or instant messaging someone or e-mailing someone is NOT the same as having a conversation with someone in person, it's not human contact and it just can't compare.

People can now go days/weeks without ever having to see another person face-to-face. You can have your groceries delivered to your place, take all your classes online, work through home on your computer, etc. There's almost no need to have to be around people if you don't want to be around people. I think we as a society really lose something by losing this fundamental contact with other folks.

A major issue I had with a former girlfriend (the most recent one) that really got to me and just bothered the hell out of me was the fact that she was consistently glued to her phone on a non-stop basis. She was incapable of going 5 minutes without .TXT'ing someone on her phone or fidgeting with it to check something on the net (oh, her Facebook updates!). I'm not an expert on 'addictions' -- but it seemed like an addiction to me. We could not watch a flick, go to a restaurant, etc., without having to get the thing out to .TXT something to someone. It just got to a point where it just annoyed the piss out of me and I ended up telling her either to turn it off or not bother to come over. Anyway, without much surprise, things just didn't end up working out with her, but I see this all the time where people are always glued to their phones/computers/other technology to a point where it interferes with actual human interaction.

Personally, I've just gotten to a place where I ask myself: "Hey, do I really need this? Is the price/amount worth the usage of it for me that I'll take out of it?" and more often than not, the answer is 'No'. This isn't an attack on technology, it's just that I think too much technology can really take away from each of us with too much use and too little interaction with others.

Anyway, thoughts?

j.p.

[Danny]

No, there is never enough technology. Go to any third world country and tell them they are better off the way they are. You are focussing on superficial technology which will always evolve and adapt but the majority of technology improves human lives- not often at the environments benefit but id rather live in a world where we can have nanites treating cancer than the 20th century mobiles without a speaker and talking to people without a face when you need to through a machine.

[EvilNed]

We, as humans, have stopped evolving as a species. We do not adapt to situations, we adapt situations to us. That's what makes us special and unique. No other animal does this. This means that if we take that away, we've basicly got nothing.

No, I do not think we can have enough technology. I understand what you're saying, but I think it comes down to a personal level. I'm a smoker. But where I work, there's simply no time to smoke. So I leave the cigarettes at home, and they just don't bother me there. Same goes for anything else. You can always just put it down and say "I'm gonna live without this for awhile". Or you can indulge yourself.

In any case, we will NOT stop advancing our technology until I get my holodeck, damnit.

[Danny]

see? Ned needs his perfect commie waifu.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/khazrak/sample-7e29e3a92143a516255a1790729a.jpg

[Terran]

Your asking me?


Hmm considering my life long dream and constant fantasy is become something like the following...


http://dvice.com/pics/Ghost-in-the-Shell-cyberbrain.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vbIFA8snM5Y/S8TNBxEUOkI/AAAAAAAABBc/xIMZZBUhzD4/s1600/Terminator.jpg
http://zanegrant.org/zngrnt/sphpblog_0511/images/borg.jpg

What you think?...Lol


NEVER ENOUGH.

[EvilNed]

see? Ned needs his perfect commie waifu.


Why, that picture has got to be the best thing that's come out of Japan since the decision to see what the Khalkhin Gol looked like in summertime.

[Kaos]

You mean like this:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37256799/ns/technology_and_science-science

It's alive! Artificial DNA controls life

Synthetic genome blazes trail for new drugs and biofuels

http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/100520-science-colonies-hlarge-1045a.hlarge.jpgJCVI via Science / AAAS
Blue colonies indicate a successfully transplanted genome in bacteria.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/images/icons/slideshow.gif (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37257943/displaymode/1176/rstry/37256799/) View related photos (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37257943/displaymode/1176/rstry/37256799/)

By Eric Bland
http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/MSNBC/Components/Sources/Art/source_Discovery_News.gif (http://dsc.discovery.com/news/news.html)updated 5:12 p.m. ET, Thurs., May 20, 2010

It may not quite be "Frankenstein," but for the first time scientists have created an organism controlled by completely human-made DNA.
Using the tools of synthetic biology, scientists from the J. Craig Venter Institute installed a completely artificial genome inside a host cell without DNA. Like the bolt of lightning that awakened Frankenstein, the new genome invigorated the host cell, which began to grow and reproduce, albeit with a few problems.
The research marks a technical milestone in the synthesis and implantation of artificial DNA. Venter expects the research will lead to cheaper drugs, vaccines and biofuels in several years — and dozens of other companies and researchers are working toward the same goal.



"This is the first synthetic cell that's been made," said Venter. "We call it synthetic because the cell is totally derived from a synthetic chromosome, made with four bottles of chemicals on a chemical synthesizer, starting with information in a computer."


The research, published Thursday by the journal Science, combines two of Venter's past achievements.


In 2007 Venter transplanted the genome of one Mycoplasma bacterium into another. Venter and his colleagues also synthesized a trimmed down, artificial version of Mycoplasma's DNA, a project known as the Minimal Genome Project. Attempts to implant the synthetic DNA all failed, until now.
In the current research, Venter and his colleagues, who include Nobel laureate Hamilton Smith, first synthesized Mycoplasma's full genome. Then they added hundreds of thousands of additional base pairs to "watermark" the DNA and distinguish it from a natural one.

[Danny]

i would bet good money some rich quack will try to go all doctor moraue with this shit. honestly. good money.

[Wyldwraith]

Well,
I think we can have too much superficial technology, but technology that opens possibilities and improves quality of life? NEVER ENOUGH.

I live for the day when we have nanite-derived immortality, or the ability to go all Matrix/Cyberpunk. I already live ON a computer due to pain disability, living IN one wouldn't be an uncomfortable stretch.

[Danny]

Well,
I think we can have too much superficial technology, but technology that opens possibilities and improves quality of life? NEVER ENOUGH.

I live for the day when we have nanite-derived immortality, or the ability to go all Matrix/Cyberpunk. I already live ON a computer due to pain disability, living IN one wouldn't be an uncomfortable stretch.

Eh. if i was immortal id rather try and see the universe than a virtual one y'know?

[Mike70]

We, as humans, have stopped evolving as a species. We do not adapt to situations, we adapt situations to us. That's what makes us special and unique. No other animal does this. This means that if we take that away, we've basicly got nothing.

there is never too much technology and science. never. i cannot help but chuckle at folks who think technology is bad/evil. hahahaha. folks that think that should take every single technological device they have and see if they can live comfortably without it. that includes refrigerators, central air and heat, ovens, washing/drying machines, etc.

i love outdoor activities but i have zero desire to "live like our ancestors." folks who died from shit we don't bat an eye at, shat in buckets, had dodgy water to drink, and lived on average for about as long as i have now. yeah, that sounds great.

---------- Post added at 10:01 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:56 AM ----------



People can now go days/weeks without ever having to see another person face-to-face. You can have your groceries delivered to your place, take all your classes online, work through home on your computer, etc. There's almost no need to have to be around people if you don't want to be around people. I think we as a society really lose something by losing this fundamental contact with other folks.



this is one of the best things about technology. i DO NOT have any desire to interact with more people on a daily basis than is absolutely necessary. i don't care for or care about people i don't know and i don't want to interact with them.

i see absolutely nothing wrong with a society that evolves the need for less contact between people.

[bassman]

I see nothing wrong with advancing technology and don't think we'll ever reach the point of it being too much, but some of it can be fuckin annoying. I believe this might be where JD is going with this.

I'm all for technology and how it helps our lives, but when it controls our lives it's a different story. Just like his ex-girlfirend I know people that literally CAN'T stop using their iphones. Not for phone conversations, but for bullshit texting and internet. 99% of the time I'll ask the person, "why don't you just call me...you're holding a phone" and their usual response is "Well, texting is easier". No friend....no it's not.

The worst thing about technology is that it's seperating us as people. We're encouraged to text rather than talk, we make "friends" on myspace and facebook instead of going out, we play online multiplayer instead of inviting friends over.

I hate to use a Wall E reference as I didn't like that film, but it's message is true. That's the road we're heading down. Pretty soon people will have no reason to leave their recliner.

[Trin]

My concern is that the technology we have is already to the point that so few people understand it that any kind of world altering catastrophe would plunge us into the dark ages. Add to it that the technology has facilitated the world's population growth and if we lose it we'll have mass death.

Now, go the next logical step, where humans begin to rely on enabling technology. For example, Type I diabetes. Without the technology we have today the victims of this malady would not survive, much like they didn't survive just a hundred years ago. If humans ever overcome sickness or disease or some other malady with technology it is conceivable that the natural selection will be thwarted and the entire human race would rely on the technology to survive after several generations.

Another possibility? Technology becomes necessary for the earth to remain habitable. Assume for a moment that humans continue to pollute the planet. Assume that at some point that level of toxin becomes dangerous to human life. What if we develop a drug that battles the effects of the toxins and allows humans to continue on. Or we develop industries around toxin dispersal that require technology. Not out of the realm of possible, imho. Now assume that we have a catastrophe and the technology is damaged and halted. What happens?

As to addiction to things like phones and facebook, I just laugh at those people. Can you imagine being addicted to something so silly?
*clicks submit*
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[JDFP]

there is never too much technology and science. never. i cannot help but chuckle at folks who think technology is bad/evil. hahahaha. folks that think that should take every single technological device they have and see if they can live comfortably without it. that includes refrigerators, central air and heat, ovens, washing/drying machines, etc.

i love outdoor activities but i have zero desire to "live like our ancestors." folks who died from shit we don't bat an eye at, shat in buckets, had dodgy water to drink, and lived on average for about as long as i have now. yeah, that sounds great.

---------- Post added at 10:01 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:56 AM ----------



this is one of the best things about technology. i DO NOT have any desire to interact with more people on a daily basis than is absolutely necessary. i don't care for or care about people i don't know and i don't want to interact with them.

i see absolutely nothing wrong with a society that evolves the need for less contact between people.

The first half was not my point at all. I completely disagree with the second half though.

I don't have any issue with technology that helps benefit people in the least. If technology can save lives from the ravages of cancer -- good. But, at the same time, there are some places I just think it's ridiculous.

When I go to a grocery store for example I'm not going through one of those damn "Self-check-out" things so I can pay a machine. I don't care if I have to wait a few minutes in a line, I'd rather talk to a HUMAN instead of a machine for my groceries. Do I have anything against people who use this impersonal machines? No. But, it's impersonal to me. My grandparents remember a time when you could go to the grocer and the butcher knew you by name and knew how to cut the meat just right for you and the clerks could tell you 'sale' specials you would value and ask about your family. We've lost alot as a society by losing human interaction, the 'human touch'.

Maybe at 29 I'm already prematurely old, but I just prefer the 'human touch' to cold impersonal machines / technology for doing some things for me -- I guess it's just a matter of preference but I still think we lose something by losing human interaction. Likewise, if given the option of .TXT'ing someone or calling them on the phone, I'm going with the option of calling them to actually hear their voice. And this whole Kindle thing? No, I'm just not going to read a damn book on a computer screen, that seems silly to me... you lose the entire essence of a book by not actually holding the words in your hands... again, I guess I'm just getting old, but it's not the same.

You say that you "see no problem with a society that evolves for the need for less contact with other people". I understand what you're saying to some extent, but as a matter of preference I'd say that it's de-evolution to lose sight of being part of a community, a society, a people as sacrifice to 'convenience'.

j.p.

---------- Post added at 10:33 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:30 AM ----------


I see nothing wrong with advancing technology and don't think we'll ever reach the point of it being too much, but some of it can be fuckin annoying. I believe this might be where JD is going with this.

I'm all for technology and how it helps our lives, but when it controls our lives it's a different story. Just like his ex-girlfirend I know people that literally CAN'T stop using their iphones. Not for phone conversations, but for bullshit texting and internet. 99% of the time I'll ask the person, "why don't you just call me...you're holding a phone" and their usual response is "Well, texting is easier". No friend....no it's not.

The worst thing about technology is that it's seperating us as people. We're encouraged to text rather than talk, we make "friends" on myspace and facebook instead of going out, we play online multiplayer instead of inviting friends over.

I hate to use a Wall E reference as I didn't like that film, but it's message is true. That's the road we're heading down. Pretty soon people will have no reason to leave their recliner.

DING DING DING!!!...

You're right on the money, Bassman. This is EXACTLY my point.

Very well said and I agree 100%.

j.p.

[Mike70]

I'm all for technology and how it helps our lives, but when it controls our lives it's a different story. Just like his ex-girlfirend I know people that literally CAN'T stop using their iphones. Not for phone conversations, but for bullshit texting and internet. 99% of the time I'll ask the person, "why don't you just call me...you're holding a phone" and their usual response is "Well, texting is easier". No friend....no it's not.



i know someone who will sit in a group of folks at a gathering and 70% of the time on his fucking iphone. it's rude as all hell.

on the subject of texting: this cat has no part in texting. i don't send them and i don't respond to them. if someone wants or needs to contact me, they have to do it by either calling me or leaving a voice message.

cell phones are one piece of tech that i am not a fan of.

[darth los]

i would bet good money some rich quack will try to go all doctor moraue with this shit. honestly. good money.

That's assuming that it isn't already being done. Whatever the public is privvy to you can again bet good money that they've been messing with it for years before they let the sheeple know anything about it.

How else are they supposed to see if there's a practical military application for it? Because you know there will always be those for which that is priority # 1.

:cool:

[Terran]

You mean like this:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37256799/ns/technology_and_science-science

It's alive! Artificial DNA controls life

Synthetic genome blazes trail for new drugs and biofuels

http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/100520-science-colonies-hlarge-1045a.hlarge.jpg


This deserved its own thread!

[Danny]

This deserved its own thread!

Nah, just wait till jobs and gates start competing with sony for custom "ipet" "futuredogg" and "aibo: organic"