What will technology do to/for future generations?

[scottmandue]

This is not mean to be a technology bashing thread, when I travel my cell phone makes life so much easier... the minute I land at the airport I can call to arrange transportation and call friends/family to tell them I have arrived safely... in the field I can call the office from the work-site to get parts/support/whatever I need... and on and on. If I had a teenager I would want them to have a cell phone for safety reasons.

I love music and have a home theater and would love to have a listening room set up with a analogue stereo if I ever find the time and money. I just don't feel the need for an ipod but I think they are a cool little device and I admire the technology.
Besides that I'm employed as a technician at a science museum for gosh sakes.

However,

Let us consider the effect on future generations.
A few hundred years ago the human species had a lot of quite time to just sit and think. Sailing from continent to continent took weeks maybe months. The pioneers crossing America on horse back.
Think of Asian societies where large groups of people do nothing but quietly meditate for hours every day. I myself take forty five minutes to a couple of hours every week to go out into nature and just sit and think.

So what type of brains are future generation going to have with almost no time to be introspective?

Between texting, portable DVD's, micro listening devices plugged into their ears they have very little quite time.

Would the great thinkers of history had contributed their great ideas if their brains were constantly feed with noise?

[kstar]

It's a very long way to Alpha Centauri.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Continue to make life more comfortable for humans.

Continue to alienate humans from one another by destroying personal interaction.

Develop new/more efficient ways of killing people (military).

[scottmandue]

I left out gameboy...

and the evil time sucking Internet.

If Albert Einstein were alive today would he have had the time to think E=MC2?

Would Thomas Edison had the patients to further develop the light bulb?

Would Siddhattha Gotama had time to be enlightened?

[Gogar]

In the 20th century, science-fiction writers and dreamers envisioned a day where man would have FANTASTIC MACHINES and ROBOTS to do his chores, menial tasks, and day-to-day busywork.

Those hopeful science fiction writers thought that it would "free man up", so to speak, to allow him more time for higher levels of thought.

Now, we have those machines, at almost every level those 20th century thinkers envisioned. in some ways, we have far surpassed even their wildest dreams.

Unfortunately, the only thing it seems to have done for the majority of humans is allow them to forget how to even accomplish the most simple tasks of daily life.

Technology will make future generations more stupid, more lazy, and more inefficient than ever before.

[kstar]

I would argue there has always been a majority group of humans that haven't contributed much to technological progress . . . except for buying the things made from the technology.

The hard core scientists and inventors are still around doing some radical things with ever improving tools and producing significant material results. Perhaps this will create a sort of tech-caste society?

The amount and quality of information available at one's fingertips in modern and semi-modern countries is staggering. What one "can" know is difficult to imagine, but what is more important is what one decides to know and what one decides to do with that knowledge.

I don't think the ratio of doers and ne'er-do-wells has changed over time, but the tools for the doers to continue to do great things are improving.

[scottmandue]

I have no doubt technology will march on and bring us new wonders.

But what of the human brain, how will it cope with constant input and no down time?

[Porsche-O-Phile]

The human brain DOES run with no down time. Sleep is only a different mode, but the brain is most certainly functioning during those times, processing information, etc.

[kstar]

Perhaps our brains will get larger? This real alien meeting with Bush has a fairly big head.



Apparently the alien ambassador was furious when he discovered after the meeting that Bush hates real aliens.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by Gogar

Technology will make future generations more stupid, more lazy, and more inefficient than ever before.

it's as if you have a time machine.

brilliantly put.

[Hugh R]

I can tell you one thing it has done, its made the younger generation unable to do math in their head. I buy an item for $1.51 and hand the girl/guy $2.01 and if the cash register is on the blink they have to use a calculator to figure out that my change is $0.50. I've been in several stores when the power was out and they are unable to sell me anything, cause the scanner doesn't work.

[Gogar]

Originally Posted by Shaun 84 Targa

it's as if you have a time machine.

brilliantly put.

Sorry if I said something dumb. I was on the phone, and my GF AIM-ed me at the same time, omg lol. It's crazy busy over here, man. And the "Flavor of Love REUNION" is on. So you see what I'm dealing with.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Originally Posted by Hugh R

I can tell you one thing it has done, its made the younger generation unable to do math in their head. I buy an item for $1.51 and hand the girl/guy $2.01 and if the cash register is on the blink they have to use a calculator to figure out that my change is $0.50. I've been in several stores when the power was out and they are unable to sell me anything, cause the scanner doesn't work.

+1

The ones that kill me are the ones that "count back" the change by simply counting up the change they're putting in your hand. The whole point of counting it back is to check yourself that you're not making a mistake or didn't inadvertently key in the amount wrong into the computer (do so, blindly trust the register and potentially make a big error).

For example, I was always taught that if so-and-so comes in and buys an item for $11.55 and pays with a $20, you count back by saying $11.55 (which they paid) and $0.45 (change given to them) makes $12.00, then "13, 14, 15" (three $1 bills) "and $5 makes $20" (give them a $5 and that totals up to the amount they gave you). Simple.

Now half the schlockers out there just say "your change is 8.45" ('cause the computer says so), and count back "5, 6, 7, 8 and 45 cents". Better than nothing I suppose but still not a check on a miskey at the register.

[austin552]

[cashflyer]

At about 1 minute in, you see the terminator guys walking around with machine guns. When I see this, I always wonder... why would machines make them in our image? Why would they need to be anthropomorphic, with jaws (since they don't eat) and such?? I understand if they are going to make a skin-job to infiltrate a nest of humans, but why would the field soldiers need to be humaniod-ish? There are better designs.

Anyway, to the question of the thread: I saw on the news recently that children are scoring higher now on complex problem solving tests. Researchers attribute the higher scores to RPG action video games that have high skill level objectives.

Maybe technology will dumb down the masses, and maybe it will produce some super brains.
And maybe the super brains can enslave the stupid masses.

[Buckterrier]

While all the above is pretty much true technology was supposed to make life/work easier. Work less hourse because of technology. It has done quite the opposite. Does anyone here work less hours? We all have our Co. laptops, PDA's etc. etc. Work while on the golf course, in our Porsches, working while doing the yard, watching the tube. We are constantly 'working' because of the access to 'work'
These guys had it right...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izQB2-Kmiic

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by Gogar

Sorry if I said something dumb. I was on the phone, and my GF AIM-ed me at the same time, omg lol. It's crazy busy over here, man. And the "Flavor of Love REUNION" is on. So you see what I'm dealing with.

No, I was strongly agreeing. I think you've crystallized the future RE: technology and man.

No green.

[Gogar]

Originally Posted by Shaun 84 Targa

No, I was strongly agreeing. I think you've crystallized the future RE: technology and man.

No green.

Hey, no problem! I was trying to go for a two-fer, but the second one just wasn't very good!