[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?