Technology

On Sunday night, we got a nasty thunderstorm in Windham and we lost power for a couple hours. When the lights came back on, we found that we'd lost our modem and router--there must have been a power surge. I was a bit disturbed to see how much this affected me already--having to use the WI-FI at work just to log on to Facebook. And I couldn't check my banking account until I got the internet back because the line is unsecured. The thought struck me: I've spent a good chunk of my life without the internet, smart phones, WI-FI, and was perfectly happy, and now when I lose them for a few days it's a major inconvenience. How strange that we become so dependent on these things.
Ironically,  at the same time this happened, I was in the middle of watching a History channel series (I rented it from Netflix) called "The Men Who Built America.". It centered on how technology changed dramatically after the Civil War and it went into detail on the Titans of industry (Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Carnagie, JP Morgan) who really changed the way life was lived for good. Vanderbilt revolutionized the railroads, making it possible for things and people to be transported cross country. Rockefeller made his living in Standard oil, and changed how fuel was used. Carnegie revolutionized the steel industry (bridges started to be made from his steel), and changed the way things were built, and JP Morgan invested in Thomas Edison, who gave us the lighbulb. Morgan was the first to have his home wired for electricity, and the documentary showed the wonder on people's faces when the lights came on without the use of oil, etc. Within just a  few decades,  all these things changed the way we live.
So then I got to thinking, as I think we've gone through another technological revolution in my life, who would be the Titans today? I certainly would have to list Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, who has made it possible to do things we never would have dreamed of fifty years ago. Certainly brought about a computing revolution and changed the way we listen to music. Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, would have to be up there too, as he made the personal computer affordable for the common man, much as Henry Ford made the car affordable for the common man back at the start of the twentieth century. I marvel at how much has changed since I was born, and I think people who lived when Vanderbilt and Carnegie were around must have marveled the same way. Now it would be hard to imagine going back to the way we used to do things, which is good in some ways, bad in some ways.
I feel like my attention span is shorter. I find myself getting impatient when I have to wait more than a couple seconds for things to load. On the other hand, I like being able to connect with people who are hundreds of miles apart from me. (Zuckerburg, founder of Facebook, would be another Titan of Technology today). I like being able to pay my bills quickly, knowing they won't get lost in the mail. I like being able to carry thousands of songs in my pocket.