screens

i'm starting to believe that i've almost lost my will to read. We'll maybe it's not that bad but i went out today with the idea,"hey i'm going to get a book & finish it today!" Should not have been that hard to do but here i am, back at my computer because a backlit screen is easier on my eyes than a piece of paper.

Here's the wonderful problem of my generation. Since i started school, i've been staring at a screen. Typing classes (which paid off), science classes, research for classes online, screen screen screen screen screen! It has had its perks though. i can't tell you the home row keys but i can spell out everything that i say before i say it & shoot that information to my fingers. The other day i got weird looks at a store because i was walking & texting at the same time. The droid i use has a pop out keyboard with little numbs on the j & f keys (sound familiar?). When i choose the person that i want to send a text to, one click then the typing begins. Texting & talking is just like walking & talking only you do not use your mouth. As i roamed around the store the click of my keyboard followed me wherever i went. This is my generation.

According to my father, who keeps up on the news, in Missouri it is illegal to drive & text if you are under the age of 21. How is this a law? Just because i'm over the age of 21, how does that make it ok for me to operate a phone & fly my mothership at 70 miles an hour? Unless you are a fighter pilot in the air force, there is no way your eyes can adjust fast enough to stare at a phone then the road fast enough to guarantee safety while driving. There is a voice dictation option on my phone & i still feel queazy using it while driving.

Now take a second & look back at the topics that i've touched on. It still astounds me these are the problems that we are faced with right now. Looking from what i can imagine as my parents perspective, it's crazy that we have these machines. Honestly, i can not think of a time in my life where a computer wasn't around. I went to computer camps back in grade school, had typing classes from second grade on through high school & someone always had a playstation or game boy around. Screens everywhere!

While at best buy a week or so back, i got to play with an ipad. Never in my life did i think i would enjoy it but it was a little scary. The keys were evenly spaced & with some practice, i could really get use to it. I could carry this screen around in my bag & it would be the end all be all of my computing needs. I'm already use to a touch screen phone with internet access, why not just have a giant one! With the wifi capabilities, why do i ever need to invest in a computer again? Now i am not trying to sell ipads to the masses by any means but here is the road that were taking. We will have a screen. That's it. Some schools are moving to the ebook club & kudos, you're saving a lot of paper. But that's going to eventually be what you stare at for 16 hours a day. A screen that has the world at your fingertips. As long as itunes doesn't go all Fahrenheit 451 on our asses, i think we'll be ok. It is something to keep in the back of your mind though the next time you go digging for your iphone. One day, you might have a device that allows you to call, explore the web, keep your appointments, receive email, spell check, etc. Oh! you already have one of those do you?

What if it was all you had?

love always,

.scotti.