#13 technology

The thing that I find amazing about technology is how quickly it changes and how well we embrace the newness of gadgets and techie things. Communications technology has changed the way we work and connect with people. Most inquiries are now emailed to us from around the world and we can send an image (reference quality) and a response almost immediately rather than the weeks this would previously have taken. Most people email, text message, or connect online rather than by phone or face to face. Sometimes this can be a blessing.

The Encyclopædia Britannica Online, defines technology as the development over time of systematic techniques for making and doing things. The term technology, a combination of the Greek techne, “art, craft,” with logos, “word, speech,” meant in Greece a discourse on the arts, both fine and applied. It first appeared in English in the 17th century. By mid-century, technology was defined by such phrases as “the means or activity by which man seeks to change or manipulate his environment.” Even such broad definitions have been criticized by observers who point out the increasing difficulty of distinguishing between scientific inquiry and technological activity.

While there is cause to be very optimistic about technology for the way it helps us in the workplace and in the domestic sphere, some days it leaves me with frustrations and also concern for what technology is doing to our planet. But most days, I look forward to the discovery of a new way of doing things.