The Pitfalls of Modern Life

Technology is a wonderful thing, without a doubt. The advances are mind-blowing. Who would have thought that my phone could have more processing power than the NSA of 1965?* However, I’ve come to realize there are challenges with our advancing technology. Some people think we are more prone to look at a screen now than talk to an actual person. I don’t really care about that, but this is what I do care about: we are in the awkward adolescence before all commodities become self-aware, and that can lead to great confusion and suffering.
For example, the other day I walked directly into a door and smashed my face. I assumed it was an automatic door, because every reputable place has one. It was not. I need to tell me wife to get with the program at our house.
Furthermore, I can’t count how many hours I have wasted holding my hands under a bathroom faucet waiting for the water to come out, only to find it was one of those antique models with a handle (HAN – duhl).
I’ve hit 10 pedestrians with my Tesla because the auto-pilot feature wasn’t working. The judge explained that not all car companies have auto-pilot and just because my car has a “T” on it doesn’t mean it is a Tesla. It’s people like this judge that don’t appreciate the difficulty of living in these modern times.
If the robots want to come and take my job, that’s fine with me. I look forward to the A.I. consummation when I can sit at home in my easy chair all day with drones scanning my stomach to sense hunger and buzz over to drop Cheez-Its in my mouth.

*This fact still pending verification

In the Earbuds: Insurgentes by Steven Wilson

A solo album from the former front-man of Porcupine Tree, Insurgentes is spacey, moody, unpredictable, powerful, and engrossing. Wilson’s Pink-Floyd-meets-90’s-hard rock vibe has soft, almost monotone vocal melodies overtop brooding, spooky clean guitars, followed by chunky rock riffs battering your cranium. The melodies themselves are simple, but enchanting, especially on the closing song – a gentle piano ballad. I’d recommend this for fans of prog, but even fans of alternative rock could find something to suit them. Great stuff!