A Brave New World
Frank Gist
Last week, I wrote about my vacation trip to Houston Texas, to visit my two daughters. During the trip it occurred to me how much the world has changed since I was a young man. It is clear we live in a brave new world now. Many of the high-tech innovations of today were simply unimaginable 30 years ago.
I remember traveling as a young man, and it cost an arm and a leg to make a long-distance phone call back home, which required going through a switch board operator to patch the call through. Today we can make a FaceTime phone calls halfway around the world instantaneously, at little or no cost. Perhaps the most miraculous modern marvel is G.P.S. (Global Positioning System). How did anyone leave our front yards before there was G.P.S to navigate travel beyond the familiar. Then came cell phones and smartphones that put the world in the palms of our hands. There is almost nothing we do that cannot be done on a smartphone’s internet connection. All of our business and financial transactions can be handled in seconds with the push of a few buttons on a smartphone—from travel arrangements to paying bills all conducted in the palms of our hands in cyberspace.
It has become increasingly clear that a totally “cashless” society is just around the corner. In my travels I barely paid for anything in cash. Almost everything is now transacted with a card or smart phone. I’m getting to the age where counting cash money can be awkward, so I like a cashless society. It’s convenient but it’s also a quick, seamless way to drain your funds quicker. In Texas, I ate to two establishment that had signs at the front doors “No cash accepted, credit cards only”. I guess that will minimize robberies and pilfering, which should be reflected in the prices, but it doesn’t. It seems life has gotten so easy and convenient the world is literally at our fingertips. In Houston, Amazon Prime has same day delivery service. It was an early Christmas every day for my babies and grandbabies in Texas.
Then there’s “Ubers” which is a high tech taxicab service which is a convenient and fast way of getting around anytime if you need a cab. The cost of the ride is calculated and collected in the app. And the drivers know exactly where you’re going before you get in the car. I consider it a modern miracle. One of the more Orwellian aspects of modern society can best be appreciated at the airports where “Big Brother” is in full effect. If you haven’t been on a plane lately, checking into a flight now requires government approved credentials as proof of citizenship. It’s called “Real ID.” TSA agents insert your Identification (approved driver’s license or passport) into a devise, while you look into a cam era screen where your picture on your I.D is compared to the photo on your ID.
I’m sure it’s recording biometrics of your face to be put in a database some where for future use as a facial recogni tion tool for law enforcement. There will come a time soon when authorities will be able to scan your face and know who you are like real time fingerprint. Is this a good thing or bad thing? I’m not sure yet.
I even pondered a lot of the low-tech things that didn’t exist when I was young. For example, rollers on luggage didn’t exist 30 years ago. Now every piece of luggage you see is on wheels. Which made me wonder why it took so long to come along in the first place. But then it occurred to me, back in the day. Sky Caps did all the lifting of luggage, as soon as you arrived at the airport. It makes me wonder what the world will be like for my grandbabies in 30 years.