How my life has changed...

Misochippy! No. Do not try to find this word in the dictionary. It was invented by the Australian ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (the only real broadcaster in Australia) (the others are just glorified baby sitters for all ages) announcer Kell Richards on the 21st of March 2002. Mark it in your diary.

As I write my 19 year old son is talking to an employment agency about a position in IT and I am listening to a piece called Chene Park performed by Edgar Wallace Jr. from mp3.com. My son's hand writing is illegible but he can type at about 50 wpm with two fingers!

What is this? When did this happen? My dad was born in 1891 in the formative years of the automobile, and telecommunications. As we move into this new century it is telecommunications that is transforming our world. If someone had told my dad early last century that his son 100 years hence would be listening to electronically processed jazz music streaming over then Internet - putting aside the semantic difficulties - I think his mind would have exploded. Not to mention electronic banking. I cannot remember the last time any member of our household actually visited a real bank. (Do they exist any more?)

I suppose for me it all started in about 1985 - I do not remember the date - or even the year. It can be timed by the release of the Commodore 128 since I bought one immediately upon their release in Australia. I remember it cost me AU$3,000 for the Commodore 128, a high resolution CGA monitor, a single sided floppy drive, I later added the double sided floppy when they were released, and an Epson dot matrix printer. I spent the next several years - with a few breaks to eat sleep and go to work - on the computer. One day whilst at work I was looking over my bosses shoulder trying to debug his spaghetti code. It was a horrible sight. He then invited me to fix the programme. I did not leave the seat for about four years. I remember that I completely rewrote the code about three times. From there I graduated into a permanent IT position, which I still hold.

However, all that having been said what is the social impact of this transformation and is it good or bad, morally and functionally.

The misochippists (I love that word) would have it that technology is evil. Well, maybe not inherently evil but is used in such evil ways that it should be tightly controlled, banned or both. The chippophiles on the other hand tell us that the technology is good and that it can lead to enlightenment, freedom, and universal harmony.

It is true that technology has brought us a world that was inconceivable to my dad, even at the time of his death in 1964 the current revolution was unimaginable. To enumerate just some of the pros,

• Medical technology - There are advances in medical science that would be impossible without advanced technology. Even such a humble thing as medical records are going on line. No longer will there be medical files passed from doctor to doctor, only to get lost.
• Science is transformed in so many ways it is impossible to even start. However I believe on of the most (if not the most) significant advantage is communication. One hundred years ago each scientist worked in a partial vacuum. Once the research was done and the papers written they were then submitted to the journal for review, or presented to a society. The delays involved were enormous. And if the paper was in a foreign language there were additional impediments. Now however there is on-line publishing, advance announcements, greater cooperation, easier access to material, rapid translation, faster access due to indexing, and ready availability. For example go to google and search on nuclear science. In excess of 1 million hits in less than 200 ms.
• Communication. How many people do you know without email addresses. I was extremely frustrated this week when I had to post some pamphlets to a misochippist. I suggested that I email the document and that she print them - but no - that was too hard! She has email, a printer MS word but no, I had to send them by post! Of course originals of material will always be necessary but the requirement is becoming so rare - the postal service will fade away. Mind you the on-line card developers need to lift their game before we say goodbye to Australia Post et al. I maintain a web site (although maintain is perhaps too strong a term) and they are talking about printable pamphlets for advertising his events. Create Acrobat pamphlets that the local organization organizing can print them from the pdf file. Most IT organizations that I deal with already do this. Not to mention on-line chat and instant messaging.
• As already mentioned on-line entertainment. Streaming music, radio, interviews, video, news, ezines, books, posters and pictures, journals (please write and let me know what you think).

• Pornography
• Gambling
• Stalking
• Taking sexual advantage of vulnerable people
• Propagation of lies and myths

I for one welcome technology. It is no more to be feared than any other human endeavor. It can be used for evil and good. The heart of man has not changed from ancient times - there are those who will always pervert that which one means for good to evil purposes, but that does not make it evil. The most we can do is guard our own hearts and those of the vulnerable, such as children.

The future is not to be feared but embraced and welcomed. We must not be slaves to history, past present or future, but shape own own history and forge a future with good will as men and women of faith. I am convinced that the century we live in now is better in many ways than the one into which my father was born. I also believe that whatever history my children and their children will see will be better again, whatever the evil that man sets his hand to.

Yani