Male and Female Imponderables - You & Me & the Bottle Makes Three
POSTED BY: RiverIsMyGoddess
UPDATED: Friday, January 12, 2007 13:59
VIEWED: 14856
PAGE 10 of 13
Quote:
Originally posted by jpstargazer:
I guess I just hope it doesn't get to the point where everyone is holed up in front of their computers day in and day out because that, to me, is probably the most depressing future I can think of...
Already happening. At a (somewhat) nearby technological school, the internet was down for an entire day *gasp* and half of the people in the dorms had no idea what to do with themselves. There was one guy that was a big WoW player that simply sat and stared at his empty computer screen until the network was functioning again.
I'm a leaf on the wind
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Quote:Aw, JoQu, I just know how sensitive you are, do I try not to make too big a point about it.
Originally posted by JonnyQuest:
I can't help but notice you always whisper whenever you pretend to try to rile me about this. Could it be the cowardice of your ninjaness?
Quote:OMG!! SHUT UP, STOP SCARING ME!!!
Originally posted by Rhyianan:Quote:Already happening. At a (somewhat) nearby technological school, the internet was down for an entire day *gasp* and half of the people in the dorms had no idea what to do with themselves.
Originally posted by jpstargazer:
I guess I just hope it doesn't get to the point where everyone is holed up in front of their computers day in and day out because that, to me, is probably the most depressing future I can think of...
Heh. My interwub was out for 5 whole days once. I actually had to... *sniffle*... read archaic analog paper books!
It's not just the internet. Look up the Otaku phenomenon. The reality behind that, rather, not just the funny insult that it has become.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Hell's Kitten:Quote:
Originally posted by JonnyQuest:
I can't help but notice you always whisper whenever you pretend to try to rile me about this. Could it be the cowardice of your ninjaness?
Aw, JoQu, I just know how sensitive you are, do I try not to make too big a point about it.
How would you like to be sun-kissed?Quote:
OMG!! SHUT UP, STOP SCARING ME!!!
Heh. My interwub was out for 5 whole days once. I actually had to... *sniffle*... read archaic analog paper books!
Paper? Books? Analog, I know. No true sci fi nut can deny that...
Quote:
It's not just the internet. Look up the Otaku phenomenon. The reality behind that, rather, not just the funny insult that it has become.
I read about these soulless husks. I'm so very glad there's none among us that could ever...be...accused......Hmmmm.
"Well, here I am...Does that seem right to you?"
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Quote:Heh. I have many otaku traits.
Originally posted by JonnyQuest:Quote:I read about these soulless husks. I'm so very glad there's none among us that could ever...be...accused......Hmmmm.
Originally posted by Hell's Kitten:
It's not just the internet. Look up the Otaku phenomenon. The reality behind that, rather, not just the funny insult that it has become.
Now stop distracting me!! I'm trying to write my dissertation regarding the loss of the human soul through the advent of continuous technological advancements, as originally posited by jpstargazer!
You... vile... distracter, you.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Hell's Kitten:
Now stop distracting me!! I'm trying to write my dissertation regarding the loss of the human soul through the advent of continuous technological advancements, as originally posited by jpstargazer!
You... vile... distracter, you.
I'm the distracter and I distract.
"Well, here I am...Does that seem right to you?"
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Ass: I have one. Thank you for asking.
Fictional Character: The character I'd most like to be (either in entirety or in similarity) is Simon Snowlock, protagonist of the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy of books. He's not the smartest guy, nor the strongest, nor the best fighter or thinker or sage, but he's damned, damned tough, and he ends up living a life beyond his wildest dreams by the end of the story. I like him because he epitomizes the glory of the survivor.
Video Games: I've been playing since 1991, when my mother broke down and bought an NES. I remember, when I was playing it on the first day, I could never get past the first Goomba, because I didn't know that you pressed 'A' to jump, rather than pressing up on the pad. Since then, I've played on almost every Nintendo based system (including the short-lived Virtua-boy. Thank god I didn't buy that one...), I've owned both Playstations (Won't be able to afford PS3 at least until late next year, when the price goes down), and the first XBox. I've sank hundreds upon hundreds of hours in other worlds, doing things I could never do in real life, which have no real world application. Of course, it doesn't matter to me. It's bringing me into a story, and that's all I want.
Oh, wait, I have learned one thing. By playing the game Black and White, I learned that being God is really, really tiring. We humans are just so bloody needy!
Technology: I have rudimentary understanding of sewing, cooking, and carpentry. If (when) the Zombie Apocalypse(tm) occurs, I'm fairly sure I'll be able to survive, if not comfortably. Still, that said, out of five people asked, usually only one has all five skills at any level. We are a society utterly dependant upon technologies we have no comprehension of the workings of. It's sad, and a bit dangerous. The amount of damage an EMP explosion would cause in an urban center is almost too much to concieve. Moreover, more widescale application of the same could cause starvation on a scale never before seen in history, as (in my estimation) 80% of the current population of North America hasn't the foggiest conception on how to feed themselves if the underpinnings of their society were to suddenly give way.
Bah. I have a headache. Too much ranting. Must go bed now. Me speaks poorest Englishes.
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I ain't lookin' for help from on high. That's a damn long wait for a train don't come.
98% of teens have smoked pot, if you are one of the 2% that haven't, copy this into your signature.
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Hey guys...really tired right now, so I don't know how much I'll be able to pay attention here....
Are we talking about video games? I've been playing them since I was very small, and now I still do! It kinda bugs me when people don't think girls can play video games...don't know how that stereotype got started. But yeah, the older ones like for super nintendo and playstation1 are usually the best in my opinion. I could never get as into the xbox and ps2 stuff.
I really actually hate all these new kinds of technology. I mean I know that we're like a technology filled society blah blah blah, but I still really don't like it. It's just too darn hard to figure out! Of course I do realize that without technology I probably wouldn't be able to be typing this message....I guess I'll say that some technology I like and some I don't.
EDIT: Fictional character - I probably would want to be one of the people who live in Tortall in Tamora Peirce's books. I have always been in love with those books, I don't care about the reading level!
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Love keeps her in the air when she outta fall down, tells you she's hurting before she keels. Makes her a home.
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(Thread Post Count: #98)
Yeah. Okay. Here’s my view of things. Not quite as long as I had originally feared. I hope it’s at least somewhat coherent, as I realize some of it is a bit disjointed.
Quote:This question is always asked, normally at the cusp of – or shortly after – a new surge in technological advancement, or new, challenging ethical opportunities. Quite often, it’s asked in the same vein of “Oh my god, what are we doing to ourselves? Are we destroying our humanity with this technology? Weren’t we better off XX-years ago??”
Originally posted by jpstargazer:
is technology taking over? Have we lost part of our souls to these devices, or is technology as of late opening doors for the betterment of humankind?
Really, if you state that “we were better off in the olden days,” I would have to ask you to specify which “olden days” you’re referring to as the quintessential, perfect time point of humanity. Pre-historic cave man era? Old Kingdom Egyptian period? The Fourth Dynasty? The Greco-Roman Period? The Dark Ages? Late Middle Ages? Renaissance? 1956? Disco era??
Just how far back should we devolve in order to reach your idea of the “best” time?
Throughout history, humanity has had the drive to improve itself in any and all manners. While a good number of these improvements have occurred along the lines of spiritual / moral / ethical / social advancements, most of these improvements have occurred through technology: fire, the wheel, a hammer, textiles, written language, steam engine, computers, medicine, etc. All of these things are technology; all of these things are often forgotten when asking this question.
As we progress and evolve, so does our level of technology. (No, we are not alone in this. The animal kingdom is actually no different, as evidenced in well documented specie evolutions, including the use of tools by some species.)
In my mind, these things – all of technology – are components integral to humanity. No matter what the most cynical and disparaging person says about humanity, the human race is a product of nature; we are not unnatural; therefore all things we do / create are, by default, part of nature. To deny ourselves advancement in a technological area is akin to denying ourselves advancement as a natural species.
So, no, technology isn’t “taking over.” Our evolution as a human race is constant, and part of that evolution is technology. Ergo, maybe it would be somewhat more appropriate to state that “evolution is taking over.” (ZOMG!!1!)
We’re not losing a part of the human soul to technologies; technologies / evolution / progress is an extension of the human soul. It, too, evolves and is not now what it once was; not necessarily “lost,” per se, just different. Sometimes we choose to give something up, and sometimes that thing that’s given up was worth keeping....
Perhaps the better question to ask is this: With the historical, continued technological advancement of the human race, are we equally capable of advancing ourselves socially fast enough to keep up with the pace of technology in order to preserve the best (i.e., idealized, beneficial) parts of ourselves as a species?
{Aside: The real danger in evolution is when the inevitable set-backs come. Sometimes they’re minor, but sometimes they’re major. If the set-back is too great, survival is very, very problematic, if not hopeless. We are a species that adapts quickly, despite what your immediate surroundings may tell you, so only the most catastrophic set-backs would be insurmountable / non-survivable for the species as a whole. The more capable the human race is at incorporating the new with the old, the greater the catastrophic set-back would have to be in order to truly doom the species. This is part of the reason why I’m so opposed to abandoning historical capabilities (e.g., hunting, doing everything manually, etc.), even with the advent of new technologies or conveniences; if we forget how to exist when stripped of evolutionary advancements, the less
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Quote:
What fictional character do you most wish you were like???
The fictional me? Yes, I like being me, I’ve accepted who I am (people who don’t are doomed, because they’re the only ones they have to live with for the rest of their lives), and I don’t want to miss out on my experiences to dream about being someone else (despite the fact that I do play around with stories I could write, but don’t… I need a life).
Quote:
"If you could do anything you wanted for one year, without physical or moral implications, but would not remember anything from that year nor gain financially from it, would you want to have that year?"
No. People would come up to me and say, “Remember when…” and it would be more than frustrating if I couldn’t remember. If I’m going to do something immoral, I’m going to remember it, and I’m going to learn from it.
Quote:
See I totally don't get the appeal of video games...why is it fun??
Interactive story puzzles, mostly (::is a total Zelda Freak::), and, when possible, social interaction are the things that attract me to video games.
Quote:
With Apple's unveiling of the iPhone, which makes calls (of course), has access to the internet, does maps, weather, stocks, etc., takes pictures, sends email, plays music and video, and makes julienne fries, is technology taking over? Have we lost part of our souls to these devices, or is technology as of late opening doors for the betterment of humankind?
Disclaimer: The following ideas express my opinions (my ramble-rant, if you will), and should not be taken as fact.
“Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.”
With that in mind, consider this: technology doesn’t affect us if we don’t use it. Technology does not strangle us with its headphone cords of doom, or fry our brains through our ears with microwave rays, or isolate us, unless we are susceptible to these things already – unless, somewhere, we want to be in our own worlds, isolated from each other. These gadgets are merely tools we employ because most people no longer truly wish to invest the time to interact with people (like those parents who don’t spend more than 10 minutes a day talking to their children).
I could take this answer in so many different directions, and I apologize if my ramblings don’t make sense. But, as I see it, advancements in useless technology (because there’s a whole heck of a lot of technology that’s uber-beneficial) have come about as a result of increasing materialistic, capitalist drives.
And, there's those people who sit in their rooms all day typing on their computers with people they never intend on meeting (“Leave my house?!”) who don’t seem to know how to cope with either themselves, the world, or both. Technology provides a vast wasteland of things so they don’t have to cope with anything, and people don’t think twice about the damaging effects of being walled off by gadgets.
sarcasm That’s it! I’ll market technology as the new alcohol. It won’t trash your organs, and people will think that virus you sent through the Internet is cool stuff. /sarcasm
It also, in a way, relates to what my dad refers to as the “cult of celebreality.” Plastic millionaires are put on pedestals and made to be heroes (and I sincerely wish I was joking when I typed that), and to what end? It’s like a psychotic peer pressure to be them – to be fabulously wealthy in large mansions with private jets. To develop eating disorders and become “attractive;” to know what’s “hot in Hollywood.”
So few people seem to even brush against reality because we have found so many ways to avoid it. Technology is merely another one of the ways we enable ourselves to disconnect and disassociate.
And, as always, people seem to have forgotten that “it’s a small world after all.” Which is ironic, because, as we connect people to each other – take the Internet, for example – we also make it less connected. Human beings need interaction with each other, no matter how “social” they are. I’m a pretty anti-social person, and those minut
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Quote:
Originally posted by Hell's Kitten:
And as I ramble on, losing focus, near the end of my line(s) of thought, I realize that no one is going to read this fing thing. But what the hell, I’m gonna post the EMer EFFer anyway. Even though I suddenly feel a rush of shyness and apprehension at posting it… maybe I’ll post it, break my computer, and hide in a corner... yeah...
I read every word of it, although I prefer reading things in the archaic analog paper format!
Clowns to the left of me…
...Jokers to the right...
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