In our strength in advanced technology,
have we actually become complacent?
BY DMK
&
SlantedK
Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking of them.
Alfred North Whitehead
Recent weather events have
exposed such; dependency on technology left many scared and lost.
It seems inconceivable that this
country, founded, fought for, expanded, and survived without any assistance of
current technology. Shall we take a look at the history of a few items and consider
that human nature is the strongest technology available.
Life without a SIM card:
Originally, telegraph machines,
connected utilizing a series of wires in order to exchange messages. The
operator would key a message in the Morse alphabet, and the receiving telegraph
machine on the other side would register the message in the form of clicks made
by a bar, which struck another bar. By listening to the pattern of clicks, the
receiving operator could hear the message and transcribe it before passing it
on to the recipient.
In the late 1800s, wireless
telegraphy began to emerge, and telegraph messages transmitted over the radio
waves. This marked a drastic change in the system, allowing people to rapidly
transmit messages in areas without telegraph cables, and enabling things like ship-to-ship
communication. Wireless telegraphy or radiotelegraphy also laid the groundwork
for later methods of communication.
The first cell phones, eh!
Try to spend a day leaving your
cell, tablet and so on sitting at home nowhere near your fingertips.
Could we do it?
Do you realize if it weren't for Edison we'd be watching TV by candlelight? Al Boliska goo.gl/2vQM5
— David M Karder (@slantedk) July 31, 2012
How did anyone survive without
next day delivery,
texting and email?
Before the amazing technology of
the teletype machine,
there was the Pony Express.
The Pony Express founders:
William H. Russell, William B.
Waddell, and Alexander Majors.
Plans for the Pony Express,
spurred by the threat of the Civil War and the need for faster communication
with the West. The Pony Express consisted of relays of men riding horses
carrying saddlebags of mail across a 2000-mile trail. The service opened
officially on April 3, 1860, when riders left simultaneously from St. Joseph,
Missouri, and Sacramento, California. The first westbound trip took 9 days and
23 hours and the eastbound journey in 11 days and 12 hours. The pony riders
covered 250 miles in a 24-hour day.
Eventually, the Pony Express had
more than 100 stations, 80 riders, and between 400 and 500 horses. The express
route was extremely hazardous, but only one mail delivery was ever lost. The
service lasted only 19 months until October 24, 1861, when the completion of
the Pacific Telegraph line ended the need for its existence. Although
California relied upon news from the Pony Express during the early days of the
Civil War, the horse line was never a financial success, leading its founders
to bankruptcy. However, the romantic drama surrounding the Pony Express has
made it a part of the legend of the American West.
That was just mail, could one
imagine?
“I’m going to town for supplies, boys, you help mother with the chores
and I will return by week’s end.”
A trip to home depot was very different.
Who experienced stress because more than two cars were in the drive through and American Idol was about to begin?
It is a legitimate question, in
our strength have we become weaker?
I live in the desert, three
continuous months of 100+ days, for those of you experiencing your streak of
100-degree days this may come as a shock.
Technology in beverages has not
out done simplicity. Coffee, 5-hour shots, Frappuccinos, monsters, and 48 oz.
Coke, though they taste great going down and we feel satisfied, it will not
sustain you and even accelerate your break down. Water guys, at least a gallon
a day.
We are strong; we just need a
reminder, eh.
It is only when they go wrong that machines remind you how powerful they are.
Clive James
Thanks for stopping in!
And now for something totally different!
I agree. The more technology we have/experience, the weaker we become.
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