Technology has too much going on...

After reading the article by Bush, it’s easy to come to the conclusion that he was truly a visionary. Bush had an idea of a machine he called “memex,” that would ultimately improve our processes. He described it as a “device in which an individual stores all his books, records….so that it may be consulted with speed and flexibility.” He recognized that our culture was moving forward with great speed and he was able to envision a machine that would use microfilm to store and retrieve information. He saw what has ultimately come to pass, an influx in information, which without ways to store and retrieve, would possibly be lost.

Like Bush, Engelbart realized that we were moving into a society where urgency and complexity would require improved techniques to aid in our day-to-day operations. Engelbart believed that it was necessary to come up with a way to increase comprehension and improve efficiency in a society that was increasing in complexity and urgency.

McLuhan discussed the notion, “the medium is the message”. According to McLuhan, TV, radio and print all have content. For example, print has sentences and paragraphs, but it is the actual medium (radio) that has an affect on human consciousness.

All of the authors seemed to have technology in common. They all recognized that these media forms would have an affect on our society. Williams discussed in great detail the power of the television. According to Williams, as our societal needs increase, technology improves. He gave the example of military technology, the weaponry used in previous wars are by no means in the same category as what we are using today. The same can be said for the different media forms.

A little off, but just a thought…….Maybe it’s just me !
As times change technology is going to continue to become more advanced. My only question is when do we stop? When do we say that this is as good as it gets. I’m not interested in riding in a car that drives by its self or driving a car in the sky like the Jetsons, this is my opinion, but I just can’t imagine why any sane person would want to.