Last night I listened a bit to Art Bell's 'Somewhere in Time.' Thankfully Mr. Bell has not yet been successful in getting Premiere Radio to stop broadcasting the past shows. Because when he finally does win, that will mean listeners will be stuck with right wing propaganda and .. the intelligence of George Noory.
Last night the past came back with Howard Rheinhold being interviewed about how the Internet would change everyone's life. They talked about 'smart phones' without calling them that, but instead they commented in amazement how you can get the Internet by just having a wireless card in an airport.
So I thought back for a second in time. 2002. Where was I. What was I. I was a 22 year old kid who was, at that time, pretty addicted to the Internet. I had my own website by the time I was 18 years old.. the more I came to know how the net worked the better I liked it. I used email (really don't much anymore besides for work) and I also had a large gigantic cancer-causing AT&T phone. You know, one of those that would make someone ask if you're happy to see them. This was me in 2002.
So when I heard Art Bell and Rheinhold almost speak in bewilderment about how the future was coming fast, it seems like eons ago. It was just about 10 years ago.
10 years in net time is light years..
Who would have thought in 2002 that people in China who mass produce iPhones would be trying to commit suicide so much that protective nets would have to be placed around the factory. And at that same factory riots take place and robots zoom around to check people for moods? Meanwhile the world eats up iPhones, forgetting the sweat, tears, and often BLOOD, that goes into producing them. We've heard of blood diamonds. Now we have blood dials. I have one, too. There are times, though, I feel guilty as I search the net while in some obscure location. I'd be much happier if the factory conditions of where my phone was made would be just a little more ...humane.
It's fun to go back in time with Art Bell in general, but last night's show was particularly addictive.
Maybe I'm just getting old way too fast but I don't think 2002 seems like that long ago. Until you think about it.
And realize.. wow, that was 10 years ago already. Bush was president, we were only in one war, and people didn't have Facebook accounts.
By God, they didn't even have Myspace pages, either. Angelfire and Geocities were king. Goodbye past.
Hello suicidal technology and advanced robotic engineering, ready to disable humanity in place of a technocracy.
