Our Imminent Silicon Life

Silicon penetrates our lives. Silicon, the tiny transistors which make up the critical part of the CPU, are small and efficient. With CPUs small enough to digest, these chips connect our world. Break ups and relationships can be handled via text messaging at any location at any time. My phone and I occasionally communicate without ever touching each other. Doctors offices log my visits in a centralized database where my diagnoses are logged for future reference. These records also store device information from previous visits. "I for one welcome our new computer overlords."

References
http://singularityhub.com/2013/09/23/intel-unveils-tiny-low-power-quark-chip-for-internet-of-things/
www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/ibms-watson-victorious-in-jeopardy-our-new-computer-overlord/45002

Need for Speed and Thought

About a week ago, I downloaded Need For Speed: Most Wanted on my new Moto X. ­ Its impressive graphics and intuitive controls startled me. The computer I owned nearly a decade ago would have struggled to render this game in real time. And I am running this smoothly on my smartphone. Now, this NFS franchise, with other phone-related queries, fill my time once spent in thought and contemplation. Now, I schedule time for contemplation. My smartphone nearly attracts more attention than my own creative ideas can. Notifications from friends, apps, and games seemingly shine more brilliantly than my somewhat dull and partially-developed ideas. As I gaze into the future, I wonder whether my phone will want to relieve my burden of personal thought. My idea fades, as Need For Speed: Most Wanted sent me a notification to play it some more.

References:
Oaks, "Focus and Priorities" (Ensign, May 2001)
Postman, "Five Things We Need to Know About Technological Change"