Technology. I suppose it will be a couple of generations before mature citizens are intuitively comfortable with both the advantages and mastering smartphones, cloud-based capabilities, mobile computing, big data, blogging, and social media. And by the time these generations are mature adults they will be living in a world of other new technological innovation.
Technology. It can be the bane of our lives - and yet it can be an indispensable part of our lives - and for some, even life itself.
I read quite some time ago that there is now a large group of youngsters who consider that home is where their phone is. And while I'm not entirely sure about the precise meaning of this phrase it suggests that for some, as long as they have their smartphone, they have what they consider to be their life, their place in the world, their unique social circle, and their preferred tool for connecting with 'the world'. It's an interesting, if perhaps scary thought, are we really now comfortable with being so transient? For a long time it was said that an Englishman's home, and in this tiresome, politically correct world I suppose I should say it's probable that the same is true for English women, was his/her castle, by which we meant refuge, protection; the place to which they retreated. It seems possible that now a smartphone for some serves the same purpose.
My life is greatly shaped, and eased, by technology. I can write anywhere at any time and know that what I have written is accessible to me on my laptop, my smartphone, and my slender book-sized tablet; and this accessibility is also true of my own library, millions of published books and magazines, news, and the entire Internet for research, entertainment and much more.
I take a picture of an exotic tropic blossom and it can be with a friend in a microsecond, as I walk I can dictate thoughts for later recall, if I really wanted to destroy my day I could contact my government, I can email friend or foe, I can record my expenses, I can message my doctor, I can identify a song I hear, check my spelling, thoroughly research any subject, modify a photograph, listen to my favourite music, relax along with a meditation program, and even check my daily bio-rhythems.
What about King Solomon's Mines then? Well again it's a pleasure that has come my way because of how I now read. I have always loved books but having lived in two countries now for ten years heavy and voluminous paper books are no longer practical and so my entire library is stored in the cloud, and many of the same books also reside on my tablet and smartphone - these books are with me wherever I go.
I have discovered that many out of copyright books are now available for free, or near-free, from many sources including the ubiquitous Amazon.
If you love adventure stories, the kind that were the inspiration for Indiana Jones, then you should read the stories of H Rider Haggard whose most famous literary work is King Solomon's Mines. Fierce natives, big game hunting, mysterious caves, long dead royalty and witches - and that's just the first chapter. Old fashioned? I suppose so. But if from your armchair, or your back verandah, or from under a palm you want the whiff of the wild, if you want to hear the roar of lions or a giant waterfall, the sigh of the wind across a desert, or imagine diamonds cascading through your fingers then let technology put these experiences within your grasp.
Imagine. 67 works of classic fiction, in one volume; perhaps hundreds of hours of exciting reading.
Mastering technology. It's the closest we'll ever get to sailing for new worlds. And we can do it without stepping outside our home.
Toolkit.
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-H-Rider-Haggard-Anthology-ebook/dp/B00H5A9QUI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1417302940&sr=1-1&keywords=rider+haggard
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