Where's My Hovercar?

My first computer was an Apple IIe. Amber screen, two 5 1/4 floppy drives, which sounded like a mac truck with a loose clutch during a downshift, and a monstrous keyboard that made a very satisfying clack and clunk upon depression, those were the days. I remember countless hours spent playing pirated copies of 2D games like Lode Runner, Prince of Persia, and The Goonies. The audio made the later midi of Nintendo sound orchestral by comparison, and the pixels were so large there was probably only room for 100 or so on the screen. I think I was the only kid in grade 4 who turned in reports on printed paper.

I fell in love in those early years with technology, and could imagine a world of flying cars, virtual reality, robot servants and cybernetic implants. While my car does not fly, and forays into VR seem to keep failing to be marketable (Nintendo in the 90's), and I still don't have a chip in my head that lets me control the tv or make phone calls, my love is largely undiminished. From the IIe to the NES, the 386, the N64, onwards to the birth of the Pentium and beyond, I was there being weaned on electricity following it's proscribed pathways through the silicone landscape.

These days the intensity of my love has been tempered by the songs of competing harpies and a general lack of financial ability to keep up. There have also been betrayals and unfulfilled expectations which have shaped my relationship with technology. Gone are the days when I would be excited to hear about Microsoft's latest achievements, my faith in that empire has fallen, replaced by the gospel according the St. Jobs. With my Macbook, my Ipod, Iphone and firm faith in Apple's ability to produce, I am a full convert.

My techno upbringing has given me a keen understanding, sometimes bordering on instinctual, for learning and being able to navigate programs and systems. There are a variety of similarities in most every piece of software and system, and if you know where and how to look they will give up their secrets in the form of keyboard shortcuts and autofill fields.

While I continue to be excited and hopeful for my cybernetic cell phone I do sometimes wonder when we will (if we haven't already) go to far in our focus on tech, to the detriment of the human "touch." The virtual world with MMORPG's, Facebook, Twitter, Second Life, Zwinkies, etc, may improve connectivity and networking but sometimes leaves me longing for the days when people actually had to put on pants and leave the house to be social.