Scars We Make

 

Out across the land roll the miles of wire, carrying electricity. Keeping the internet fired, cooking the meals, lighting out way into the future.  Like invaders from Mars the poles grasp the high tension wires.  Turbines whirl on far hill making little electrons to travel in the wires.

It is a grid of poles and wires that stretches around the world, ever shrinking the planet earth.  Clear eye stretching vistas are few and far between.  Lights on far hillside twinkle in the darkness, lights glow marking the prison. 

By our demands of conveniences, the landscape changes.  No longer is it trees marking the way.  Now it is logs standing on end, arms stretched out grasping the wire.  It brings a standard of living unthinkable centuries ago.

Side by side they march, big brother to the station, little boy to the home.  Each leaving their marks, a pock mark on the ground. 

Go back to living with candles, oils and wood.  What would happen if there was no longer electricity?   Smart phone would be nothing, computer would be silent the lantern would flicker.

Would it be the end of life or just a change?

On far hill are the white towers of the wind turbines, surrounding the high power lines, feeding more electrons into the wires.  Behind sets the gas fired power plant to make up for when the wind does not turn the turbines. 

It is a funny life.  The changes of tomorrow are yesterdays machines.  The windmill was one of earliest powered machines man made.    Returning to the dark ages, have candles, lanterns or oils.  When the toe is stubbed it hurts.  The land is scarred by man, nothing unusual.  Man is always fouling his nest. 

Flim Flam of Technology

 

It is amazing to watch the ads for various pads/slates/phones.  Truly we are becoming a society of suckers for one- up-man-ship.  About every two or three months there are new communication gadgets.    Model 5 is released, the new 3A will be out next week.  Changes are made to existing phones/slates and pads….. to make what better. 

Basically the changes are a goad fro the person to upgrade to be one better then their peers.  In so doing the bottom line of the company changes, it’s called more profit.  So people go out and buy new wireless devices.

Watched a gal go into human services office wanting to apply for food stamps.  She had a smart phone and put out a cigarette at the door.  Mom was chauffeuring her and her little child.  Smart phone, extra $40-50.00 per month, cigarettes, $125-250.00 a month.  Quit the smart phone and stop smoking, she would have over $150.00 a month for groceries.

But with peer pressure and wanting to be on the in, money is spent for what purpose?  Then they expect the taxpayer to subsidize their frivolities.

The technology has changed how we view ourselves and how we have become connected.  The car is still a status symbol but compared to latest wireless device is is fading.  Walking, standing, sitting, waiting and watch the number of gadgets that show up.  Look how the TV shows now portray the gadgets.  And the manufacturers of them are living fast an high.  The royalty of big dollars now live in the world of electronics.

The world of communication to the masses was the town crier and broadsides posted.  When the singing wires were introduced is brought the world closer together.  Newspapers used the telegraph for the news gathering.  A guy by the name of Jay Gould made millions upon millions off his company, Western Union. 

The communication gurus are just as greedy to today and they tailor their message to changes, one has to have the latest change.  Sometimes the change is no more then color, but it is a change and one has to have the change. 

So few people sit down and visit any more.  It is a text or tweet or a post like this or …………?  There are the few that sit and have coffee and generate lots of hot air, the old people.  Sitting in a waiting room, haw many do you see talking with others. 

It is off this that wireless people are manufacturing big dollars.