Land of the lost

I was reading an article on technology. In conversing with others about it, a thought was brought out. The promise of technology was to give us more time to do the things we enjoy.

Imagine having to go get your water out of well every day.

Indoor plumbing beats having to get out really early in the morning to fetch water. I grew up with indoor plumbing but no hot water. We used to fill a tub and warm it by leaving out in the sun. A quick bath with Sun warmed water felt good! Showers were cold out of the shower head, that took a little more will but didn't have to go down to the river either!

In any case you can probably think about other things like indoor heating, your stove for cooking, DVD's and more!

Communications are also another thing, how easy it is for us to get in touch with practically anyone across the globe. Instantly at that! I remember writing letters to my Grandmother and Aunt in another country. E-mail has
taken over, and there are all the social media avenues available online as well as our super duper smart phones.

It's true that we now have more free time in our hands. It also seems that we have filled the time with more things to do, so use of our time has to be managed lest we spend all our time online and even perhaps addicted to electronic stimuli.

Being extremely busy then distracts us. Case in point, I went to the versa teller to deposit some cash. I drove up to the machine and without hesitation pressed the onscreen button. Out pops a Visa Check Card! The person before me drove off in a hurry, and forgot to get his card. Now I'm looking for a place to deposit the card, maybe the bank has a lost card receptacle to place them. No such luck. I'm thinking, while I deposit my cash maybe the person will realize his mistake and track back.

I was having trouble with the cash machine. It would not take my cash. Ended up getting out the car, parked and went in to the walk in machine. It's about 8:30PM. I'm getting a little nervous by now. Previous card holder nowhere in sight! After I finished depositing my money, I called the Bank's customer service to report the lost card.

I used my iPhone of course, and finally talked to a bank representative. It seemed that the whole affair took for ever. Waiting with elevator music spewing out of my phone! See what I mean about extra time being filled! The unfortunate gentleman before me probably did not realize that he had left his card or lost it until the next day. I sure hope the bank gives him a courtesy call because the amount of time he'll spend looking for his card and back tracking will certainly fill some of his free time. Not to mention the stress caused by fears of someone actually using his card to buy things.

Whew!

Technology can be a blessing and a curse. We are in such a hurry to get things done and invariably something will slow us down. Maybe that's what we need, slow down a little. Perhaps we'll not be so lost all the time.

Drowning in bits and bytes!

Wait it a minute! I have to text message or call some friends and find out when we can get together. Where's my phone?