Techmology! What is it?

Yesterday's Premier League clash between Liverpool and Aston Villa wasn't being broadcast on Fox Soccer Channel. Perplexed, I went to the internet. That place has everything. Sure enough, espn3.com had the match. Brilliant!

But wait. Why was espn3.com asking me to choose my internet service provider? Why did it care? I have Shitty Time Warner. Shitty Time Warner wasn't on their list. Evidently, I'm shut out on espn3.com, who by the way, has partnered with MicroSoft to offer its content via XboxLive. I can't do that either. So far, techmol...technology was letting me down.

But wait again. The internet is massive. There must be other sites broadcasting the match. I checked out a couple where I had to download some plug-in. Forget that, the match had started. I needed something now! God bless the "web," I found ezstreamlive.com where I could just choose my match, and start watching. Yes, the window was only about 6 inches wide, and yes the feed was just a bit choppy, but the audio was perfect and I could support the Reds just the same.

Now, never mind that at half time I turned on the TV to see that the match was being shown on ESPN2 in stunning high definition. The fact is, that before I realized I was an idiot, technology had saved the day. (Yes, I watched the second half on my beautiful 47" LCD. Shiiiit.)

 

 

Ngog opens the scoring. This is only a bit smaller than the window I watched the match on.

But as great as technology in general is, I see a few problems. First, just think about how much of your day is spent staring at a screen of some kind. How many of us stare at a computer all day, while constantly fiddling with our phones, only to come home and turn on the TV? If this describes your day, I'm not pooing on you. When I had a job, that's exactly what I did. I read some article (yes, on the internet) that said adults spend something like 8 hours a day staring at screens. That's kind of a shame, isn't it?

I certainly don't mean to condemn the internet, or technology, or cool things with screens. Heck, we're both staring at screens right now. And I'd like people to continue reading my blog, so I'm not trying to be anti-screen. But the fact is, that our reliance on our bright, glowing, screeny things has gotten a little out of hand. Case in point...actually a few cases in point.

I'm at the supermarket and I see a mom pushing her little girl in a stroller. The girl, who couldn't have been more than three, was staring, wide-eyed at the DVD player in her lap. Another time, I saw two young parents distracting their fussy INFANT with the cartoon playing on the dad's iPhone. TVs in cars are almost standard at this point and kids and babies are being raised on the warm blue glow of screens. I just don't think this bodes well for the future.

Time to upgrade, kid.

Look at our generation, kids of the 80's. Our parents (and probably their parents) used to say, "Watching too much TV will turn your brain to mush." But it's not just TV anymore. Smart phones and portable media have really only exploded in the last 5-10 years, right? In a decade, we've gone from the most basic of cell phones to iPhones and all the other things that wish they were iPhones. Now, kids are using these things from a much younger age.

Remember when it used to be rude to answer your phone when you were out with friends? Me neither. How many times have you been in a group of four where all four people are messing with their phones? It's happened to me a few times, and it freaks me out. Now, I love the fact that I can instantly post a pic when something sweet happens, but I'm trying to be aware if I'm messing with my phone at the expense of the real, live people in front of me.