October's Prompt: Technology vs analog. How do you handle the tension? What
social media platforms or web-based tools do you use to ensure your work is
read by others? Do you find it difficult to manage technology?
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| Photo by Lorrie Orr - The last bouquet of roses cut this week from my garden |
Typing 9. I sat in front of a fully manual typewriter. Early
technology, and faster than writing by hand. Typing came easily, and the teacher
said I had strong and accurate fingers – from practicing the piano. I learned
to center titles by counting the letters and spaces, dividing that number by two,
finding the center of the paper, then pushing the space bar to find the correct
place to begin my line of text. Whew! It was a lot of work. Technology for
writers has come a long way since then!
Now technology threatens to take over so much of our lives.
I have a love/hate relationship with it. Very glad for some things, not so much
for others. Here are a few of my thoughts:
Love
My Surface Pro 8 computer. It's a few years old, but works wonderfully, especially after the updates are installed. I like it because:
* It’s small enough to tuck into my carryon or personal bag when travelling.
2. * It acts as a real computer in that it stores
lots of documents and photos.
3. * It’s easy to pack around the house if I want to
write in the living room, the kitchen, or my studio/office.
Hate
When technology doesn’t work as planned. I get so frustrated when I seem to be doing the right thing and it doesn't work the way I want it to. However, I’ve learned that, like most humans, phones and computers benefit from being turned off for awhile, then re-started. And make sure the updates are installed!
Love
My I-Phone 17. I love it because:
1. * It keeps me in touch with those I love, via
texts – group or individual, phone calls, and Facetime.
2. * It has a great camera. I have a larger camera that I like to use around home, and I had a smaller digital camera for travelling. Actually, I had two of those smaller cameras, but they were kind of finicky and I decided to replace the last one with the newest I-Phone. It’s got a great zoom and takes good photos, although I think my larger camera still beats it.
I * I control my notifications and have only the phone and text notifications enabled. If you email or message me another way, I check those regularly, but I don't want a barrage of interruptions in my day.
Hate
Generative Artificial Intelligence. It’s mere artificial
plagiarism. I have briefly, very briefly done a few experiments with AI and I
don’t like the results. They make me feel squeamish. So I’ve taken a firm stand
on AI. Why?
1. * Because it takes away from the humanity of
thinking and working through problems. Walking helps me when I have a thorny
problem to work through, or an activity like dishwashing or folding laundry
that keeps my body busy and lets my mind wander. Plot problems and ideas flow
when my mind is in neutral and I often get my best ideas during a walk.
2. * Because it uses so many natural resources, like
land and water. Here's a link to a Canadian Government site about the issue.
3. * Because human creativity is a gift from God –
because creativity is part of the image of God in humans – although I struggle
to draw and paint, I will not resort to AI to create images for my work. Generative
AI lacks soul, whether in writing or in art.
As with all love/hate relationships, there are qualifiers
and extenuating circumstances. I am thankful for the amazing abilities God has
given the human mind to solve problems and make life easier and more stable. Without modern antibiotics my husband would have died of pneumonia. Without natural gas, I would chopping wood and feeding a wood stove to stay warm in the winter. Technology is all around us, from the wooden spoon I use to stir soup on the stove to the elaborate computers used to power our world. Humans benefit from technology. But let's not lose our humanity.
