(moment at 2012 unbelievably fantastic Edmo Paul McCartney show at Rexall Place–sound and light technologies to produce maximum personal pleasure and mass media enjoyment)
Where would we be without? No question many technologies have contributed to the development of civilization and to our daily lives. I am grateful for each one listed below and the people that created them to make life more bearable, comfortable, convenient, fun, and healthy. In no particular order:
Communications: (reading, writing, pleasurable listening and viewing, teaching, film classification, school, university–all would have been impossible without)
papyrus, paper, pencil, pen, word processor
movable type, printing press, printers
books, newspapers, magazines
telephone, e-mail
radio, tv
phonograph, CD, DVD
Wheels:
wagon, cart, buggy, bike, train, car, bus, mass transit (also electrical)
Construction: (what would we live, work, and holiday in without)
nail, hammer, screw, screwdriver, drill, saw, tape measure, ladder
houses, buildings
furniture–chair, table, couch, lamp
flooring, carpet
windows, doors, locks
architecture, bridges arenas, stadiums, churches
Steam:
internal combustion engine: early factories, machines, trains (19th century on travel)
Gas & Oil:
gas and oil furnace heating (where would Edmo, Canada be…)
motor vehicle mobility (travel, increased personal mobility and freedom)–including planes
Electricity:
light bulb, battery
electric sewing machine (for mass making clothes)
stove, dishwasher, microwave, vacuum cleaner
electrical appliances: toaster, mixer, kettle
car radio, the other electrical communications devices
airplane (basically so)
lawn mower (also gas)
Refrigeration:
freezer
fridge
A/C
Food and Beverage Technology:
fork, knife, spoon, cup, mug, glass, containers
processed food
many types of beverages and food–tea, coffee, juice, pop, bread, yogurt, cereal, fruit, vegetables
alcohol–wine, beer, etc.
Sanitation:
plumbing, toilets, sinks, toilet paper, paper towel, tissue, hand sanitizer
pasteurization and food inspection system
garbage removal
Medicine:
syringe and vaccination
penicillin
antibiotics
The Pill
Prozac and all the other wonder drugs
Transistor and Wireless:
portable devices–transistor radio (my 2 transistor radio that brought me music from the U.S. late at night and accompanied me in all seasons while delivering newspapers), cellphone
microphones, amplifiers (also for mass communication) for speeches, music
performances (where would I, as conference presenter, performing musician…), modern mass sound systems
A Long Vital Miscellaneous:
Early Heating–match
Early Clothes–needle, thread, thimble
Cocks and Watches–mechanized, electric, battery (how could anything get done in an organized way, how could anyone predict without)
Plow–imagine all early agricultural development without)
Boats–life on water unimaginable without; all the harborfront cities would not have developed without)
Aids to Daily Living–wheelchairs, glasses, contact lens, hearing aid
Internet and WWW–as an instant mobile information source via computer
Musical Instruments–(as a performing musician to many thousands, where would I…)
Credit Cards–allowing us to buy and bank anywhere
Delivery Systems–newspapers, mail, UPS, Canpar, Amazon and other online systems
Reproduction Technology: camera–still and moving, photograph, photocopier, fax, scanner; recording equipment–tape, cassette, CD recorder
Children’s Toys
Technologies that Develop/ed and Sustain Flowers, Plants, and Trees
Road-Building Technologies–streets, highways to facilitate travel and access
Technologies that Support and Develop/ed the Arts–painting, sculpture, painting, architecture, film, photography, music
Mosquito Repellant–(could one survive in most of Canada without?)
……………………………
Our lives are dependent on many technologies (and tools). The above would be the most basic and vital for daily survival, functionality, and convenience. But, as Thornton Wilder suggested, we not only got here, but survive personally and as a species, by the skin of our teeth.
One is blind if one is also not aware of the many things that could threaten and slowly or suddenly end our technology, our planet and us: wars, nuclear warfare, resource depletion (e.g., forests hewn down, water sources disappearing in dry places, pesticides leading to reduced butterfly population and decline in human food sources), melting ice caps, mysterious diseases resisting antibiotics and rapid potential plague mobility, failure of economic and banking systems, increased natural disasters, failure of power and electrical systems, to say nothing of living in a random meteoric bowling alley.
Every day I am thankful I and we are still here and are able to live and enjoy our lives with various realized technologies that intelligent, creative individuals and groups have made to truly advance our societies, cultures, and civilization. Technology-wise alone, it is all a lot to take in, comprehend, and appreciate. But technology does define who we are and how very far we have come. Simply put, we owe it a lot.