I was watching a program called “Ancient Aliens.” He said that in 100 years, our society will change from horse-drawn carriages to walking on the moon. It was a great program. Looks like I joined in late. Because I just found out that the host of this show is this crazy guy who sprays hairspray. If you haven't checked it out yet, please check it out.
Even ancient astronaut theorists agree that this is impressive, and the lightning-fast technological revolution in an age when horses go to the moon is mind-blowing.
Since March, we haven't slowed down. Every few years since the summer of 1969, there has been a shocking wave. When I was a kid in the 1980s, who would have imagined that by the time I was an adult I would have his VCR, jambox, and other devices in my pocket? Walkman, art studio, computer, phone, arcade, calendar, and bank all in one.
A younger me would have been amazed to know that I could watch Airwolf or Mork and Mindy on my phone, then switch to an Atari game of Pitfall, and then back again. We literally have the world at our fingertips. Nanu nanu, times ten, as my buddy Mork used to say.
I sat next to a gentleman at a lunch event a few years ago, and that conversation has stayed with me forever. He was a speaker at the event and his talk was about being wrongly accused of a crime. He had just been released from prison after serving a 20-year sentence, and over lunch he told me that he couldn't wrap his head around new technology.
He couldn't understand how a small device could do all sorts of things, like watch movies, send texts (what does that even mean?), check the weather, send emails, post to social media, listen to music, get sports updates, and hold remote meetings. When someone explained to him what social media and Twitter were, he was surprised and asked, “What? Why would I want to do that?” That's true.
Just getting to the bathroom with a touchless faucet was difficult. he couldn't understand them. He had to wait and watch the others. He said he cried tears of nostalgia for the technological revolution, and now he's trying to make a comeback.
We are now living in the midst of a constant technological revolution. As the song says…If you say you want a revolution, you know we all want to change the world.
In recent years, we have seen the cybersecurity revolution, the Internet of Things, the cloud revolution, the mobile revolution, and now the artificial intelligence revolution. As the movie “Spaceballs” says, here in 2024 you'll see incredible speeds.
The man I mentioned earlier was left behind in a big way. I'm sure you've all felt left behind by some technology or another. Am I wrong? For example, I think my mom still records Fox News on VHS tapes.
I'm not immune either. The first time I pulled into a parking space using a smart meter, it was a 'what the heck' moment. I think I circled the meter like Clark Griswold in a roundabout before I finally figured it out (a bit of “European Vacation” humor).
Now that it's normal, my troubles with age discrimination due to technology are over. I think we've reinvented the unwanted euphemism of techno-discrimination, but hey, we've all felt it in one way or another. For example, I ulteriorly asked a family friend how to call an Uber because he didn't have a smartphone. Prison, aging, lack of attention, it can happen to anyone, it's real.
Revolutions and technological age discrimination aside, it's time to rock your soul.
What if I told you we were on the brink of greatness as a civilization? What if a technological renaissance was on the horizon? What if I told you the political bickering we see in our country was nearing an end? What if I told you a new golden age was on the horizon?
Small steps have already begun. Things like the International Space Station are great examples of our capabilities. For the first time in history, we have humanity's collective knowledge in our pockets. The question is what we do with it. Play another game of River Raid or work together to make the world a better place. The choice is yours.
Blake Dowling is CEO of Aegis Business Technologies, host of the Biz & Tech Podcast, and author of the pandemic diary “Professionally Distanced.” He can be reached at dowlingb@aegisbiztech.com.
