When I was a lad, I read science fiction novels that were set in a future rife with marvelous technologies mined from the deepest recesses of creative artist's imaginations. The boundaries of space and time were not hindered by physical realities, but only by the reader's own limitations on what might actually be possible after given years to create and develop.
I remember showing my mother an advertisement in a magazine that claimed that an oven powered by microwaves could fry crisp bacon in ninety seconds. Mother laughed, and said it was just a gimmick to steal people's money, because such a device could not exist.
I also remember the whole family gathering around our first touch tone telephone! We were amazed that we no longer had to "dial" the number, but just push buttons in the correct sequence and the call would be connected. Funny, I think the expression "dial the number" is still commonly in use, even though over half of the population has never actually dialed a telephone!
And although I witnessed the emergence of newer, faster and better technologies over my fifty-five years, I never could have imagined that what I am sitting here doing right now would ever have been possible:
I never, in my wildest dreams, postulated that I would be able to sit at my kitchen table with my coffee, and conjure up some thesis or diatribe, and that those carefully chosen words of wisdom would be instantaneously available to over a billion people all around the globe!
Just think about that! It really boggles the mind.
And I believe that this prosaic power of proliferation should not be abused, but should be harnessed and controlled for the enrichment and benefit of all those that participate in the common experience of information sharing.
It's an awesome responsibility, and one that should not be taken lightly!
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Richard: Great post... well presented. The more of this you do... the sooner the reality "check" will come. It may come in the mail... or from the title company... or you could get it at closing... depending on how your area works.
Richard,
You probably also remember the first crude photocopying equipment and those geasy copies that we used to get. Do you still have your secret decoder ring? :)
Steve
Very well written Richard !! The opportunities at our fingertips will continue to grow, and yes we should harness them responsibly !
Always a pleasure Richard !
Sheldon
Karen...
Unfettered chaos can lead to disaster! :) Thanks for taking the time to comment on my post so early on a Saturday morning!
Steve...
But remember how those greasy copies amazed us? Also, do you remember when Xerox was the hottest stock on the market? Wow, and thanks my friend,
Well, I hadn't planned on doing any thinking today, but you do stir that pot of chemical synapses brewing in my brain.
My explanation for the Internet is a tad more simple minded, it's magic.
Hi Richard and thanks for the morning read. All the things we used to see on the Jetson and laugh about are now a reality. I still have my decoder ring, put it in my secret place and with age I have forgotten where.
Richard some technologies we have embraced to enhance and better our lives can have a bit of a back lash effect. I live in the north country when we were little and it snowed we stayed home, made snow castles,hot chocolate, and played with the kids in the neighborhood. These days (and for many years now) all my automobiles have 4-wheel drive, and I can go anywhere anytime..NO EXCUSES!..advancement? Was this advancement a way for corporate America to get people to work in bad weather..or so I could go skiing in a snow storm you decide. Steve
Richard-I swear I am thankful everyday..I never thought I would see this in my lifetime..but then again...we landed on the moon! :) I am with you..don't take it for granted ever or abuse it! Reality changes...as life changes and some won't flow with change...not just online...in every day life..it's people! Some times you are so poetic...you give me goosebumps! :) dorky? NO just really appreciate your words and they sometimes come at the right time!
Richard—I can remember trying to explain the Internet and e-mail to my mother in 1989. She didn't "get it," yet reaped the benefits by receiving almost instant responses to her letters she sent to me in Singapore (I emailed a friend of mine state-side, he called her and read the emails I sent in response to her letters). She thought it was magic just like Lenn above!
I agree we all have a responsibility concerning not only the information, but the quality of information we publish. Very good post—thanks.
Richard, I'm only a little bit older than you.
I was a snotty, precocious little kid .... and I remember learning the word "synthesize" ... and then telling my poor parents I was going to invent a machine that would "synthesize everything in the whole world".
Damned if somebody didn't go and invent that very machine. :-)
Richard,
Nobody, including the most astute corporations, ever believed we would get to this point in communications capabilities. Ten years from now we'll look back and think we were in the dark ages.
My only concern is that there are so many companies out there trying to capitalize on the social networking aspect of communications that it will get watered down. While you can do a lot in 140 characters, you can't do everything.
Rich
Very well written Richard. I totally agree. That is why I use this as a platform to discuss the realities of our business, the economic and even the politics that shape our careers. This is a fantastic medium to provoke thought and raise the conscience levels of the readers.
Technology has created a platform for TALENTED PEOPLE. .as you so demostrated on your post
Richard - Wow... great post, thoughts and insight. And teriffic comments as well. We are all blessed to have the opportunity to be part of something bigger and have the ability to connect with not only each other but everyone through the internet and many different meaningfull ways. Is quite amazing.
Wow, Richard, how OLD are you? I don't go back quite that far but can say that this new reality IS quite amazing isn't it. It makes the world seem just a little bit smaller.
Sheldon...
And while we want to make a name for ourselves, want to do so in a positive way! Cheers, my friend!
Lenn...
We are LITERALLY laughing out loud here in the kitchen! Thanks.
Charles...
I remember when a friend got a set of walkie talkies that had a range of a quarter mile ... that's shouting distance! lol
Steve...
Technology is both a blessing and a curse at times ... thanks!
Midori...
I actually wrote this post for a new team blog, and hopefully it will get the ball rolling for many more from the other writers. Thank you so much for the very kind words, I am quite flattered!
Richard - I still read science fiction, although much of it now takes a different approach. I just read where scientist teleported matter (ok, a complete atom for the first time) between two points a meter apart.
In my time I have seen computers shrink from entire rooms to a couple of centimeters, and increase their power a million fold. (Remember, the laptop is not the computer, just the stuff needed to let us clumsy humans interface with it). It was only 20 years ago when we had to dial up a connection at 600 baud and now we can use the same phone lines for multi-megabit transmissions.
Richard- here's a sad thing, MY KIDS, who are in their 20's, are now saying that kids today have it easy. When they were in school, they didn't have their own cell phones and the Internet wasn't around to this degree to help them with their homework!
I agree with Lenn- I just say it's magic.
Morning Richard, I remember reading a story of how IBM, having doubted any real market demand for a desktop " Personal " computor, started the marketing through some little no-name company only to find tremendous interest.
Richard: Excellent article. First time that I read you. But, you are so thought provoking in such a short concise piece.
Kris: Yes, it does make the world a little smaller. But, at the price of becoming "impersonal" isn't it?
That is why I still make a point of doing all the "old time" things with my two sons that I learned as a kid. Nothing wrong with curling up with a good book in the dead of winter or on the beach in the summer..........play that board game, cards, have a little get together and build a fire in the backyard.......
Dial a telephone?...I remember my Grandparents when the still had the the crank phone...1 long and 2 shorts was thier number. 12 on the party line! When they got the phone, they thought that this invention would never be topped. Now look at us!
Linda...
I was fortunate enough to get my entire family "online" very early in the game. In my father's last year of life (1995) I got over 300 emails from him, which I have saved to this day!
Cheryl...
Mr. Moog may have overhead your conversations with your mother! lol
Rich...
I often feel "watered down!" There is so much SN ground to cover! THX.
Jim...
I know that you were an early adopter ... and if our market was still robust here in GA you'd be retired by now! Thanks, my friend.
Fernando...
You are too kind, but thanks for the support!
C&S...
If you really think about, Lenn's "magic" may be the right word! THX
Another great blog post Richard. Always good writing coupled with excellent images. Keep up the good work associate.
the internet and blogging is truly an amazing event and free. Who would have thought?
Wow Richard.
Prosaic power of proliferation? I am not even sure what that means...
But I love the pictures!
Thanks for writing,
Ken
p.s. I have dialed plenty of phones.
The word you used: responsibility, struck me. I absolutely agree. I think we owe it to ourselves to create quality, exceptional, and informative posts, not fluff, sizzle or simply chewing up bandwidth and storage needlessly in order to out do each other, as everyone in SEO will tell you, it's quality and relevant content that matters.
It is mind boggling when you think about Jonathan's idea, incubated, and after several years, we have this, totally amazing.
I wonder what things will be like 10 or even 50 years from now?
Richard,
What about all of the information that is available without the use of an encyclopedia. Darn I miss going to the grocery store and buying food and getting a book with information in it at the same time. AHHHHHHH nostalgia what a wonderful thing.
Your picture reminded me of this one I took this summer ... :)
Richard: Technological advances are really quite amazing. I laugh at some of the things my husband tells me are within a decade or so of happening, but just like your Mom was wrong about the mrcrowave when you told her, I know I am also not able to fathom these future projects.
Well how can I possibly say anything funny when you are telling me not to take this new found power & responsibility lightly? This was nicely done Richard.
And I believe that this prosaic power of proliferation should not be abused...
Wow- alliteration at it's finest! Your English teachers would be proud of you! Very thoughtful post!
Dang it Richard, just when I was feeling young at heart, you go and remind me how old I am! Dialing a telephone, oh boy, did I dial telephones in my teen years! Yak, yak, yak!
Pretty photos too!
In this world, people are trapped inside their own minds. Creativity is limitless and those that are willing to roll the dice on that creativity will break the mold in order to achieve greatness. Technology is no different, if you can dream it, then some one is willing to make that dream come true or at least try. Congrats on the feature.
Richard, I like your thoughts on this. Over the last 200+ years, science fiction writers including movies, have been the creative imaginaion for many of the technologies that have been manifested post script. God only knows what will happen next. As long as we remember to benefit humanity and further the our goal of providing for each other
Great post and incredibly well written
Thanks
Bo
Richard, now I'm scared to write anything. A billion people reading my drivel. I'm shutting down the computer now.....
I think that I was most impressed with x-ray machines when I was a kid and how you could see people's skeletons - cool stuff. I also remember seeing a fax for the first time and thinking that was way cool :)
Richard - This is probably my favorite post of the week. I think you and I think about things in much the same way. VERY well done here. As you indicated, it is an amazing ability, and it comes with a responsiblity. Microwaves? HA! That'll be the day. Sounds like a scam to me, too. :-)
Richard,
Not only do I remember the dial phone,but I remember the "party line" (and it was no party!) , never being cordless and the phone numbers that began with a WORD ie: Churchill was CH and then the number!
Does this make me older than DIRT????
Kathy Opatka, Re/Max Premier Properties, OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND
Prosaic Power of Proliferation, also known as blogging! You are quite the wordsmith today Richard LOL.
Richard-
Great post... and yes, taking advantage of new technology (reality) is the key. Thanks!
Hi Richard, I enjoyed your ponderings, but even more so, the photographs! Beautiful!
Debi
Very well done, my friend. I well remember those rotary phones. I actually have two of the prehistoric models that were in the house I grew up in... back when we rented phones from the phone company. When we stop and think about it, we are indeed living in the futuristic age we used to read about and think, nah, that'll never happen.
Richard,
And what part of Pittsburgh are you from? I'm from the Wilkensburg/Homewood/Churchill area. Six degrees of separation.......
kathy Opatka
Great ideas and ... well, as long as you still dream as a 'lad' you'll do just fine...it's obvious! Super post! Robin
Are you a professional photographer when you are not selling real estate or have you had training? Your photos are a marvel! Please keep sharing them with us!
Richard - that first shot is one of the most beautiful things I have EVER seen! And holy mackerel - another gold star. I'm afraid to ask how many of those you have now!!!
Thanks for popping by - BTW - you can tell me how nice it is by you - I can dream I am there..... Simba is still waiting for me - it's 4 pm and I really gotta go!!
It is an amazing time that we are living in and the short number of years it has taken to bring the dreams of yesterday to fruition is mind boggling.
Microwave made it but those x ray glasses never did work.
Kris...
Too old, I'm afraid! lol and thanks.
Big Mike...
When we see that changes in technology that gave occurred during our lifetimes, you can't help but wonder what the next fifty years will bring!
Linda J...
I have a whole other post about your comment ... one day next week! ;)
Bill G...
I still hated it when IBM sold the PC division ... that was a sad day for me. THX
Steve B...
And those are the times that your kids will remember the most. Excellent point, thanks!
Bill F...
Wow, you were really out in the country! But it worked, didn't it? Thanks, my friend.
Castellum...
Thanks, I wrote this for a new team blog and it took off on its own!
Russ...
I never dreamed that I would ever see anything like this! THX
Ken...
Ah, then you are giving your age away! lol and thanks.
Ah yes!. . .The dream comes easy - but transitioning it into reality is where it can become complicated.
Chris...
Will we have little implants in our brains that instantly transmit our thoughts? It's entirely possible! THX
Don...
At least we have our memories ... for now!
Steve K...
Awesome photo my friend!
Isn't this so awesome what we are able to do. I just love sitting down with my coffee and reach so many. I hope that we all use this for the better ment of humanity. Bless all.
Namaste'
I just watched star trek for all my tech updates. Just still waiting to be able to beam around
Richard... It is funny, I was thinking about your statement:
And I believe that this prosaic power of proliferation should not be abused, but should be harnessed and controlled for the enrichment and benefit of all those that participate in the common experience of information sharing.
And I think there are mutually exclusive ideas there. I don't think that proliferation can be controlled and harnessed without being abused. The only people that should be able to throttle the proliferation of ideas and themes should be the writer and the reader... by choosing not to write it or to read it. If anyone else tries to make that determination, there is a slippery slope to censorship and control of information.
I sometime just rattle off a comment or post with little thought that it will be in front of so many eyes. I might think about it more in the future.
Richard, these pictures are stunning! You definitely have a plan B if this real estate fantasy doesn't pan out for you!
Richard - I'm all for taking responsibility, sharing responsibility, and encouraging responsible actions in others. I would just add that we can have fun while we are shouldering this responsiblity. Your photos show me a lighter side with an artistic flare - nice work.
Richard....how true it is. I remember my first cell phone...the size of a brick.
I had a fax machine in my home (Cost of $700!!!) when some businesses still did not have them?
And check out my post today about one of the coolest websites I have seen!
It all gives new meaning to an old ad slogan, "We've Come A Long Way Baby!"
Richard - according to Gordon Moore (one of the co-founders of Intel) and his "Moore's Law" the capacity of integrated circuits doubles every year (has since been modified to 18 months). His latest version of this has it going on for another 15 -20 years. We are spending hundreds of dollars now for more computing power than what companies and the government spent 10's of millions on just a few decades ago.
I always liked the Get Smart intro with all of the doors opening up automatically.
Now most people don't even punch in the phone number. They just click on a name or number or sometimes just say the name.
Eventually the concept of getting lost or not knowing where you are won't make sense because everyone has some kind of GPS system that tells them exactly where they are.
I think the science fiction books and success of the Bond movies helped. I am grateful because otherwise I would have never met you.