Infinitely faster

Ever notice how fast life is in this digital age?
Just a moment ago I got an email notification to alert me that someone posted a question about Apple’s new Mighty Mouse on a particular discussion board that I participate in. Since I knew the person, and the question was pretty straightforward, rather than reply on the message board I just sent her an instant message on iChat. Her response was, “Wow you’re fast!� To which I replied, “technology is fast.�

As I sit here instant messaging my friend just a couple minutes after she posted her question, I was forced to contemplate how expedient technology has made us. For communication we’ve got cell phones, text messaging, instant messaging… heck even with email if you leave your Mail application open it is nearly as fast as an instant message. To instantly entertain us we have broadband internet, RSS, podcasts, On-Demand cable, the iTunes Music Store, and my personal favorite - dvds that don’t require rewinding.

Someday we’ll tell our kids stories about how we had to spend 10 minutes rewinding a “tape� before we could watch a movie at home. Or about having to physically go to the store to buy a “cassette� when we wanted our favorite music artists’ new album. Maybe we’ll leave out the part about having to flip over the cassette halfway through the loop.

— Maurice Cheeks @ 11:45 am