My friend called me three days ago, madder than a wet hornet. He said, “My wall TV #%&@# decided to turn itself on at a very high volume at 3 a.m. one night and 1:30 a.m. the next night—to local programming—like a #%&@# alarm clock. Is it mad at me?” That’s the question, readers. What … Read more
Even I like speed in our technological world, and I am grateful for it at times. Having said that, I still have to wonder why, as a recent commercial suggests, paying for some cookies offered by a neighborhood girl with a bank app on a cell phone is any faster than using cash. Cash is … Read more
In today’s technological world, has this ever happened to you? While running an errand for my family, I, like most people, had my cell phone with me—who doesn’t? As I finished up, my phone suddenly chimed. Thinking it might be important, I pulled it from my front pocket—while crossing four lanes of traffic—only to read: … Read more
You’ve seen the commercial where a car responds to a perplexed man behind the wheel who asks, “This isn’t the way to my house?” The car, of course, takes him to his own surprise birthday party. But imagine, in our ever-advancing technological world, how terrifying it would be if our car suddenly stopped on a … Read more
Just about everyone likes ice cream. However, in our technological world, why must I prove, via the grocery store’s app, that I deserve a coupon for my favorite treat? I walked up to the checkout counter with two half-gallons of ice cream, excited after seeing the advertisement plastered on the glass door right in front … Read more
Living in our world today challenges us to keep up with technology, and we are sometimes sarcastically reminded to “just keep up with the program.” Most of us try. For instance, when traveling with our cell phones outside of the United States, we most likely had to purchase a Subscriber Identity Module—that’s a SIM … Read more
Living in our technological world causes everyday frustrations for everyday people. Case in point: My wife and I were standing behind a lovely senior citizen couple trying to pay for items at the checkstand with a gift card. Frustrated because they didn’t know they had to go to a website first to make the card … Read more
Living in a technological world, can you imagine the precision required to account for “the Earth’s angular velocity in its elliptical orbit and its axial tilt to approximate when the sun actually crosses the Greenwich Meridian?” According to the equation of time, the difference could be as much as 16 minutes! Whew! Time for me … Read more
Living in a technological world, I have to wonder: is it really faster to use a telephone app at a gas pump than a card? Let me explain. I pulled up behind a car at a gas pump and noticed a refined individual standing by the car door with their back to me, fiddling with … Read more