Technology Makes (and Breaks)

Technology has undoubtedly brought us to different heights, making tasks lighter and life in general easier. An entire page may not be enough to list the wonders technology has brought to us. But this article is not about the wonders. I discussed wonders in another site (in “Everything but the Ref” article). We have to note that with the positive effects come also some negative ones, which we perhaps might not be even aware of. We might be so preoccupied with the songs we want to download in our so and so gig-capacity gadget, or very busy chatting with our new virtual friend. This article will discuss the risks technology brings. I thought it would be useful to share insights regarding potential harms of the application of science and corresponding probable solutions.

Big capacity, Big loss

My first encounter with computer was in high school, when the floppy disk was still a big storage device. Today, it is a mere laughing matter to use one. There are even very few devices that still have a floppy drive with it. One meg of memory is way too small; it cannot even hold an ordinary mp3 file. Common nowadays are 2 to 8 gigabyte capacity flash disks or 120 gigabyte to even a terabyte of portable hard disks. Yes, they store a lot of data- mp3, videos, and even programs. It can store everything. The downside, however, is that when we lose it, we lose everything. It is like entrusting everything to a very small inanimate thing. These things are vulnerable to breaking. They are easy to lose too because they are so small. My solution to this would be not getting a storage that is too big, as you could lose that much too. The capacity of the flash disk I have is only 2 GB, enough just to temporarily hold data. It may also be useful to backup your files through compact disks, which you may leave just sturdy at home and retrieve only in case there is a need for restoring.

 

Virus and more virus

We talk of viruses only with Windows, which makes me amazed at other platforms. I am a palm user and I never encountered virus with it. I have a colleague who has a Linux powered eeepc, and he is the go-to guy when people want to get rid of the virus in their flashdisk. For flashdisks with virus that annoys windows, Linux simply detects normally (and laughs perhaps) and then deletes like charm. As there are more people into windows (at least in my country), I thought virus is one of the problems. With more users comes more hackers and hence, more viruses. Now for technology in general, the virus can be symbolical as there are really virus-like hazards we face with the use of our gadgets. This may not be verified but one way or the other, prolonged exposure to radiation of mobile phones and personal computers might be harmful to our health in the long run. The solution is not overly using the gadgets. I am sure it will not be easy leaving your mobile phone or computer just turned off for some while. But it might be a way to save our bodies from the potential dangers.

 

 

 

Technology indeed makes. But it sure breaks too. The danger here is we may not be aware of the risks we are putting ourselves to. Now that we know, let us make others aware of it too. More importantly, let us learn and try techy-living happily but with utmost precaution.