Confession of a Technophobic Technophile

I'm wary of computers -- weary as well, often times. The rub is that I work in the Information Technology industry and owe them -- computers -- my livelyhood.

I love the instant access to information, messaging at the speed of thought, and the way in which the world has been brought closer together. It's remarkable the wealth of knowledge that will leap into my life with the entry of a few simple search terms. I can find long lost friends, tour the pyramids, travel to the farthest star and look up a dozen recipes for chicken paprikash -- all without leaving my chair in the space of a few minutes.

But I'm given pause by the digitalization of my personal information: bank records, credit history, medical information, school records -- all there for instantaneous access, hopefully not into the wrong hands for nefarious purposes. Identity theft comes to mind. I'm concerned with the perception of the loss of privacy. The potential for covert monitoring of the masses is vast. Any kid with a computer can download -- or more frighteningly, develop -- sniffers that will capture any and all data transmitted over any given media. I won't even delve into what governments are capable of.

I realize that some of my concerns could be taken as mild paranoia, but remember that what some may consider paranoia is really just heightened awareness. I prefer to think of myself as a realist and I wonder if all this technology has made life fundamentally better, or just more convenient.

"Improve a machine and you may gain productivity, but improve Man and you gain a hundred fold" -- K.N.Singh

I also can't help but cringe when I hear about the latent threat from the excessive amounts of EM radiation that we are all exposed to on a daily basis from our cars, televisions, cell phones, microwaves, computers and pretty much everything else in our world that uses electricity.

In spite of all this, I continue to be wretched from sleep by a digital alarm clock every morning, mix my shake in an electric blender, watch the weather and traffic reports on television, and drive to work in my vehicle so I can sit in front of a computer all day surrounded by powerful network servers and repeatedly offer my various usernames and passwords to "secure" sites that could ultimately betray me.

Mine is a digital prison not entirely of my own making, but I have chosen to allow its geometries to circumscribe my life. And even if I hadn't, I would be hard pressed to find a safe oasis in our silicon based, microchipped culture. As such, my dream of retirement -- should I be so fortunate to live that long -- is not of isolation from my fellow man, but from the trappings of our electromagnetic, convenience-oriented, fiber-optically fueled society.

Or as John Masefield wrote, "And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by". My version might include a motorcycle and a dry ribbon of blacktop stretching to the horizon, but the stars would still be there.