What Technology Would I Better Off Without? And why?

WordPress has been kind enough to provide me with a prompt for today’s post.  What technology would you be better off without and why?

That’s a deceptively simple question.  For all the time that we spend decrying all of the recent technological changes and advancements, many of them have been for the good.  Even most of the ones that seem terrible still have their good points.  iPhones may be turning people into walled-off zombies with no social skills but they also mean that help is almost always right at your fingertips.  On Monday, I went down to the local convenience store to grab a carton of Cokes and I was shocked to discover that there was still a payphone sitting outside of it.  I’m old enough when I can remember the days when, if you found yourself in a sudden emergency while you were outside, you would have to not only track down a payphone but also hope that you had enough coins with you to operate it.  Now, everyone has a phone in their pocket or their bag.  It’s not always a good thing but it’s not always a bad thing either.

Weapons of mass destruction seem like an easy pick when it comes to something we could do without but, in many cases, those weapons are the only thing that are keeping the world from descending into complete chaos.  It’s a cliché but the idea that we need the weapons so that we’ll never have to use them is a true one.

Actually, now that I think about it, the answer isn’t that complicated.  I would do away with robocalls.  I think everyone can agree with that.  Keep the phones.  Keep the nuclear weapons.  Do away with the robocalls.

 

They’re Coming

A mysterious interstellar object is approaching our solar system.

On the basis of my many years of studying pop culture, I can say without fear of contradiction that this means that either Superman or Klaatu is coming to visit us.

We’re either going to get a lecture…

…or a hero.

Of course, there’s always the possibility that it’s just Crypto, returning to destroy all humans.

Either way, let’s be on our best behavior when they arrive.  We don’t want Earth to get a bad reputation.

Is Cannibalism The Answer?

From the New York Post:

Scientist suggests eating human flesh to fight climate change

In the scientist’s defense, he also suggested eating insects and … pets.  I think it would actually be less traumatic to eat a human being that I didn’t know very well than it would be to eat a pet.

According to the article, the scientist said that cannibalism could save the human race but only if society “awakens to the idea.”

The article also says that cannibalism has been linked to a deadly disease called Kuru, which is also known as Laughing Death.  Dying of Laughing Death sounds even worse than dying of climate change but maybe it just has a bad name.

Does this mean a posthumous pardon for Alferd Packer?  It sounds like he was ahead of the curve.