Technology and our world

 The almost unlimited uses of our current technology have helped us to increase the flow, spread and dispersion of information to the point where virtually all information one could wish for is available to us on demand. This allows the common man to access virtually all the information humans have on our world, learning much faster about subjects others in history have only dreamed of. It’s a powerful tool, and its’ facility of use allows all to access this wealth of information.

For myself personally, I have used the internet to allow myself to increase my knowledge of Art, specifically Concept art for the entertainment industry; my chosen field of study. The internet has given me access to information the leading professionals of my field have put online. This information takes the form of training videos that provide me with valuable practice and knowledge of skills that help me to do the best I can in my field.  Without this technology, I would have to wait, and travel long distances and pay lots of money to gain this information, and that is time and money that could be spent helping me practice these skills I would learn.

Technology has also played a role in doing explorations I wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise. For instance, what is it like on the bottom of the ocean floor? What lives down there? My curiosity led me to  “google” ocean floor videos, and I found, through various articles, links that led me to actual live feeds from cameras that are on the ocean floor. Exactly what I wanted, in 20 minutes. Soon after, I was following a deep sea rover on its’ journeys through the deep sea. Seeing through its’ cameras, I discovered the ocean floor was covered with sea urchins, squat lobsters, cucumbers, and other deep sea animals. However, it was a world unlike our own. It was a world so empty, so infinitely vaster than our own, and all denizens were under 6 inches tall. So much space for such tiny creatures!!

            I also was interested in space travel and exploration. Well, I went to NASA’s website, and found links to live feeds directly from the international space station; and restored archive videos of the first moon walk and the Apollo missions. Actual footage of what it is like beyond the pull of gravity! There too, we find a world so different from the one we inhabit. As I gazed upon its’ vastness, through the lenses of cameras on the space station, I had to admire and comment, as many have done before me, how empty it was, and ponder on the fact that when you get to it, the extreme edges of our understanding and explorations are empty. The bottom of the ocean, the vastness of space, all are so empty.

            However, technology is not just the internet.

            Have you ever seen someone snap their fingers in slow motion? Have you ever wondered what you sound like backwards? What do experts say about modern economics? Modern media? Politics? Science? All these things can be found by using technology. Cameras, recording devices, sound software, radios, all can help a person find the things they seek.   

And I’m sure there are many other things to explore in our world that I just haven’t found yet. After all, that is exploration, knowing that no matter how much you find, there is an infinite amount more of things you haven’t found yet.