The
miracle of VCRs and disposable flashes
Daniel
Frias
It
is amazing when you think of how far modern
technology has advanced in the past few
decades. Just the other day I was watching
on the news a how a miniature-size human-like
robot was conducting the Tokyo symphony.
Amazing! Simply amazing!
If
I had not seen the robot with it a conductor
stick in his hand conducting a symphony
like a real music conductor I would not
have believed such a thing was possible.
We
have come along way as a society from radios
and televisions to computers and cell phones.
I
can remember not too long ago when people
listened to records and eight-tracks. Now
even the tape cassettes and compact discs
are becoming obsolete thanks to a little
gadgets like MP3 players and Ipods that
let one download music from a personal computer
onto a little device that works like a CD
player.
Back
in the '80s you were cool if you had a VCR.
Now kids have DVD players in their own room.
High Definition television and big screen
plasma televisions have replaced black and
white television, which only received about
six channels you could view with a rabbit
antenna.
Who
would have thought there would come a day
when one would be able to hang up a television
in their living room wall like it was a
picture frame let alone record something
without needed a tape or VCR? Even pausing
live television has become a reality few
of us can even comprehend.
But
the technological marvels do not stop there.
Our automobiles today come equipped with
built in DVD players and navigation systems.
But
as if that wasn't enough they have this
thing called Direct TV that lets one get
over 500 channels from all over the world.
I remember when having basic cable was exciting.
Even
our video game systems have improved. Before
there were sophisticated video game systems
of today such as Play Station, X-Box and
Nintendo Gamecube with all their lifelike
video games and six button controls you
had Atari or Calecovision with a joystick
that had only one red button.
I
remember playing Q-bert and Pitfall and
the original baseball game with my friends
back in the 80s.
You
were the man if you had an Atari until Ninendo
and Sega came out with their systems. Then
Mario Brothers became the obsession along
with Contra, Ikari Warriors and my personal
favorite, Mike Tyson's Punch Out. All were
a far cry from the violent, sex laden video
games of today.
Then
we have computers and the Internet, which
has changed life dramatically. It's amazing
how much information is available at your
fingertips with just the click of a mouse.
People spend hours of their day doing almost
anything on a computer.
They
download music, share pictures taken through
a digital camera, write letters, buy movie
tickets and do just about anything else
of which you can think.
The
cell phone has to be one of the most widely
used technological devices known to mankind.
Not too long ago having a cordless phone
was the latest thing.
Now
everybody from business executives to fourth
graders has a cell phone. And not just regular
cell phones, but cell phones that let you
log onto the Internet with the push of a
button. Now you can check game scores and
news without having to get a newspaper or
turn on the television.
Last
year when my cousin and I had to go to church
during the Vitali Klitshko--Lennox Lewis
heavyweight boxing fight. We were able to
get round by round scores of the fight on
his cell phone!
But
cell phones have advanced so much that they
let you take pictures and send them in seconds.
I can remember when my parents used the
old school camera with the light bulbs that
that burned out every time a new picture
was taken.
It's
hard to imagine what modern technology will
invent next, but I'm sure it will be something
amazing -- that is, until something else
comes along and makes it obselete.
Daniel
Frias is a journalism major at Cal State
Long Beach.
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