Amazingly how things had changed as I grew up, or rather, technologies had changed our lives. My army days were the time when mobile phones meant "brick" (actually bigger than a house building red brick, a normal house-sized telephone handset, with circuits that were housed in a hard-cased brief case) powered by a car battery and only the top executives can afford as the subscriptions were very pricy, not to mention the exorbitant air time charges.
As with most people, making calls outside meant that you had to prepare enough 10 cents coins or carry a phone cards. Quite often during normal civilised hours, you had to wait in queue just to use the public phone.
People wanting to contact you while you are outside meant that they will have to page you on your pager, and someone may have to devise some special codes to transfer a message. Those were the "ANCIENT TIMES", but they were much better than my parents' times, where not many households even have a telephone line at home.
Now with wi-fi, and gps being common utilities, we are really spoilt to the brim. Yet the communication industries are thinking of more ways to milk your $$$.
What will become of us when there come a day when such "conveniences" are taken away from us? I am sure human will adapt when the eventualities come - revert to "ancient" ways, like what we do in the army then, using communication cords or a 2-wire system to send pulses down the line, or even using smoke signals to communicate to a further destination. Like some ancient religions say, everything must go the beginning.
How some people have come to take things for "granted", as in a "must have". Interestingly, how some people are using "techno" as and when they wish, without due concerns for the people around them, be it their friends or business associates, or students in the midst of their lessons.
Oh yes, the last one is true in my experiences during the course of my work. Some of them are trying their luck to see if they can get away with it. I always caution them, not so much as to "confiscate" their phones or PSP, but to educate them in the way of the civility of proper behaviour. Imagine if they are constantly doing that in the company of their beloved - then the question will come as to how sincere one is in the relationship/companionship of their loved ones.
Much as I dislike my companions to be chatting incessantly on the phone in my presence, I do make it a point to minimise doing such inconsiderate acts. While at home with my family, I do not consciously place my HP beside me, just to preserve some of the privacy that I want with them. I guess that's my way of feeling more for them than anything else outside their lives in my free time.
Even with all the negative thoughts of technologies' "side-effects", I can only safely come to the conclusion that these "gadgets" are good for our daily undertakings but self-restraint to moderate the use should be the solution to prevent over-indulgence or over-reliant lest you will lose your humane self towards your relations.
To end the note, my life would be complete once I can revive my hobby ....
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