A Very Serious Dialtone

The aftermath of Hurricane Sandy has brought to my attention and many others, that we have become very dependent on technology. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but when the natural disasters strike, do we know how to do anything? Ten years ago, most people could rattle off a few phone numbers if they needed to. 15 years ago, most people could tell you a lot of numbers, or at least had them written down in a location they could get to. Now, most people do not remember more than one or two phone numbers, and if they lose their cell phone they are stuck. That is until they get on facebook and have people send them their phone numbers. But if the power is out and there is no way to access the internet, most people do not have a battery powered radio to find out emergency information. In a country where we can have backup generators to watch every football game as we tailgate in the parking lot of the Georia Dome; most people are not truly prepared for a minor natural disaster that takes out power for a few days.

The Computer In Your Pants

Its no secret that most of us walk around with a smartphone in our pockets. This advanced computing device has become the lifeblood of most of the world. No smartphone often means no business, or at least very limited business. My friend lost his phone over the weekend and was instantly lost as to what to do. This coveted phone was set up to watch all the SEC football games on Saturday, listen to the Falcons on Sunday and some minor things in between. Such as making phone calls and texting friends. With no phone, he was forced to contact friends through Facebook on a laptop. Facebook has an inherent delay, and most people cant flip open there laptop to check things no matter what their location. These computers (smartphones) also give us directions and allow us to keep our lives organized with any number of apps. 10 years ago, RIM's blackberry was a pager with a couple of lines to view text. Now they tell you who else is online, where they are, and what the weather is in whatever city they may be. Of course I expect smartphone technology to continue to increase for the foreseeable future, but what about the eventual literal computer in your pants. As technology advances I suspect smart threads in our clothes will being to provide information to us on a whole different scale. E-textiles or smart fibers, which are made of semiconducting materials are already being made at universities such as Virginia Tech. I wonder how smart our clothes will become in the next twenty or thirty years.