Hello World

I have always prided myself on my opposition of modern communication trends. I had a phone with buttons until last year. What I mean is that I have never cared much for texting, blogging, or social networking. In my opinion, it is 10x more efficient to pick up a phone and ask someone what they are doing rather than typing out individual sentences.

I believe that our generation, who has grown up with all of these new technologies, is more isolated than ever. We have lost touch with reality. We can’t unplug we are addicted to technology and even though communication is easier than ever, we have never been farther apart. 

This is even more apparent in the youth that has been born in the last 10 yrs. Kids in middle school with iPhones and facebook profiles are losing touch with what it means to be a kid and have face-to-face interaction. My little sister who is in high-school, had to delete her facebook because it was putting too much social pressure on her. When did kids become adults at such a young age. When I was growing up I didn’t get a cell phone until high school, and granted facebook wasn’t around yet but I didn’t have one until I was a senior.

Unfortunately I to have fallen prey to changing times, and have embraced many of these new communication channels, but without the zealotry of the majority of my generation. A Reuters study estimates that 1/3 of US teenagers with mobile phones will send over 100 texts a day, making it the most popular form of communication. What has happened? 

A defining feature of being human is the ability to communicate. It all started hundreds of thousands of years ago when the first homo sapiens realized that putting 5 different pitched grunts in a row allowed them to collectively share emotions, strategies, and thoughts. This is huge. It’s one aspect that separates us from animals. Fast-forward 200,000 years to 2010, the magnificence of human speech has been reduced to a few sentences sent at a time. You think early man could take down a mammoth if they only communicated using short written sentences, I don’t think so.

Venting aside, there is a tremendous benefit to the evolution of communication technology, especially the Internet. It has allowed us to collectively share feelings, thoughts, and ideas on an unprecedented scale regardless of language, creed, or color. This has led us into a truly futuristic age. We can now with a touch of a button learn about Buddhism from a monk in the Himalayas and a second later listen to a speech about chaos theory from a leading mathematician at Cal Tech. Truly amazing.

We have ushered in a time of literally limitless possibilities for self-education, which brings me to my blog.

I love most of the Internet. It has allowed my procrastination to reach new heights. Stumble-upon and Wikipedia time wasting, have emerged as passions of mine. Now instead of only focusing on my major, Environmental Studies, I can spend time learning about neuroscience, psychiatry, music, art the list goes on. It has allowed me to become a well-rounded human being, and I want to share some of what I have found with the rest of the world. Clearly, I have to tighten my focus. Otherwise there will be little to no continuity. 

So, I propose a blog focused primarily on the emergence of new technologies and sciences that will directly benefit future generations by protecting our environment i.e. Alternative energy, biotech, aquaculture etc. Our environment is so unbelievably important to the survival of the human race, not to mention magnificent to behold. It is imperative that we do everything we can to protect and restore it. I hope to show the progress we have made in the last few years and hopefully help to demonstrate that our future is not as bleak as the media often makes it out to be.

Each year I am lucky enough to go fly-fishing on the McCloud River way up in Northern California by Shasta Lake. There is no cell service, no computers, and pristine air. It is just man versus nature. It is the place where I feel the happiest and the least stressed, and can only be described by the word Bliss. 

So, if you have not unplugged in a while, I highly recommend going somewhere wild, it does wonders for the soul. So here we go….

Sincerely,

That Guy