A few months ago, I was attending a weekly session with my chiropractor, Dr. Steve. He was admiring the new irrigation system as he ran his two-minute drill behind me.
“Hey, you can turn on the lawn sprinkler with your phone,” he boasted. I retorted that I would never let a cheap attempt go unnoticed. He just laughed and stuck another vertebra.
I’m a boomer I remember prehistoric prehistoric rotary telephones. They were only suitable for phones. Today’s phones are the electronic equivalent of Swiss Army knives. I have a flashlight, a camera, a calculator, and if needed, I can watch my dog on a security monitor while I’m at work.
About those Swiss Army knives: Back in the day, my uncle had a JC Penney knockoff, with countless blades and tools. It was so big it barely fit in his pocket. . He used it mainly to tighten the small screws on his glasses.After the blade of the knife broke, he gave it to one of my brothers. We met a few years later when I was helping her mother plant hydrangeas in her garden. It melted into a solid mass of rust. I went straight to the scrap pile.
Those in the know say that in 10 years or so there will be only electric cars. They say those cars are easy to build and don’t break down often. They want to save the planet, kill Big Oil, and fully embrace technology. That’s right, electric cars have fewer mechanical parts. However, some of these parts are tiny little motors with tiny, super-strong magnets. Magnets are made of exotic metals such as cobalt and neodymium. Car batteries require large amounts of lithium. Mining of these minerals destroys the environment. China dominates the supply chain.
Another drawback of electric vehicles is that they have more software than traditional vehicles. The software is “proprietary”. This means that you may not access, remove, alter or modify the Software. I’d be willing to bet that future charging stations will include a mandatory software upgrade upon plug-in. This means that manufacturers are also tracking users. Excessive exuberance can result in denial of service. In other words, they can turn your car off remotely.
Current electric car owners boast that electricity is cheaper than gasoline. yeah, now it is. But who do you think supplies that electricity? I’ll tell you, it’s PG&E. Does he really trust PG&E to provide reliable, cheap and accessible power for the life of new electric vehicles?
I’m not against smartphones, electric cars, or new technology per se. I think there is a real danger in technology integration. Smartphones are fast becoming essential for many in our society. Without a device, we literally cannot communicate, calculate, navigate, or access information.
where is the harm? After a hurricane hit the Florida Keys a few years ago, landlines were the only working phones for miles. We know there are no hurricanes in Butte County. But there are fires, floods, tornadoes and earthquakes. Don’t forget the possibility of solar storms, world wars and infrastructure hacking.
I say keep it simple. Use it until it breaks, then fix it if you can. Don’t let AT&T, PG&E, or Google fool you. Don’t worship Big Tech.
