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Jun. 2nd, 2011 09:28 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
myurbandreamI just had a surreal experience.
I was reading a preview of a book called "Always On" by Brian Chen, a reporter for Wired (here's the link on Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Always-iPhone-Unlocked-Anything-Anytime-Anywhere-Future/dp/0306819600/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_2 ). It's about how the iPhone has totally changed not only the world of technology but how we interact with the physical world - how the internet and smartphones and mobile devices have changed every aspect of our lives, from education to business, and how they're affecting economy from multiple directions.
And then I finished that and read an article from Businessweek about the failure of the US Postal Service. (that one's here - http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_23/b4231060885070.htm ) The article explains how, thanks to the internet, the USPS ships more junk mail ("job security") than regular mail, how the volume of snail mail is falling like a rock, how the USPS is belly-up to its unions and not allowed to lay off employees or close branches that are taking a loss. In fact, the entire postal system is taking a loss. They've been borrowing money from the government to stay afloat, but the prediction is that the USPS will be totally defunct by this time next year, unless they adapt as postal systems in Europe have already done.
The overlap was a bit surprising. Cool stuff, y'all.
I was reading a preview of a book called "Always On" by Brian Chen, a reporter for Wired (here's the link on Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Always-iPhone-Unlocked-Anything-Anytime-Anywhere-Future/dp/0306819600/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_2 ). It's about how the iPhone has totally changed not only the world of technology but how we interact with the physical world - how the internet and smartphones and mobile devices have changed every aspect of our lives, from education to business, and how they're affecting economy from multiple directions.
And then I finished that and read an article from Businessweek about the failure of the US Postal Service. (that one's here - http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_23/b4231060885070.htm ) The article explains how, thanks to the internet, the USPS ships more junk mail ("job security") than regular mail, how the volume of snail mail is falling like a rock, how the USPS is belly-up to its unions and not allowed to lay off employees or close branches that are taking a loss. In fact, the entire postal system is taking a loss. They've been borrowing money from the government to stay afloat, but the prediction is that the USPS will be totally defunct by this time next year, unless they adapt as postal systems in Europe have already done.
The overlap was a bit surprising. Cool stuff, y'all.
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Date: 2011-06-02 06:17 pm (UTC)I've always been a little sickened by how much technology has a grip on the lives of my own and younger generations - imho there's an identified generational gap between my parents, myself (I'm 23), and pre-teens, marked by how intuitively we integrate technology into our daily routine. I find it a bit disturbing, honestly.
I have already pre-ordered Always On!! The prologue was available to read and it totally sold me - the author has a really engaging narrative style and his information, even just in the prologue, was pretty gripping. His book covers a lot of the topics that I've been wondering about, vague thoughts I've had about how technology is changing us so much on so many different levels, and I can't wait to see what interesting facts he's dug up about it all. From what I read about Alone Together (thanks for the link!) it looks to be the same way. I wonder if the Apple Bookstore has an iBook format....