Communications

Communications. In my lifetime the changes in communications technology have been amazing. Sidney Poiter writes in A Life Beyond Measure that he did not experience electricity until as a boy of ten his family moved to Nassau in the Bahamas. His friends invited him to go see a "matinee." He said, "sure," although he had not the slightest idea what to expect. It was a western, with cows and cowboys. After the movie, Sidney excused himself from his friends, and circled back to the theater, wondering if he would see the cows coming out the back of the building! Since he was fascinated by cows, he got the idea that some day he would go to Hollywood, because that is where the cows were.

Fast forward to 9-11-2001. On that fateful day, as he recounts in his book In My Time, Vice President Dick Cheney was in the bunker below the White House, where all kinds of communications technology had been installed. But, on that day, there were all kinds of "communications glitches." The t.v. reception was so bad it sounded like Alvin and the Chipmunks at the bottom of a swimming pool! Finally, Cheney ordered some of the government systems to be shut down, and the officials gathered there got their images from the regular media, just like you and I did. He had trouble with the phones, too, such as in attempting to communicate with President Bush via Air Force One. Moreover, much of the information coming in through the government channels proved to be unreliable, such as the number of hijacked planes and where they were headed. Rumors were rampant.

Nevertheless, the technological advances in communications have been breathtaking in my lifetime. I was ten years old when my parents bought their first black and white t.v. Before that, the family gathered around the radio to hear Jack Benny and "The Shadow Knows." Poitier wonders what has the t.v., internet, and cell phones done to our ears, eyes, and brains. He wonders if we have as much connection to science and physics as butterflies do.

Update: Here is another blogger who is writing about how times have changed:  http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2012/01/david-henderson-talks-to-the-occupy-folks.html