By Ron Friesen / Herald Columnist
“Liar, liar, pants on fire, hanging from a telephone wire.”
“Grandpa, what’s a telephone wire?”
Indeed, good question. Before we had smart phones, that handheld computer connecting us to individuals, phones were actually connected using wire. Whoever was at the phone’s location would answer when the phone rang. It was a good system, but not perfect.
Despite its flaws, there was one advantage we have lost and have not recovered. The old system was an enduring, robust, stand-alone system. Today’s systems are not like this at all. They are more fragile than a bubble in the air.
You could keep an old telephone for 30 years, and it would still work just fine. And when a replacement was required, the cost was reasonable.
The wired system would work in an emergency, even if the power went out because it was not dependent on the local power system. Today’s communication systems, which are touted as do-everything-for-everyone-all-at-once are amazingly fragile, short lived, expensive and troublesome.
I realize the same things were said about cars when they were replacing horses. And back then, they were right. Plus, buggy whip makers were losing money!
But there is a big difference. The emphasis on cars in their early days was to first make them more robust and reliable, not constantly more complex.
In today’s high-tech world, the exact opposite is happening. The constant emphasis is on greater complexity, which requires constant upgrades. In five years, my smart phone will be in the landfill. Why? Because it is no longer complex enough to do all the latest and greatest things and run all the gizmos. The phone in my hand right now exceeds what was needed to put our first man on the moon. But shortly, obsolete.
The computers on wheels we are buying at outlandish prices will be obsolete in five years too. Not because of mechanical failure. But because of technology failure. Today’s cars can do everything except put on your clothes and brush your teeth. But when a critical electronic control module fails, even if it is not directly tied to vehicle operation, you are stuck. Good luck getting an a module for a car more than 10 years old.
I am a big fan of everything technology can do for us, even if it sounds like I am not. But we need technology that is robust, reliable, and intuitive. Today’s technologies are none of these. It still feels like we are stuck building Model T Fords and piling on extras.
There is no way to achieve 100 percent reliability in anything. But what is missing today in technology is an old-fashioned concept called rigor. This is the “we want to be positive it works right before we toss it out there for everyone to use.” Today’s technology for the average consumer is not like that at all.
Beta versions of software are barely tested. Then off we go! Versions 1-point-o, 2-point-o, 3-point-o, etc. all with “bug fixes” and “security patches” which were not spotted in the hasty development and roll-out. Meanwhile, the messaging is always, “Look how much better it is!”
But the never addressed and always unanswered question is this: “Will it last longer and be more reliable?” And why is this? The answer is simple: money.
The people who make the most money are the ones who can tantalize us with the latest, greatest shiny object. This is not new. But now with a “smart phone” in our clutches every moment, advertisers do not have to wait for us to watch TV, listen to a radio, or read a newspaper. We are their captive audience, 24/7.
To break this cycle of debilitating dependency on unreliable technologies placed upon us by greedy techno-giants, we need to lift up our eyes.
Ron Friesen is a longtime Marysville resident, a retired music teacher and community and church musician and is committed to community improvement.
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