My Dot See, Eh?

Google rolled out quite a few changes across a number of products today, one of my favorite being their Web Fonts Collection (which are used on this site). Another area that was updated was their home page. Now, in place of a white menu bar across the top, we get to see a black menu bar. This completely clashed with the rest of the white screen millions of people have used for the last decade, and forced me to take some drastic measures.

Canadians generally don't know very much about the great moments in the history of their nation, but one thing most of us do know is a simple four-word line uttered by a patient of Dr. Wilder Penfield as she lay on a surgical table, brain exposed to the world. I was reminded of this line earlier today on Twitter by a fellow Canadian, which triggered an ancient memory on how most of us learned this reference: the Historica Heritage Minutes.

Though it sounds strange to say, not owning a web-connected mobile phone may be in our best interests. It seems that not a week goes by where someone we know has picked up a smart phone, be it their first or tenth, and are genuinely excited by all of the web-enabled applications and tools they can use to keep in touch with people while out and about. Humans are a social species and, as such, being able to socialize with people plays a key role in our psychological well being. Unfortunately, this could also be our undoing. Our ability to use technology to extend and enhance our view of the world, this same technology can distract us from our surroundings.

Oddly enough, our extended and enhanced view of the world comes from the palm of our hand and, like a drug, it commands our absolute attention. Not a week goes by where we don't hear of a person who lost their life while texting and driving. Cyclists are hit either by distracted drivers, or are themselves distracted while staring at the screen of some electronic device. Pedestrians, who often distract themselves from the noisy outside world with even noisier music blaring from headphones, are walking through crowds and across streets with their focus fixed on a shiny screen displaying real-time updates of what their friends are doing, seeing, hearing, watching, and saying.

Wonder how many of these 296 followers are real people. There is no way anyone would want to see dozens to tweets per minute from this account filling up their timeline ...