I called into the Apple Store in Cambridge today where the staff
are very excited about the new iPhone which will be launched in the UK on Friday.
It has voice control and a compass and I am lusting after one – surely every Rambler like me should have one! And, at long last, it includes a video and improved camera.
Unfortunately, the contract on my iPhone runs for another year, in which time there might be another fantastic upgrade because the digital world is moving so fast. It’s moving so fast that it is scary.
Without intending to sound like a doom mongerer, I’m worried about it all going wrong one day, that we will leave ourselves exposed to unscrupulous and ruthless people who can access it to harm us. Or there might be a bug which makes it collapse, causing the most horrendous and catastrophic damage.
Gordon Brown reckons the internet is as vital as water and gas. Not every one would agree. I am amazed that my sister runs her own business, a dress shop, and never uses a computer. I know lots of people who still don’t own one. I am sure there are many vulnerable people, including those suffering from Alzheimer’s, who wished Gordon Brown showed them the same passion about access to medication to help improve the quality of their lives and to fund research into this devastating disease, never mind access to the internet.
I certainly love the digital world, but I do wonder what impact it will have on the next generation of society and their real social interaction. I wonder if it will somehow backfire spectacularly.
In a few years time when my nearest and dearest wants to buy me some jewellery for Christmas, I wonder if he will head to IBM and treat me to their futuristic designs – a ring which flashes to alert you to an incoming call. The caller’s number is displayed on the watch and you can answer the call through a tiny speaker in the earrings. There is also a necklace which holds a microphone to speak into.
I wonder what they have planned for men!!
And this futuristic plan sounds really sinister. According to my source, Online Public Relations, by David Phillips and Philip Young, IBM is also working on emotional sensing by monitoring body temperature, heartbeat and moods. This information can then be transmitted over the internet and others can gain access to it.
I find that really spooky and too much information to share. Just imagine if we could access the emotions of our politicians. Am I alone in wanting to keep my emotions to myself….
Who would be the first in the queue…Geoff Jones, and Sally..except they are not in the Uk…
I am totally amazed that your sister with a business does not have computer, totally amazing..how does she do it..
I for one will not be hankering after an iphone, i have been shown what they do etc but not for me…..I am not a Rambler, but when I do walk I can read a map..I don;t even own and ipod..my husband keeps trying to give his old one, which is a good one..no thanks..
I heard that and that they have a virtual boy called Milo whom children can talk to and who can read all their emotions
Some of that sounds very scary, it reminds me of a short story I read which describes where people never leave their room and do everything by computer.
No you are not alone in wanting keep personal stuff your own personal stuff. I think it is a matter of personal choice and in accepting each little step towards monitoring and control we lose personal freedoms.
I couldn’t think of anything more revolting than jewellery that betrays mood. Don’t bother with that polite smile then. In our PC world the oil of society in good manners, is already being eroded. In other words, instead of polite expression being used to facilitate communication, some topics are simply taboo. Take racism – the word ‘racist’ has been devalued as that debate is simply not allowed under PC rules. So we cannot discuss or debate some issues that impact on our lives. Would a mood communicator be used to police our emotions? It’s a Brave New World.
I would love to have an iPhone period, let alone the latest one, but I am unable to justify its greater expense over my existing mobile phone.
I think the right to privacy and the internet have already clashed spectacularly on occasions and it can only get worse as more data is out there.
That said, I cannot imagine my life without it.
I ma told that you can buy a software update for the older I phones that gives you those features..
Perhaps it is really time to think about how the internet is escaping from its box. Its not just from the PC and Laptop to the cell phone any more.
There are lots of other platforms. This is one I spotted this morning http://xrl.in/2i4s
I’ll be in the queue for those earrings!