Means to an End

As we learn about about forgotten skills and the paths of a simple life, it is just as important to encourage progression and the development of new skills and technologies.
Although living in accordance to the land doesn't conjure images of modern technology, it would be prejudice not to consider the advancements made.
As with anything, some technology is self serving, or offers gimmick value only. As important as entertainment is, too often are technological toys short lived and intrinsically useless.

I am always gripped by the paradox of rekindling past successes with modern inventions.
The key is to be mindful of what the new replaces the old with.
Often, the shiny novelty overshadows an actual step backwards.
Many mechanized items perform poorly compared to their manual precedents.
Tallying the impacts is equally as important as calculating the improvements.
Mechanization that imposes considerable environmental costs, may not have the net benefit that we may hope for.

Tonight, we are breaking in some new electronics.

Computers have had a complex effect on society, fostering many advancements while also contributing negatively.
Originally, the mass distribution of computers was intended to reduce working times for workers.
Unfortunately, computers have not always had that effect. Sometimes, even less work gets done and working hours are extended due to the portability of work.
Computers are very helpful for us in a variety of ways.
The most important is the availability of research and learning materials.
Networking, and reaching out would also be much more difficult without the internet.
There are times, however, and I know I'm not alone on this, that the computer drives me bananas.
Periods of uninterrupted clockwork are broken by glitches and failures that kill time.
Some of the malfunctions are my own doing and though I feel comfortable working with computers, they don't always agree with my handling.

So as I sit here tangled in wires and electro-magnetic radiation, the same old question gets asked.
Is there a better way of doing this?
Maybe once my goals have been achieved, the electronics can be laid aside.
Let's hope so.