It took me a day of reflecting after reading Vannevar Bush’s article “As We May Think” to truly appreciate it.  I made the mistake of not carefully looking at the article citation before reading it.  It was not until I was about a third of the way through that I realized the article surfaced before technology truly started to flourish.

1945 marked the end of World War II, a war which crucially facilitated the advancement of defense technology.  After speaking with my parents about the article and the time which it was written, I learned that the radar and the atomic bomb both emerged during the war. These technologies changed not only the face of war, but life as we know it.  Much of the technology we have today was originally driven by defense purposes but now is available for every day uses.

The article foreshadows the development of machinery and technology such as laptops, HD cameras and video equipment, digital databases, record keeping, accounting, credit cards, and much more.  It is amazing to think that such ideas have been in the making for decades before becoming a reality.

Bush mentions the convenience of having such resources available- the ability to save time, space, and manpower.  On the downside, he states how expensive it is to produce such technologies.  Decades later, we can see that the concept of supply and demand has come into play by driving the availability up and the cost down.  We see 8 year old children with their own cell phones, gaming systems, even iPads and laptops.  As with any new invention, these projects take a lot of time, resources, and funding to start up. However, once completed, can change the lives of many people for better or for worse.

I think there is something to be said about the fact that he mentions technologies and research are available to people who do not necessarily have enough understanding of the concepts to be able to use the to their full potential.  I think of the plethora of information and technology available to us it both a blessing and a curse.  The internet, television, and other devices expose us to all kinds of things.  Some people truly believe everything they read on the internet and do not consider the source, or further investigate the source.  I can say from personal experience that in doing research papers I have read articles to help support my point, but have not always done my research to the fullest extent in the sense of finding out more about the author and the validity, background, or context, of the citations used.

Technology has given us the benefit of having a ton of knowledge at our finger tips.  I feel that this drives some people to learn more, expand more, and create more.  But for others, it makes them lazy- stuck in from of the screen playing computer games, checking Facebook, and doing rather mindless activity.  Lastly, technology has made it possible for individuals to access their email, bank accounts, calendar, and books through a single device, but I still feel there is something to be said for the old fashioned way of doing things.  I have an iPad, laptop, smart phone, etc., but still print my articles or buy the hard copies of textbooks from home so I can write in the margins.  I feel I learn better that way.  I also still keep a date book aside from my phone.  Maybe it is because I am not “up-to-date” on how to effectively use the technology, but I think it is important not to rely wholeheartedly on these devices, because something could always backfire.