Does Technology Make Us Blind?
If, like me, you have hoped to see a little more sophistication in the treatment of technology issues by the mainstream press, then, like me, you will find yourself bitterly disappointed by the mostly juvenile coverage in the New York Times Magazine’s special issue on technology (September 28, 1997). Running under the overall title, “Technology Makes Us Better,” it contains gems like these: Technology makes us faster. It also makes us richer, and at times a little crazy. All told, it makes us better. (Introduction) The latest technology is providing us with more time, more freedom and a growing sense of community — the very things mankind has sought since the Pleistocene era. So much for Orwell. (Blurb for John Tierney’s article, “Our Oldest Computer, Upgraded”) Today I used the Internet to find the nearest Wal-Mart (with map and driving directions from my house) and to look up something in the Federal budget. Maybe any American ought to know instinctively where the nearest Wal-Mart i
