Kind of a boring headline, ay? I know....still working on it.
Sundays are a day of reflection for me. They start with coffee and the newspaper then Mass then usually brunch with the parents. After that it's either projects around the house or cleaning or play time. Varies. But it's more low-key, gearing up for the week so it lends itself nicely to reflection.
Today, what kept turning over and over in my mind as I thought of the capture of one of the Boston bombing suspects on Friday and the week "anniversary" of the bombing tomorrow was how far we have come in the technology that almost every person possesses in the palm of their hand.
Over and over, the media has touted the use of civilian footage that has aided the investigation of the bombing thus far. It pushed me to reflect on the technology we had during another dark time - 9/11.
In 2001, the iPod was released by Apple, wireless LANs were a big winner, Bluetooth was coming, and Blackberry was the only "smart phone" on the market.
Now, flip phones are for our grandparents and smartphones are standard issue.
The advancement of cameras and emailing abilities on these phones is significantly greater than in 2001. For a situation like Boston, the more cameras on the ground the better. If 100 different pictures show the same two people placing a backpack on the ground where the explosions were and 1000 others have different angles of those people then it vastly increases the chances of capturing those individuals.
With the advancement of technology comes the fear of big-brother-ness. Who's watching us? Where are they watching us? Obviously, when used for the wrong purposes, this can be devastating to us as a society. But there is also safety to consider.
This extends itself to all aspects of our world, mainly the public arenas.
As the principal at Dear Husband's school said (paraphrasing): trying to figure out what happened in the parking lot without cameras is like reffing a football game from the locker room. Video greatly reduces the "he said/she said" when it comes to a fight.
Maybe I should install cameras up in the kids' rooms for when they are up there playing and one comes down screaming.
Hmmm...
I'll keep you posted on that.
Cheers,
Megs
No comments:
Post a Comment