Count Me Out Call me old-fashioned. Call me old. Call me what you want, but I refuse to become part of this new Internet world. I do not possess a computer at home or at the office. Actually, I stopped going to an office 35 years ago, when all communications were done with a pen, a typewriter, or, if the matter was of world-shaking importance, over the telephone. Likewise, if you like something advertised in a newspaper or magazine, you visited the shop selling it at the given address, or you phoned the number shown. Then you spoke to the fellow and asked for further details. Tell me what you think of the following ad that appeared the other day in the newspaper. It was for a cure for cancer and this is what it said: "Awareness is the key. Visit com at the awareness site." There was no address or telephone number for the site. So what do unfortunate people without a computer do if they are seeking a cure for their illness? There are, I am told, certain advantages in having access to the Internet. You can, for example, send love messages across the world or even get married to someone that you meet online. This bit doesn't interest me; I have been happily married for 60 years. There are, of course, other activities for Internet users besides finding love. They can pay bills, order groceries, or discuss with their doctors. And this is by no means all. More amazing things are yet to come in the near future. I read a newspaper report recently that quoted Stephen Hawking, an important British scientist. "The complexity of a computer as it exists today is probably less than the brain of an earthworm," he said. "But, as technology advances, computers will become more complex, and a time may come when the Internet may develop 'consciousness.' In other words, the Internet will be able to think, have feelings, and may well be able to act on its own." If Professor Hawking is right, I may change my attitude to computers. As I grow older each day, I would like one of those that not only thinks for me but also accepts responsibilities for all my mistakes. What might the author like about the future computer?
Taking blames. Curing illnesses. Delivering messages. Responding to emotions.