Myself in World of Computing

From sexy smart phones to lightning-fast PCs to GPS, it's hard to imagine life without technology. But have all the new gadgets and tools only made our lives more complicated?
Through the years, we've watched technology grow like a child budding into adulthood: It starts out mostly crying and pooping, then crawling, gradually learning to walk, and finally able to run at a speed we all wish we could keep up with. We've seen technology fail, and we've seen it succeed. We've poked fun at it when it doesn't make sense, and we've praised it when it's absolutely brilliant. We've yelled at it when it runs out of power, and we've fixed or replaced it when it gets run down.
We treat technology as a family member—even if that is a little co-dependent. You can't blame us, though; it's certainly made aspects of our lives easier: We're no longer forced to send letters through the postal service, book vacations through travel agents, shop in stores, visit the library for research material, or wait for our photos to be developed. Thanks to technology, all of these activities can be performed either digitally or online.
At the same time, though, technology can make life more convoluted—especially when something doesn't work right or doesn't do what it's supposed to: Say, for instance, a GPS device tells you to turn the wrong way on a one-way street (yikes!), or a computer erases all of your important data (ouch!).
Unfortunately, it's not always easy to understand how a product or service works, not to mention whether or not to hold off on adopting it until a better, shinier thing comes along. A perfect example is the ever-evolving video format. We've gone from Betamax to VHS to DVD to HD DVD/Blu-ray to just Blu-ray (and everything in-between, of course). It can take years before a technology catches on, and even more time before we see a significant price drop.
For the most part, however, technology does us more good than harm: It's reconnected us with old college roommates, helped us learn a foreign language, and encouraged us to exercise. Follow us as we look back at how technology has changed our lives—for the better and for the worse—in terms of communication, computing and entertainment.

Computing
Before word processors there were typewriters. Keys were punched and a typebar would hit an inked ribbon in order to make an imprint onto paper. For each new line of text, we had to push a "carriage return" lever. If a mistake was made, we'd grab for the sticky tape that could remove the black ink of a typed character, or paint over it with Wite-Out. There was no way to save our work or make copies.
Then before computers there were word processors, which allowed for the editing of text. Later on, new models were introduced with spell-checking programs, increased formatting options, and dot-matrix printing.
The Good:
Today, the personal computer has become an integral part of our lives. What was once a bulky machine taking up all of the space on our desk (remember the IBM PC and Apple II?), the personal computer is now a sleeker system that's capable of storing terabytes of data and operating at lightning-fast speeds.
PCs are no longer deskbound, either. Laptops and netbooks (also known as ultramobile PCs) are now capable of performing similar tasks and functions as their desktop counterparts while being optimized for mobile use. They are easy to carry (weighing anywhere from 2 to 12 pounds), and they're convenient for working while on the go. Netbooks in particular are beginning to take off: ABI Research forecasts that shipments of netbooks as well as Mobile Internet Devices are expected to exceed 200 million in 2013.
Through the use of computers, we've mastered the art of multitasking: typing articles by using word-processing programs such as MS Word and Open Office, checking e-mail through Microsoft Outlook, designing and optimizing images and photos with Adobe Photoshop, building a digital library of our favorite music with Apple iTunes, and much, much more.
The Bad:
Undoubtedly computers save us a lot of time, but we might depend on them a little too trustingly. It's possible to lose tons of data if a drive crashes and we haven't backed it up. We've counted on Spell Check to make our words literate, but it's certainly not a good copy editor. Computers tend to distract students in class, as well; they'll surf the Web when they should be taking notes. Even relationships have suffered from excessive use of the computer, from World of Warcraft sessions to work projects to—yes—online porn.

Entertainment
Before there were electronics, people found simple ways to entertain themselves: Curling up with a good book, knitting by the fire, listening to the radio, and playing Bridge. There was no such thing as cable television, boom boxes, or Spore.
The Good:
Technology has provided us with even more creative ways to occupy our time. Thanks to Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft, we can play video games, competing with friends and other gamers from around the world to master fighting, strategy, and sports titles. While some parents may argue that video games are violent and addictive, healthy amounts of game time can actually be beneficial to a child's development. A study by Information Solutions Group for PopCap Games discovered that playing video games can improve concentration, increase attention span, and provide positive affirmation, especially in children suffering from ADHD. In addition, we can burn calories while playing Wii Fit.
As far as music goes, we used to have to pop in another cassette tape or CD once one reached the end. Today's portable music players (PMPs)—such as the Apple iPod touch and Microsoft Zune —have redefined how we listen to and access music. We're able to store gigabytes of music on a PMP and listen to thousands of songs on one player. And when we get tired of the music on them, we simply load different tunes.
Traditional paperbacks and hardcovers are now inching towards e-books. With Amazon's Kindle, we have access to more than 150,000 e-books at any given time. We can adjust the font size of the text we're reading (there are six different options). In addition, the Kindle offers 180MB of onboard memory, which means we can carry up to 200 books at once.
Watching TV involves more than just our television and cable box these days. Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) like the TiVo HD XL enable us to pause, rewind, and fast-forward live TV as well as record TV shows when we're not at home. If we're bored with watching our tired DVD collection, there's always renting movies and buying TV shows from our couch using Apple TV. This nifty digital media extender also lets us play digital content onto our TVs from any home Mac or Windows machines running iTunes.
The Bad:
While we can't imagine being without these engaging devices, technology can at the same time hold us back from truly enjoying life. There's still nothing like flipping through the crisp pages of a traditional paperback. Listening to music with earbuds divert us from hearing the incredible sounds of nature. Video games are great for eye- and hand coordination, but it doesn't hurt to turn off the console and go hiking or out to dinner with friends as an alternative. And instead of recording almost every show on TV, stick to the ones you're actually going to watch.