Saturday 16 August 2008

Computers and Survival!

I have been unable to log on for a couple of days and so I contacted my son in Edinburgh who sorted out the problem. He used a facility called LogMeIn which allows him to take over my computer and repair it from a remote facility. It has been a tremendous help to me because computers do fall over every now and then and it got me thinking.

The loss of my Internet connection felt like a man who has lost his right hand. When the computer is disfunctional then what? Almost every major business in the world is dependent on the computer but not so long ago a geek from England apparently hacked into America's White House system. He has been arrested and could soon be jailed but why? I would be offering him a job because if he can do it then what will,for example the Russians, offer for that kind of expertise? Or have they got it?

Internet banking is big business but how safe is it? Can we really trust the banks to safeguard our cash when out there is a guy who can access White House secrets from a flat/semi in UK?

It makes me realise how vulnerable our whole society has become on energy and technology. Is my generation the last generation which will be able to function purely on brainpower. I can calculate, write reasonably well manually and I can function without technology. For example I can grow things and I could survive without technology because my army training has taught me the skills.

How many others have that knowledge? Perhaps we should forget about global warming and concentrate on basic survival. Perhaps our next political objective should be lessons on survival rather than lectures on global warming. We are far too dependent on forces out of our control. When the computer crashes then the world crashes... food for thought.

No comments: