An old codger's comments

What do you do when the technology has become cleverer than you? When it anticipates your thinking and intention? When it suggests for you to perform actions you have not yet thought through? If this dilemma involved heavy industry or transport, the outcome could be dangerous, even fatal. Do you really want a car that decides how and when to change speed or direction? Do we need software that decides what the article you are writing should say about an important topic? As I have pointed out before, when you are presented with a load of options by the technology, although you set out to perform a simple task, you are being manipulated.

There are many irritating aspects of the modern world and I have commented on some of them before. I would like to add another – the recent obsession with the use of random sounds – beeps, whistles, clangs, hoots and so on. It is impossible to use any piece of equipment without being challenged by the noises it makes. The aim of the frequent beeps seems to be to ensure it is not ignored or abandoned. We have to be constantly aware of what the latest geegaw is doing for us, or with us.. Mobile phones demand our attention with squeaks and banal music; microwave ovens demand we immediately consume what they have prepared. Try leaving a car without turning off the lights or removing the keys from the ignition. The technologists who invent these machines assume we are stupid and cannot be trusted to turn them off when not in use.

Of course, if you are younger, up to date and tech savvy, you are used to being bullied by the equipment. You rely on your machines to wake you in the morning, to tell you when to eat, who and when someone is trying to contact you, when to take your pills, recharge your phone and perhaps your car, order your pre-made meals, send birthday and anniversary cards, etc etc. But you have become just a slave to the technology. Spontaneity has disappeared and pure memory is old-fashioned and superfluous.

What are banks for? Until recently I thought they were for looking after depositor’s funds and enabling the transfer of monies between deposits. But have you tried recently asking one to handle a cheque, from a local or a foreign source? Apparently, cheques are no longer issued by, or acceptable in Australian banks! All movement of money has to take place electronically. Also, cash is on the way out, and there are fewer branches to service us. Post offices will deal with Aussie cheques (Who or what is issuing them now?), but not foreign ones.

All this is to enable banks to reduce their outgoings (staff wages, rents, insurance, etc) and satisfy the shareholders with higher dividends, but not to keep their clients happy. At the rate this change is happening, our only future access to our savings will be via a ‘hole in the wall’. Perhaps we will have to return to keeping our funds in the form of gold bars hidden under the floorboards!

After my previous whinge regarding the bewildering complexity of modern equipment I had a further thought. Given how easy it seems to be to invent new functions for pieces of modern equipment, why not also include lessons on how to learn to use them? Instead of working out how to use a mobile phone, or up-market microwave oven by pressing all the knobs to see what they do or don’t or might do in the appropriate circumstances, why not include a lesson that starts off with the simple functions and, if desired, later moves on to learning more complex ones. These apparatuses have screens, so it should be easy to project teaching instructions.

As a university lecturer (now retired), I would have been deficient if all I spouted was information, and failed to explain the context, and how best the knowledge could be acquired, used and retained by my students.

Time for a whinge!

The mantra of manufacturers these days is that: If something else is possible with our product we will include it. No piece of equipment does solely what it is meant to do. For example, I was born before WW2 when telephones were simply a means to communicate with others who also possessed a telephone. If the person you rang was not available, or the line was occupied by another caller, no conversation took place. No message could be left, you just tried again later, Compare that situation with possessing a modern mobile phone, a piece of equipment that seems to be designed to do everything but simply communicate in real time. The result of owning one of these multi-functional geegaws is having to spend large amounts of time learning and remembering which app to use, and even more time scrolling through text messages, emails, videos and photos of the cute cat next door and the granddaughter’s birthday cake. I am very relieved to have lost my mobile (note that inevitably the word ‘phone’ has been abandoned).

And then there is the microwave, a simple valuable invention that was useful for reheating meals and occasional drinks. Recently I was confronted by a more ‘modern’ version that does everything possible to food except grow it. There are innumerable options, each with its own visual ‘button’ to be pressed, a choice of different power levels, and a thick manual that would grace a university course. Again, large amounts of time could be spent on learning all the functions, what the pictures mean and how to drive this monster, when all I want to do is heat up a cup of cold coffee.

It’s a little like the expensive penknife which one yearned to own when I was a callow youth. A multifunctional tool which was claimed to be not only a knife, but also a screwdriver, bottle opener, spanner, toothpick, saw, and spike for taking stones out of horse’s hooves. The ensemble was heavy, bulky and difficult to use especially after one had managed to break a nail unfolding the appropriate bit . A good idea perhaps, but no substitute for separate individual tools. Keep it simple stupid!

Modern humans are all one species with the scientific name Homo sapiens, Latin for ‘Wise man’. The name was coined when scientists were nearly all men, and men ruled society and made all the decisions. Women were not expected or encouraged to be involved in Science. The human race was viewed as predominantly male – ‘mankind’, and men were expected to do all the important work and lead society. It is interesting that nothing has changed in our nomenclature, despite the belated and reluctant recognition of the equal importance of women in Society and in Science.

One might claim that the title Homo is a collective name which includes both men and women, in which case its incorporation in other words such ‘homosexual’ should include and refer to both sexes, but this is not how modern society interprets its meaning.

And then the claim is that humans are ‘sapiens‘ – wise. There is little evidence of this. As I have claimed elsewhere, humans are still evolving and although we might claim to be clever and inventive, we lack the ability and wisdom to be able to live together in harmony. History is replete with regular, destructive wars, in which one group gains dominance over another, only to lose control later. And then some fractions of humanity are regarded as inferior to others, and not worthy of respect or care, despite being the same species.

So I claim that our scientific name is incorrect and outdated. And I am surprised that others, women especially, have not already pointed out that it is time for a change. Perhaps they have and I don’t read the relevant journals. As to what our new name should be, I will leave that to the classical scholars. Other scientific names, whether of animals or plants , do not prioritise one sex over another, or claim superior traits, why should we?

I can understand why religions arose and why they were necessary. Human experience back then was limited to what was happening physically at the level of the surface of the Earth and because any human action was confined and shaped by the close presence of others. The results were sets of beliefs and rules of behaviour that ensured social cohesion and prevention of conflict. Also, when and where religions first developed, early humans had daily experience of the rising and setting of the sun, and a night time view of a sky filled with stars, planets and the moon going through its phases. These otherwise inexplicable phenomena became associated with various stories that in time became beliefs. Thanks to Science, and Astronomy in particular, those attitudes and explanations are no longer valid. But they linger on.

The main advance in human knowledge provided by modern science has been the realisation of our physical insignificance. We are life forms which exist due to chance on a minor planet which circles a small star, which, in turn is one of millions within our galaxy, a rotating collection of stars and other objects, and which, in turn is just one of the uncountable millions of galaxies within the Universe. Then add the fact that, individually, and as a species, we thrive for a miniscule length of time within the, possibly, infinite existence of the Universe.

Religious beliefs are no longer valid or valuable. We need to reassess. If our religions and other beliefs were devised to help us human animals know how to relate to each other, and even how to manage our little planet, they have no value elsewhere. Perhaps, by chance, we are the only conscious living organisms in the entire Universe. This is unlikely, given the vast number of planets, many of which could support life, but given the vast distances between us and them, we will never know. The best we can do is learn to tolerate each other, protect our world and all its life forms and agree on rules of behaviour that suit our earthly surroundings. We need to learn to live in context, not dependent on belief.

The war between Russia and Ukraine appears to have no end. If either country ‘wins’ or ‘loses’ the outcome will be unstable and impossible to maintain in the long term. Russia aims to reconquer Ukraine and take it back into the Russian fold; Ukraine aims to regain territory and retain its independence. Similar impasses occur elsewhere in the world where only borders separate warring countries.

The answer may be the creation of ‘buffer zones’. Each zone would incorporate territory supplied by both warring nations to create a neutral area between them and its integrity guaranteed by the United Nations. In the case of the Russian v Ukraine war, the buffer zone would be made up of the Donbas region, Crimea and adjacent portion of Russia proper. The buffer zone would have the following features:

1. A balanced population of Ukrainians and Russians with limited and unique citizenship
2. No army or armaments of any sort
3. A separate government system with equal representation and sovereignty guaranteed by both countries.
4. Children born in the buffer zone could choose to remain as independent citizens or take up citizenship with either country.

Sounds like pie in the sky? But what is the alternative? How many more deaths will occur before Russia gives up? Or will the conflict spread to include the rest of Europe? After two World Wars with the loss of millions of soldiers and civilians and vast damage to property and resources why have we not learned to get along together? Are we ‘clever animals’ still not capable of preventing conflict? And see posts on my other blog on The human animal.

Several months ago I lost my mobile phone and commented in a blog how much I enjoyed the freedom ( see Join the club). In the mobile-free months since its loss, there has been little change in my existence or in interactions with others. There have been small disadvantages such as not being able to respond to banks with their code numbers when paying out amounts of money, but all in all I have not been inconvenienced. I have friends who use their phones to store all kinds of information and I mocked them about the risk of losing them and how much they would suffer.

It serves me right for making fun of others. When clearing the rubbish out of my car I found my phone had slipped down next to the driver’s seat! Yes, I know, I didn’t look very hard when I lost it. But anyway, here it is glaring at me. Now what do I do? I guarantee that when I tell others that I am now back on line, they will text me. Not ring on my home phone, but send messages and I will be expected to read and reply to them. And there will be the old accusations: I texted/phoned you yesterday and you did not reply. What were you doing? If one owns a mobile phone one is expected, not only to carry it around with you all the time, but to answer it immediately. That is why it was such a relief when I lost it.

I wonder if there is an ‘app’ on my phone which automatically replies to all texts with: “Sorry, I don’t reply to texts. Try talking directly to me on my home phone”. I’ll try pressing all the buttons and hope something comes up. Alternatively, if the pressure to respond gets to be too great, I can always arrange to lose it again!

This war threatens to continue indefinitely and casualties will continue to mount. There is no sign of either side seeking a cease-fire: Ukraine because it aims to take back lost territory and remain independent, and Russia because Putin and his supporters yearn for a return of the situation when Russia dominated all the countries of eastern Europe.

But there is a solution. Both countries need to agree to the creation of a buffer state between them. The buffer state would comprise the eastern part of Ukraine – Donbas and Crimea, and an adjacent part of Russia. The integrity of this zone would be guaranteed by both countries and be managed by the United Nations, including supplying an international police force. The zone would be free of armaments. Citizens of both countries would have free access to the zone without the need for passports.