Last Friday evening, after a week of tolerating gatherings that might as well have been teleconferences and coworkers who think loudness makes up for ability, I wedged myself into my armchair for what should have been a straightforward enjoyment: viewing something on the tube. Two hours later, I was still scrolling through choices, my supper well on the way to becoming a relic of the past, having committed to nothing except the alternative lifestyle of…
The most bizarre moment of vulnerability happens when you’re infront of an ATM. After inserting your card, typing in your PIN, and selecting your preferred action; it is now time to wait on a busy public sidewalk with absolutely no privacy as the machine making clicking and whirring sounds, presumably straining to prepare your cash for withdrawal. It is in the waiting period where everything goes wrong, not for the ATM itself, but for you…
This seed was planted by my niece. During our monthly family dinner which, I confess, has become more of a ritual than a pleasure beyond the obligatory jabs about my lonesome bachelor life and my ‘underwhelming’ career progress – my niece, after staring at the untouched vegetable medley for quite a while, suddenly lifted her gaze and said, “Uncle Horace, you have been cribbing about technology for so long. Why don’t you try a digital…
I never intended to live in the future. One futuristic device after the other, step by step, pushed me to the point of arguing with inanimate objects before my morning coffee. Waking up and putting on a black all-leather ‘living inside the future’ outfit was an astonishing stretch. A great many people term them as ‘smart’ homes and that directly conveys some degree of intellect on the part of the digital devices within the homes.…
A unique form of torment reserved exclusively for the early hours of the day. Where you are confined, side by side, with a gentleman whose favorite meal appears to be a garlic and onion sandwich and a teen who’s prerequisite to intimacy is the width of her shoulders. Or maybe a few centimeters past that. And you can feel and anticipate it with every push from the rough crowd into the subway: the more pleasant…
Not long ago, purchasing food and drinks was a very simple activity. You would place your items on the counter, engage in minimal conversation with the cashier, or at least acknowledge each other, and carry on. This method operated perfectly for centuries. However, some brilliant individual—most likely someone who’s never experienced the need to frantically grab a roll of toilet paper—came up with the groundbreaking concept of decreasing human interaction in that flawless process. I…
I literally didn’t understand a single word when the cashier said “just tap it” for the first time. I held my card exactly how a caveman would hold fire. Living outside of the box is not my strong suit and as I pointed out, this was clearly a directive to go against the epitome of my existence. This does not sound right. What the heck is this woman saying? As if reciting some spell, she…
I remember cabs. Real cabs, with their booming yellow color, and drivers who sat on their thrones like benevolent dictators ruling over this kingdom. With a sharp whistle, you could summon them. They would come teetering towards you. It was impossible to describe them as perfect and they were a long shot away from that, but they were earnestly imperfect and hence bound to be perfect in my eyes. Next came the upheaval. The apps…
There it is once more—that cursed red glow from above the intersection of Maple and 4th that does nothing but taunt me and mock my very presence. I’ve been lingering here long enough for the seasons to change, or at least it feels like I’ve been here that long. My coffee has gone from fresh and scalding to old and wet, having passed through the stages of its first existence. The radio has cycled through…
The other day, a scene caught my attention at the Natural History Museum. There was a woman in her twenties, presumably not older than twenty-four, standing in front of a dinosaur-like skeleton that was roughly 150 million years old. A majestic piece of history that represents years of paleontological work. She was not the only one having this moment as I too was present as a silent observer soaking in the atmosphere of the moment,…