Months ago, before COVID-19 became the big issue in America, my wife, who is a pension processor, was being transitioned into working from home as it became clear to her employer today's technology made leasing office space unnecessary. Now we both make the 20ft. commute to work. Of the 8 doctors I do insurance billing and verification for, I've personally met only 3 because video conferencing tools such as Skype, Zoom, and UberConference have replaced the formal business meetings of the past. Big box stores such as Sears and Penny's are being replaced by online retailers such as the Amazon.com. Soon the neighborhood movie theatre, independent grocer, and book store will go the way of the livery stable, buggy whip, and high buttoned shoe. And the list goes on- The world has transitioned from the Agricultural, to Industrial, to Information ages, all in approximately 100 years. This brings up an interesting set of questions:
What will the next "age" be? When will it get here? What will it look like?
Thoughts?
@mchill saidThere was an anthropologist who wrote something about 20 years ago discussing the effects of our ability to move between these different eras so rapidly. The technological advances of humanity have reached a stage at which we can change our environment completely at a pace that does not easily allow a process of social evolution and adaptation to the new environment. His thesis was based around the observation that animals become self injurious or lost in repetitive self stimulating behaviours after being trapped in cages. He suggested that humanity was placing itself in a cage by changing the work and social environment faster than many minds could evolve. He anticipated an era of increase in difficult mental health presentations relating to recurrent self injurious and self stimulating behaviours which we are now in fact seeing. I hope the time after COVID-19 will be one of slowing down and reflecting about the pace of change with particular reference to globalization.
Months ago, before COVID-19 became the big issue in America, my wife, who is a pension processor, was being transitioned into working from home as it became clear to her employer today's technology made leasing office space unnecessary. Now we both make the 10ft. commute to work. Of the 8 doctors I do insurance billing and verification for, I've personally met only 3 because ...[text shortened]... tions:
What will the next "age" be? When will it get here? What will it look like?
Thoughts?
@mchill saidJust one, how many of us will live to see it?
Months ago, before COVID-19 became the big issue in America, my wife, who is a pension processor, was being transitioned into working from home as it became clear to her employer today's technology made leasing office space unnecessary. Now we both make the 20ft. commute to work. Of the 8 doctors I do insurance billing and verification for, I've personally met only 3 because ...[text shortened]... tions:
What will the next "age" be? When will it get here? What will it look like?
Thoughts?
-VR
@mchill saidJust read Revelation
Months ago, before COVID-19 became the big issue in America, my wife, who is a pension processor, was being transitioned into working from home as it became clear to her employer today's technology made leasing office space unnecessary. Now we both make the 20ft. commute to work. Of the 8 doctors I do insurance billing and verification for, I've personally met only 3 because ...[text shortened]... tions:
What will the next "age" be? When will it get here? What will it look like?
Thoughts?
Looks like a good time
Yay
@kevcvs57 saidRecently the ‘experts’ appeared to agree that we where now living in the ‘Anthropocene’ Age’ but they are referring a geological epoch or age which tend to be a lot longer than human technological ages.
I assumed ‘mchill’ was using it in the anthropological sense like ‘Stone Age’, ‘Bronze Age’, ‘Iron Age’ etc, but yes worth asking the question I suppose.
@mghrn55 saidIn the Middle Ages, making translations of the Bible from Latin was banned. It's easy to see why if you read the Bible.
A lot of people don't read the Bible.
We don't have time for fairy tales.