I Live in the Future

When I was in Munich for the EuropeanJuggling Convention this past August I met Tomas. I like the guy a lot, and I have learned a good deal from him. One of the most memorable moments I recall, though, is when he exclaimed “You do live in the future!” Tomas was amazed at some of the things that I did with my iPhone, things that I began to take for granted as soon as I discovered them and incorporated them into my own habits. For instance, as soon as I realized I could use my phone to check my email while I was outside of my home and away from my computer, I was struck with amazement on two accounts: first that I hadn't discovered this years ago, and second, that everyone didn't do this. (naturally, not everyone has the ability to check email away from their desk, but realizing the convenience of doing so I was amazed that I the transition wasn't more widespread). The same with Skype: A few years back when I first learned about Skype, I was amazed that there was still a market for international calling cards. Tomas was amazed at other things too, though. He was (along with Oli) impressed with the blue tooth (wireless) headset I used to listen to my music without needing any wires physically connecting to my iPhone. This is especially great for dancers and jugglers, and especially great for those jugglers that want to, try to, or actually do mix a lot of physical movement and/or dance into their juggling, like Liam, Oli, Tomas, and myself. If this wasn't “future” enough, throughout the entire convention I displayed an near-uncanny ability to know what workshops, performances, and other events where going on where and at what time. I didn't develop psychic abilities: I just made use of Google calender on my iPhone. Wirelessly syncing it on both my laptop and my phone made me feel pretty sweet, in addition to the obvious fact that it let me plan and act without having to physically go to an announcement board to check the workshop schedule. I first started using Google calender when I was in Beijing in 2010 to keep track of all the events and activities going on in the city. If there were five different things going on in one weekend, it was just simpler and more efficient for me to put all that info in one place than to have to repeatedly check the specific webpage for each event.

My most recent visit to O'Hare in Chicago, though, when I was both excited and calm for my return to Spain after an expensive bureaucratic detour to the United States, I found myself, one who supposedly “lives in the future,” astounded by technology. It was like something from Star Trek. A wall-sized display, that people could physically interact with. No mouse, no joystick, no keyboard, no physical interface beyond the tap of a finger. I think I saw this kind of technology in Minority Report, which is definitely a science fiction movie. I just tapped my finger on the word “weather” which was projected onto the wall, and data came up concerning where would be sunny and where would rain. That was possibly one of the least practical, efficient, and economical displays of technology that I have seen recently (considering how much power it would use and how much space it takes for one person to get a tiny amount of information), but it was pretty cool.

Netbook, iPod, Spanish

The best part of life at the moment is that I am still so excited about my new computer. Just so you know, it was not a frivolous purchase either. My previous computer was crippled by an internal hardware problem which caused it to freeze up after a few minutes of use. I was able to find, via NewEgg, a new laptop which fit my requirements for the lowest possible price. I got a netbook, so it is very small and very light. As a consequence, it is very portable. I am actually writing this into a word processing document while sitting on the bus. I am very pleased that I found a seat. In fact, the reason that I have my little netbook with me is related to the worst part of life at the moment: my iPod touch is broken. I am now the owner of a very expensive second hand Apple-brand paperweight. I normally wouldn’t complain a lot about a small piece of electronic equipment getting broken, but this is a piece of electronic equipment that I tend to use a LOT and which is expensive enough that I would want to think long and hard before purchasing a new one. I used the iPod for making phone calls via Skype, for sending text messages to friends in the United States, for keeping up to date on both world news and on China-specific news, as well as for mapping locations and routes, converting currencies, and the incredibly versatile English-Chinese and Chinese-English dictionary. Fortunately, my new netbook can perform most of these functions either at the same level of effectiveness or at a lower but acceptable level. However, despite how beautifully small it is, it is neither as convenient nor as portable as the iPod.

Why am I using my netbook on the public bus? Because this is a long bus ride! It takes more than an hour to get from my home (which is on the west side of town) to the Cervantes Institute (which is on the east side of town). I went to the Cervantes Institute for their Spanish corner, which happens every Saturday afternoon. I didn’t go just to practice speaking and listening though! I also came armed with several sheets containing details about my own Spanish conversation night that I am having over on the west side of town, near where I live. I got Professora Selma (the lady who taught the first Spanish class that I ever took) to correct it, and I met and told several Chinese students about it, some of whom I think are very likely to come!