A lot of things have changed since the come of the “digital decade”. As we enter the era of modern inventions, people’s ideology of living becomes very different, in comparison as it was fifty years ago. We got used to such new things, which very help us in everyday life, people from the nearest past couldn’t even dream about. Nowadays many people can’t think their existence without such props of modern living as: huge screen TV-set and powerful multi-channel music system, tidal wave of sound from which crashes around the house, VHS/DVD/MP3-player and the Olympic-sized spa, Jacuzzi and power-shower etc. In this essay I would like to write about a modern invention personally I can’t live without.
As for me, I can’t imagine my life without a personal computer (PC). It is so fast, convenient and reliable to work on a PC. It helps me in solving many routine problems and not only. Computer is extremely multifunctional appliance. Either it is a complex calculation of some mathematical tasks or large text word processing, HiFi-quality music composing or high-definition video watching – computer is a very useful and labor-saving gadget. I study on my PC, entertain myself during the freetime. It is a great possibility to easily develop different skills yourself with the use of Internet, containing immeasurable amount of helpful information like encyclopedias, teaching programs, smart guides and much more. At all this is available only through the computer.
It is very interesting how those people in 50’s lived without all this. At that time the word “computer” (electronic counting machine) sounded like something really mysterious and much-dreaded. People heard about them only by hearsay. Thus, there was no use for these great opportunities which PC gave. However, that time computers were so big in size that they could occupy the whole room that is inconceivable for our present time barebone-systems (small PCs which often resemble the main block of music systems, excluding speakers). It was a hard job of those computer system administrators who controlled these giants: using of punched cards that leaved much to be desired. Every command must be entered to the computer with thousands of punched cards, so that the whole process, for instance, A4-paper size text printing, took approximately an hour.
With this rapidly developing technological progress, the world will not stop on its achieved successes. I think that what we have here now, at least after several years will be called old-fashioned junk. This is what we all should take for granted. If I was asked to live without a computer I will refuse point-blank. In this case my pace of life can’t afford this decision. Our homes are filled with push-button entertainment and we can’t see in our mind’s eye what will be if we didn’t have it. Occasionally we should be afraid of these dependences, because doubtless people are leading their life in lazier way than it was in the past, loosing their possibilities to work and to show their worth in it.