There is a new song out called "Welcome to the Future" by Brad Paisley. In the song he talks about playing PacMan as a kid and wishing he could have it in his house. Now he has it on his phone. "Glory, glory hallelujah, welcome to the future." The future is awesome no more waiting for things. My husband is annoyed because we can't find the latest TV show we want online and so we will have to wait for the DVD. I remember when you had to wait for reruns.
We don't touch things either. How long has it been since you dialed a phone and had to push all of the numbers? Speed dialing, voice dialing. I don't even remember some of my best friend's phone numebrs because I never dial them anymore. Other things we don't touch...door handles, sink faucets, soap dispensers in public bathrooms. Doors to stores.
Cash.
I recently stopped in at the local gas station. Here is how the visit went: Got out of my friend's car. She neither touched the lights or the radio. We walked through the automatic door to the building without pausing, then into the candy aisle where I actually had to pick up my Reeses Peanutbutter Cup. She went to the drink machine and got two large drinks. Then we walked to the cashier's counter. Where the blonde (not that it matters) clerk said hello and without touching her keys scanned the bar on my candy and told me the price. She then looked off into space lost in her thoughts while I talked to my friend with the $20 bill held out in my hand. It took me a few seconds (30) to realize that something was wrong and as I looked back at the cashier and noticed her distraction I actually apologized for making her take my money.
"I'm sorry. I have cash." She came out of her debit card swipe anticipatory stupor and jumped. Then took my cash and managed correct change. My friend took the kinder more modern approach, using her debit card and the clerk went on with her duties with an audible sigh of relief.
Welcome to the future where we don't wait and we don't like touching stuff.
oooh . . . I see a fun futuristic story in that premise . . .
ReplyDeleteI think we've gone too far . . .
I'm just sayin . . .
I don't think we've gone far enough. Things we still have to touch, that science needs to come up with a no-touch alternative for, include poopy diapers, grocery cart handles (do you ever wonder what that sticky stuff on it is), and novels by Stephanie Meyer (ha ha, kidding).
ReplyDeleteI also think it does matter that the cashier in the story is a blond. Of course, I'm brunette...
Haha! I think it's great that we don't have to touch a lot of stuff, as long as we don't freak out when we *do*. It's when people get so stuck on how they think things should be that I want to shake them into sensibility.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of people that I wish I could "shake ... into sensibility" but I'm trying to get over my disdainful feelings :)
ReplyDeleteBrent and I were just talking last night about how the internet has changed so many things, and it's only really been widely-used within the last 15 years. It's already hard to remember how you got things done without it! We live in fast, fast times.
ReplyDelete