Technology is insidious

I just got sidetracked from what I should be doing by thinking about all the technological gadgets and inventions that I now feel like I couldn't do without, though I do remember a time before they existed.

I was reading a book where a reference was made to a novel that reminded me of a film. Now the problem was, I couldn't remember the name of the film (I have a mind like a sieve sometimes - this particular tidbit must've fallen through and got swept out with the trash).

I also knew I should be able to remember it but spent ten minutes digging around in my brain trying to find it. I could however remember one of the actors - not his name, but the fact that he was also in lots of other movies. So I went to imdb.com and looked up one of the movies I remember him being in, then linked through the cast list to his filmography, and then from there found the title of the movies I was looking for. Of course, once I saw it, I 'remembered' the title.

I would have been hard pressed to fill in that gap in my memory without the internet and readily accessible and cross-referenced information like that.

It made me remember all the other times I've said 'How did I manage without this before?' Microwave ovens (for heating baby bottles quickly while a child is wailing), VCRs (and now DVD players) for re-viewing movies (with pause features to stop and make notes), cell phones (try going without one for a while - hard to find payphones these days) just to name a few. There are plenty of other things I enjoy but can imagine doing without, but these ones definitely make my life more convenient.

But what would I do without them? Without the internet, I would've had to go to a library to look that information (and being inherently lazy, might not have done so!), without a microwave, you have to use water in a pot on the stove (and I've done it - it takes what seems like forever when you've got a hungry kid), without a VCR, I would have to rely on memory (or multiple trips to the theatre) to write film criticism, and without a cell phone, I'd have to find a payphone (and only call people who were at home or work with phones nearby), or plan ahead and hope nothing changes in the meantime.

Does this technology actually make my life better? Or does it just allow me to be lazier and less organized?

My guess is the latter. In that case, it might not actually be a good thing...