Starlyth Blogs! » Technological Enervation

Did You Know? (Version 3.0)

Starlyth — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 23:33:23 +0000

Rediscovering Sabbath Rest

Starlyth — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 03:26:52 +0000

In Rediscovering Sabbath Rest, Mark Early brings further attention to the “Secular Sabbath” that seems to be gaining steam in the secular world.

As I mentioned in What? Me, Unplug?, I know I should try this myself. I’m always plugged in, even on Sunday.

I remember years ago hearing about how even non-devout Christian families would do all their chores on Saturday, even food preparation, so that Sunday would be wholly devoted to God. I freely acknowledge that I discredited their ideals at the time. I am not so quick to do so now.

What? Me, Unplug?

Starlyth — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 05:11:51 +0000

A great blog post by brought these three articles to my attention:

Less Television and Computer Gaming May Keep Children Slimmer. Granted, this is kind of a “duh,” however, the reason may not be what you think.
An Email Free Day
I Need a Virtual Break, No, Really.

What I find interesting in the last article is the term “secular sabbath”. Despite being, from my point of view, a contradiction in terms, the concept is valid. In fact, I am pondering avoiding my computer all Sunday. I might even avoid television and gaming (okay, granted I don’t do much gaming).

This somewhat flies in the face of popular “wisdom” that the up-and-coming generation is “wired” for multi-tasking. Just something else to ponder.

hattip to:The Point

ekklesiaproject.org – Telephones and What is Good for Us

Starlyth — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 05:30:05 +0000

In Telephones and What is Good for Us, Randy Cooper writes about the Amish. My big takeaway was this:

It took all summer for them to decide whether they would have phones. They finally decided against it. And they had two reasons. First, they knew that if they began to use telephones, they would carry out conversations less and less in a face to face manner. Second, if they had telephones, they feared that their children would begin talking more and more exclusively to one another. The decision about telephones was made in light of what was good for the community and for the human word.

As much as I love computers, the Internet, and technology as a whole (although, I’m still not all that fond of phones), I strongly empathize with the Amish here. We strive to create social connections on the Internet, because we seem to have forgotten the ones in our immediate vicinity.

Turn Off the Lights for Your Health

Starlyth — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 01:20:34 +0000

Back in August, I wrote about light pollution. I can even still remember the night sky that caused me to write it.

Yesterday, a blog post appeared on the Clampham Institute website discussing the detrimental links between artificial light and cancer (hattip to: The Point). Apparently, in the same article in the New Yorker that generated the Wired.com story (which is what caused me to post in August), David Owens (the author of the New Yorker article) references this potential link between artificial light and cancer.

If artificial light is adding to cancer, what else does it do?

The Information Superhighway? Bah, Humbug!

Starlyth — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 21:48:13 +0000

It is SO much MORE! Michael Wesch of Kansas State University created a little video, Information R/evolution, that is spreading through out the web. The phrase “information superhighway” should be tossed out, for as Mr. Wesch points out, the information is not, and must not be, so constrained.

hattip to: Duncan Riley @ TechCrunch/span>

Plus, there is an article at The Times (UK) that talks about Google

Invading Corporate America

Starlyth — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 03:07:32 +0000

Brian E. Volck, in his post Are You Being Served?, states:

As John Sayles’ role in the movie Matewan suggests, big businesses have used clergy as cheerleaders before, but this news item from The Economist hints at something worse.

The article: Praying for Gain: A fad for piety infiltrates the realm of Mammon

I am completely at a loss for what this, “something worse”, that Mr. Volck refers to is. Is he worried that there are two companies that provide chaplain services? Is that his issue? If it is, then perhaps he is unaware of the restrictions that these to companies put upon those whose services they tender. These chaplains are to stay away from denominational arguments (whether for or against), and to provide purely for the spiritual needs of the employees. Is he worried that a company dares to make a profit on provide such services? Where is that particular line drawn?

Is he worried about the reason companies are doing this? Such as, increased worker productivity? Does that mean my company can no longer provide donuts every other Friday? Or company parties? There is nothing wrong with that.

The one thing that may concern him is the equating of the corporate chaplain to the village priest, which, frankly, was probably an ignorant and definitely stupid thing for the writer at the Economist to write. I would hazard a guess that the writer was trying to relate it to earlier times in history, but who has no real experience with a village priest.

The author does state (although I’m not sure the statement is an accurate reflection of reality) that these chaplains are providing spiritual support for people who are feeling cut off from their roots (if they had any). However, the “boom” according to the article has been since 9/11. That should give all people pause. 9/11 caused a lot of people to reflect on their lives. Most denominations saw a huge influx of attenders immediately after 9/11, but those numbers quickly fell. However, even in those churches who are otherwise experiencing negative growth, the post-9/11 increase in attendees has been noticeable.

Another thing that Mr. Volck could be concerned with is the possibility that people will equate their faith with the company, therefore become religiously zealous about their company. While, I suppose, that could be an issue, I suspect that it is not, especially when the chaplain is not a true employee of the company.

Perhaps the scary part for Mr. Volck is that is is corporations that recognize the value of religion and supporting it, while society and government as a whole (think the bureaucrats, not the politicians) has become somewhat hostile to religion.

I don’t know Mr. Volck, and I’m throwing all this out there because he didn’t make his concerns known. I hope that he will note his concerns at some point, but I can’t help but feel that his concern is the seeming melding of faith with “evil” corporations. However, if the chaplain is a true Christian, and serves the employees in true Christian love, I suspect that the Enrons and other horrible shenanigans will be greatly reduced, and the companies will cease being emotionless, profit-only, organizations, as a whole.

Perhaps I’m being optimistic, but I’m allowed to be every once in a while, just to get out of the rut.

Come to the Lord empty.

Starlyth — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 17:04:15 +0000

There is a great piece written by John Koesler, Eat, Drink, and Be Hungryarchived copy, on ChristianityToday.com. Sometimes I wonder if the Beatitudes really say what we think they mean, regardless of that underlying current of though in my own mind, I think this is a wonderful way of looking at the Beatitudes, life in general, and, to me, at the Eucharist.

One thing that did strike me, is this is going back to the holes we try to fill in our lives with things other than God. This of course brings me to my pet topic (“meme”) of Technological Enervation. Perhaps Technological Enervation is just another way of pointing to the same issue.

Tell me, Neuromancer, what does the future hold?

Starlyth — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 05:06:37 +0000

William Gibson, if you are not aware, invented the term cyberspace, and frankly, much of the perceived culture that accompanies it. He foresaw much of what we have today, but he now feels that the future is in such flux that it cannot be predicted. He recently did an interview with silicon.com that is, to me, a must read.

What I find interesting in this is an underlying feeling of Technological Enervation. I know I’m not the only one that feels this, but I thought it would be those of a more spiritual nature. However, here is someone who is more of the technological bent (although, could be reasonably argued, philosophical as well) feeling the same way.

The Computing Cocoon

Starlyth — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 05:50:19 +0000

In Are Computers Causing us to “Cocoon” Ourselves?, WXPNews editor Deb Shinder questions as to whether we are really cocooning ourselves, and whether its really bad. I think she makes, not intentionally, another point in my Technological Enervation zeitgeist, our rationalization and justification

Hit me.

Starlyth — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 05:29:30 +0000

You may or may not be a fan of Chuck Colson, but in his 18 July 2007 Breakpoint Commentary, Gorging On Politics, he makes a number of points regarding the flaw of the Information Age, the need to CREATE information to maintain flow and interest. He mentions Jacques Ellul’s book, The Political Illusion, which predicted this very thing. Colson’s Point?

But the real evil of the illusion is that it distracts us from other aspects of life.

Nicholas Carr is quoted saying that people are changing the way, and need, to remember things, because the majority of it is available on the internet. He also mentions that this means that “cultural baggage” (whether for good or bad), is being left behind as well. Of course, that also means long views and perspectives, something the Western World is already trying to leave behind at light speed.

Where ARE we going? Perhaps we ought to think about that. And that leads me to what I am finding out about myself. I love technology, but I’m really becoming confronted with what it is doing to me, my children, my country, everyone. At one point, Technological Enervation was going to be just a phrase, but now I’m changing it to a zeitgeist. This is the spirit of the age. Yay.

^footnoteIn case you’re wondering the reason for the title name, it is from Johnny Mnemonic (an okay Keanu Reeves movie), where a guy has rewired part of his brain to allow him to carry data. He says, “Hit me,” right before more information is uploaded into his brain than it is wired to tolerate (thus we get the whole, “I’m gonna die,” suspense for the movie). And I’m sure at least one other person out there saw this movie, it’s not just me (I hope). The really funny part, is that the plot of the movie is about information overload.

Technological Enervation defined, I think

Starlyth — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 04:10:46 +0000

I’ve almost gotten the definition I’ve been looking for. Tell me what you think.

tech·no·log·i·cal en·er·va·tion [tek-nuh-loj-i-kuhl i-nur-vi-shuhn]

The process whereby human interaction is negatively affected by technology, creating disconnection, alienation, malaise, and depression, and attempts to create relationships damaged or non-existent due to technology using technology (vicious cycle)

And the Atheists Don’t have it

Starlyth — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 04:41:53 +0000

In his column, Why Are Atheist Books Best Sellers?, Dennis Prager gets a lot of it right, but I think there is something else going on.

In our Technological Enervation and secular arrogance, I believe people without faith are jealous of ones who do have it. We with faith have an anchor in life outside of ourselves. I believe that the reason that atheist books (including, “The Secret”) are successful is that they provide (dead) comfort to people who feel the emptiness in their souls for which they have no answer, and are afraid (or angry) that those with faith have an answer.

I am not saying that Muslim extremists (or Islamacists) necessarily have a deep faith either. I would almost suspect that it is an attempt to quell that very emptiness that the atheists have. I don’t know, and I won’t know until I can talk to God in Heaven. I know that my human conditioning often puts too many barriers to my understanding of God’s creation. Mercifully, He gave us his Word. Read it daily in love.

Come see my website…wait…I mean my video…

Starlyth — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 03:45:03 +0000

In her article,
Hey There, Lonelygirl15 – Prison Fellowship, Dr. Stephanie Bennett has an interesting view of the vlog phenomenon, and what it means about our needs for relationships.

Silence Versus Distraction

Starlyth — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 04:07:49 +0000

In here, Mr. Garibaldi, you cannot hide from yourself. Everything out there has only one purpose, to distract us from ourselves, from what is truly important. There are no distractions in here. You can learn much from silence.

Citizen G’kar
“Messages From Earth”
Babylon 5, Season 3

Have you ever heard, “We’re too busy”? Have you said it yourself? Through God’s creation, we have been blessed with many things. Satan (yes, I believe he exists) takes those wonderful things, and corrupts them, and that’s what this post is about.

The one thing I like about Science Fiction is the way questions can be asked without being threatening, but still be thought provoking. The quote above from Babylon 5 (Wikipedia entry), is one of those. Cellphones, wireless networks, Blackberrys, and now iPhones surround us. Constant noise. Think about casinos. They are engineered to be the noisy places they are: to distract.

As life has caught up with me, I no longer have the time I probably need for solitude. I might very well be less for it. With 3 kids, a cat, a dog, and way too much technology to play with, I’m at that point where I am afraid of solitude.

About the only time I get it is very early in the morning a couple of times a week. I can focus on silence and God. That time of solitude, though little, and relatively rare, I think keep me from completely snapping at times. As we become more distracted, we reach out in less tangible ways. I look at MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other such sites (I’m guilty of this too, as you can see to the left) and see people aching to connect.

People say they are more connected now, but are they really? Kids are text messaging their parents into the poorhouse. They are text about inane things. Are they really connected to each other? Really?

My wife and I had one of those really deep discussions the other night, discussing friendship. We talked about people we know who have lots of friends. Neither of us do, but then, we need our friendships to be deep ones. Really deep.

Adults who aren’t living children’s lives say that kids these days have just as meaningful relationships as people did a generation or two ago. Hmmm, so if my “friends” keep updating me via Twitter on what they’re doing, that’s connected. I think that says more about the adults making the statement than the kids.

So what’s this about Satan, again? While the first liar has been perfecting his art for a long time. A very long time. We need these things, this (albeit very cool) electronic stuff, to keep in contact with each other. No, what we need is to take a deep breath and connect.

I’ve heard many folks saying that the “Old World” has it right. People spend hours in the café talking with each other. There is a lot of truth in that, however, there is a lot of sloth in the rest as well. There has to be a balance between the hyperactive (and thus shallow) interactions, and the long (slothful) interactions. Both have their place, but like all things, they can go too far.

Culture. What purpose have you?

Starlyth — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 04:36:48 +0000

I believe Thomas Sowell is one of those people that brings great insight in regards to the human condition. In his commentary, Cultural Heritages, he talks about what is a fundamental flaw of certain people’s perception of culture. His particular example, the Navajo, is only one of may that can used, if one looks around. The part that he doesn’t mention is that culture is fragmenting and changing to such a degree, a lot of that based on technology (both computers and transportation, which I have mentioned previously), that trying to create an “ideal” culture (such as “Navajo Culture” in this example) is, I think, a coping mechanism. We need connections, and with a significant portion of the population commuting and separated from family, by hundreds and thousands of miles, I think his example is only the tip of the iceberg.

Happy International Weblogger’s Day

Starlyth — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 08:00:17 +0000

Today is set aside to recognize those who blog (such as yours truly, of course)

Widipedia Entry
The “Official” Website, though rather nauseatingly PC, at least for this year’s theme.

hat tip to:The Geekend@TechRepublic.com

Moving Forward In Context

Starlyth — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 05:26:12 +0000

There has been a buzz lately (maybe only from my limited perspective), about how many people are going to the older Christian traditions, leaving the “in style”, “contemporary”, worship modes. I’ve gotten to the point that the “modern” forms of worship no longer bother me as they used, at least in the same way. On the other hand, there is something to be said about tradition.

Americans have a “melting-pot” mentality, which works in many ways towards the success of the country, but can often fail the individual. We are made for connections. I believe much of the popularity of facebook and myspace, and all the others, is a need for connection. Much of what used to bring us this connection is families (usually in rural or agricultural settings) were not separated by many physical miles. As transportation methods changed, families began to spread out. I think my generation is the last one that, on the whole, will not be too negatively affected by this spreading out.

The current generation, the “myspace/facebook” generation is another story, however. My family, despite the separation, at least had the emotional connection that provided a basic connection. However, as my generation has children, I’m not convinced that the connections strained during our parents generation, will survive my generation, and it is my belief that is why these websites are so popular, they are an attempt to create connections that they cannot build at home (and this has nothing to do with the parent-child relationship).

I believe that the ramification in regards to the traditional liturgical churched, is that people are flocking (bad pun, sorry) to these churches is that they provide a different needed connection, a link to the past. However, as far as the Christian church is concerned, I believe there is something else here.

Looking around (hey, even on my blog), the divisions that are blossoming among the denominations are based on basic beliefs that haven’t been in question until the 20th and 21st centuries. I wouldn’t be surprised, in fact I believe, that this is because the basics are no longer taught.

Also, as I experienced during my time in the ELCA (a Lutheran denomination), I experienced the mentality of “they do it, so we won’t”, not for any theological reason, but because the did it. Sadly, because many of the denominations don’t do something because the Roman Catholics do it, like one that I’ve been thinking about recently, kneeling while praying during communal prayer.

As disjointed as this whole post is, it all revolves around connections, connections with each other, and connections with our past. We need them, we need to deliberately plan them.

List of Relevant Articles (The list of articles will be added to as I find more, or find the original ones that brought it to my attention)

Rod Dreher: Modernism In Religion posted at sacbee.com
hat tip to:OrthodoxToday.org
This one address perceptions and actions, and often why tradition is disposed of. Fr. Aris Metrakos: Fun is not a Four Letter Word, posted at OrthodoxyToday.org
The Mission of the Trinity, posted on Christianity Today.

Look At All the Depressed People

Starlyth — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 01:25:33 +0000

If you look around at the stories that are there, you will see an increase in depression, an increase in suicide. As technology integrates further into our lives, I wonder how much more will happen.

As much as the mainstream media and those of the ideoloigical left and extreme right like to malign religion, I truly believe that faith, especially faith in Jesus Christ, will continue to be the ballwark defending the human psyche from the madness of its own creations.

The Catholic Church of Scotland has begun stating its concerns, and I hope churches around the world start paying attention to something I feel will be a major concern very soon.

New Terminology: Technological Enervation

Starlyth — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 01:53:39 +0000

I’ve decided that I needed to come up with a new phrase to describe the issues I see with technology and its effect upon people, and by default, society. I’m not sure how to even define it, yet.

I’ve gone back and tagged/categorized older articles, in addition to newer articles as they come up.

In a way, this is a zeitgeist, that seeks to gather together the peculiar afflictions of technology, from my point of view.

Technology, Humanity, Control (Maybe the Luddites are right)

Starlyth — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 05:47:33 +0000

A survey sponsored by MTV provides some very interesting tidbits regarding the endangered psyche of a technology-savy generation. Even though I found the comment on religion interesting, it just seemed to be tossed in there, and didn’t add to the main thrust of the story.

On top of that, an article in Christianity Today discusses a survey, “Social Isolation in America: Changes in Core Discussion Networks over Two Decades”, from the American Sociological Review which describes the increasing loneliness of Americans.

Today, a friend sent a link to an article from Psychology Today which discusses depression, anxiety, self-esteem, and parenting.

Last of all, a link to Der Spiegel (in English), reporting on European towns removing traffic signs, and its effects on people’s behavior.

What on earth do these all have to do with each other? It’s very simple, yet not. All of the articles revolve around balance. At an increasing pace, we are removing ourselves from the very interactions that make us human.