post-it note, 1/20/2009

Watching the video of confusing signs made me think about their purpose. This montage was ironic in that the signs being offered create confusion rather than clarify instructions, the reason that they are so funny! Is this an example of the saturated world of language that we live in? I think that the signs shown were proof that the technological times have created an era where intelligence is not entrusted for safety, but a reminder that people have traveled the road that someone is traversing, offering security.

I find security through communication. Without text messaging, e-mail, telephone, iChat, Skype or Facebook Chat, I know that I would feel like a loner. Although physically being alone is usually never the case when using these modes of communication, being alone has come to mean being out of touch with other human beings. Being REALLY alone REALLY scares me!

Looking at other generations, such as my parents, they prefer to forget technology for some time every day. This relaxes them. For me, a day without technology and two-way communication to ensure that other people are still living and breathing creates a sense of urgency and distrust in my environment.

The show LOST is probably my worst nightmare. The show depicts a group of strangers crash-landing on a “hard-to-find” island. What would I do without my GPS!? How would I know what plants to eat without “Man vs. Wild on my television? The necessary facts of life are no longer stored in the brain because the internet has become the brain of developed civilization. A reason why the iPhone is so popular…no longer does anyone have to go home to look up the recipe for dinner, they can follow along while in their grocer’s freezer section.

As for those road signs, they are funny, but also unnecessary. They are reminders of what too much information can do to a society, and to a driver. We all know how to drive, and to slow down when turning ‘round a bend, but do we want to slow down becomes the real answer.