Tuesday, September 1, 2015

The broken technology icon

Here it is, a little icon, a crossed wrench and screwdriver that means something, I don't know what exactly.  I think it might mean that by clicking it, I can mess with the technology enclosed in the box that it's in the lower right hand corner of.
But I think of it as the broken technology icon.  And for some reason, it reminds me of the hammer and sickle icon that the Soviets used on their flag.  In their case, it meant that their state was one of industrial workers and farmers.  In this case, the wrench and screwdriver supposedly stand for tools you use to take apart machinery and potentially put it back together again.  OK, enough already with the semiotics.

Clean up after yourself google

There is a widespread belief that technology creates energy.  It enables the delivery of energy but it does not produce it.  You can't use technology to create energy.  Energy exists of its own accord.  Technology helps with the delivery.  That's all. Obviously there is a lot of technology involved in the delivery of energy, and the two, energy and technology are so closely intermeshed that it seems hard to tell which came first, an instance of the chicken or egg first question.
Broken widgets.  I think they used to have different pictures in them.  Now they all say let's fight hunger together.  They should say instead, If you break it, you should fix it.  But that's my point.  Technology needs a constant input of energy to keep working.  In this case, I think I will just get rid of the broken widgets, once I get enough spare energy to do it.  Clean up after yourself Google.  That's what I would say if Google was my kids.
Anyway, I don't care about this argument.  The only reason I brought it up is that some of the google widgets I put on the sidebar of this blog have stopped working.  Google informed me that they would by way of an email.  And sure enough, they have stopped working.  But now, I have to expend energy to fix the technology.  so that's my point.  Technology eats up energy.