Awe Practice-Timelines
Sometimes a technology is so awe-inspiring that the imagination runs away with it — often far, far away from reality. Robots are like that. A lot of big and ultimately unfulfilled promises were made in robotics early on, based on preliminary successes. -D. H.Wilson
Robot
I was the only person I knew that had a robot when I was ten years old, in 1985. I was in awe. I won it by selling magazines for a school fundraiser. It was the grand prize. I was super excited.
Ultimately, it was a punching bag size balloon with a fuzzy white fur cover, black sunglasses, and a black tray that slipped on with elastic bands. The tray was not sturdy enough to hold more than two chocolate chip cookies.
My robot moved around on a small disk with wheels powered by remote control. Honestly, it had very little range of motion and very few capabilities. It did offer me a sense of accomplishment for the win and a deeper sense of wonder about what was possible in the future of technology.
At that time, I thought robots would be a big part of the future. In some ways, they have been, but not in the futuristic way I envisioned.
Technology
Jump ahead about thirty years. I am faced with something else I would have never properly envisioned. It was my day off from work but a meeting alert rang from my phone. It was for a leadership team meeting that was scheduled to start in 10 minutes. I rushed to log on. I was the only one in the meeting.
I took that moment to feel awe in the timeline of technology that made it possible for me to log on to a work meeting from my own home. I couldn’t believe this had actually become my way of life over the past year.
Nobody else joined after about three minutes. It became clear that there was obviously no meeting. Nobody called or text or emailed to let me know. Nobody changed the date on our shared calendar.
No meeting. No communication.
I then shifted my thinking to the idea that technology is only as good as the users. It is awesome that technology allows opportunities to keep in touch in our work and personal lives. I wondered about the creators that dreamed of these technologies. How did they know if they were pursuing a path to greatness or flying off the rails? I am in awe of their minds. Their inventions fill the technology timelines and the impact they have had on the world is incomprehensible. Medical technology stands out in my mind in terms of impact and vastness of possibilities.
A reel of the technology timelines that have grown in relatively short timeframes began to run in my mind.
VCR, MTV, DVD, On-Demand Reality TV
wheel, wagon, train, automobile, airplane
Partyline, Landline, Carphone, Huge cellular, Flip cellular, Small cellular
I laughed when picturing the trend in cell phones coming back around over time. People couldn’t wait to get the smallest, best, newest cell phone, and now many people are moving back to the huge phones and the flip phones of the past.
I also laugh thinking about someone from our time telling someone hundreds of years ago that it is common to climb into a tube and flying to another continent. Just like when parents today share their portable walkman radios and headphones with their teens today, they get shock, wonder, and awe. How did we get here? Cross-referencing timelines is interesting.
Explore the Possibilities
Technology takes so many turns and makes so many things possible. Technology timelines are awe-inspiring.
Thinking about timelines on many topics can be a source of awe. Your own life timeline, that of a child, or your favorite animal or plant. Documentation of growth and change is awe-inducing.
Transformation can push the limits of our thinking well beyond our expectations and understanding. Looking forward and pondering the possible developments on future timelines can also show us what a small dot we are in this time and space that we occupy.
What timelines leave you in awe?
Thanks for reading! I hope everyone lets their mind wander along their favorite timelines to experience the awe that lives in them.