Can Facebook Be Counted as Life Changing Technology?

Having worked in the computer field for the last 30 years I know that Facebook is an application, a program if you will, and not really a technological change from the past decade but due to improvements in internet functions over the last ten years Facebook has become a hugh success. I love this application. I have connected and conversed with people I have not seen in almost 35 years. I had lost track of them and now here they are.

Each and everyday I look to see if someone else from my past has joined the phenomena.

I use the application to post pictures of my adoptive children for their biological parents to see. There is no conversations; just picture exchanges. I love it!

Now let's check out some real life changing technology items. In 1999 something attacked my body from the inside and made it difficult to walk. I had several MRI's, a spinal tap, and many other tests but no diagnosis was given. In fact the doctor's exact words were "let's wait and see what happens". Fast forward to the winter of 2005; the exact same thing started happening to my body. This time though, thanks to changes in technology for MRI's a diagnosis was possible and now I am on medication to help with this medical problem. I for one am glad that just because we have a medical devise that works for most people, development does not stop and people continue to improve on the machines.

How about the x-ray machines used to take pictures of your teeth at the dentist office? In the last 10 years I have seen my x-rays go from a film to pictures that display straight to a computer where my dentist can review them within seconds of the taking of the picture.

I am not sure when digital cameras came into being, but for me my experience with the life changing technology occurred in the last ten years. I am a picture fanatic, and now I can take all the pictures I want and download them to my computer my removing the memory card from the camera and placing it in a slot on my computer. I save a lot of money this way; no printing of pictures, no worrying about where and how to store them.

Phone systems have even changed. Now you know longer have to have a wired phone line to your home. First there are now cell phones that allow you to connect to the internet while talking on the phone. Facebook is even available on these phones. Next, due to the vast improvements of the internet infrastructure technological changes allow a phone system to work over you internet connectivity. There is even a product called Office in a Box that is offering a PBX system that works over your internet connectivity.

These are just a few of the many changes to technology in the last ten years that have affected my life. I look forward to the next ten years to see what new and great changes, whether is be hardware or software, occur to improve my life style.