Harnessing Technology? Slave to Technology?

In the technology-driven era, it's hard to live a day without techology! Handphones, computers, etc... just to name a few, have quickly change their status from "good to have" to "essential to have", when we are all inter-connected via these gadgets... indeed, the line that differentiates them has blurred too! We could just send sms from computers to handphones, and we could check and reply emails via our handhelds! That's what I've been doing anytime, (and almost) evreywhere since the Omnia becomes my asset!

Was listening to the audio-book "Eat that Frog!" (oh yes! at last, I 'ate' that frog just a couple of days ago!)... I couldn't stop chuckling after listening to that segment (when I was in the MRT)... The author related his experience/observation in a business luncheon in Washington...
(extracted from p90 of the book)
"... one of the organisers stood up and said a short grace. Everyone bowed their heads. When the grace was over, the luncheon began. However, at my table, four or five out of the eight people seemed to have been greatly affected by the prayer. They kept their heads down and their hands in their laps, even when the food was served. They seemed to be lost in deep thought over the profound questions of the day. Then I realise that they were not praying at all. They were all intensely focused on their BlackBerry devices, sending and receiving email, working their little keyboards like frantic teenagers playing video games. They were all lost to the world around them as they message back and forth, some o fthem with other people in the same room. They had fallen into a technological trap, a deep sink full of information exchange in which they were drowning..."

Unbelievable? Uncommon? These were 2 words we would blurt out if we heard the above 10 years ago! How about now? It's so common! Well, especially it's so affordable to own such a device and the devices are becoming more and more powerful.

Well, because of its capability, we just want to be connected at all times! During meetings, as long as a notebook sits in front of us, we are quite sure won't be getting 100% attention... however, we are so used to it now! However, basic courtesy still needs to be observed! We'll still give our listening hears to the presenters while we try to stretch our ability to multi-task!