Damn You Wood Stove and Your Newfangled Consequences!

As my fingers hover over a metallic, silver board and mash a multitude of identical keys, I think back to a simpler time – a time when I would reach for a school notebook and fountain pen and physically begin to scribe each letter down by hand. I think back even earlier and picture myself with a chisel, methodically hammering into stone each and every letter. I get a feeling of astonishment when I realize the leaps and bounds we, as humans, have taken in the technology of just simply writing.

The technological advances of each facet of our lives seem to keep coming at an exponential rate. Everything is being improved upon, sped up, conveniently sized, and abundantly placed. As I described earlier, the image of someone sitting down to “write” has drastically changed over a hundred years, not to mention a thousand. A major player of the changes happening in today’s world is the ever-expanding internet, a facet of our lives that is continually weaving itself into our social fibers. This vast web has made it possible for me to completely bypass the pencil and paper route and enter my homework assignment, as well as turn it in simultaneously, in the form of a blog instead.

But as great as these eases are in making all of life’s errands more convenient, are we unknowingly taking step after step backwards from a life that is more fulfilling? It is an interesting dilemma to ponder; are things happening for better or worse? Nathaniel Hawthorne seems to think for the worse in his 1846 essay “Fire Worship”, where he brilliantly analyzes the domestic transition of the opened, hearth fireplace to the closed, wood stove – a switch that I had never in my life thought upon, much less even recognized. Nevertheless, Hawthorne’s juxtaposition of the two is immensely heartfelt and admirable, as he beautifully praises the warming and overly rewarding qualities of the hearth and the home and blatantly condemns the unpleasantly cold and bleak aspects of the wood stove. “Truly may it be said, that the world looks darker for it. In one way or another, here and there, and all around us, the inventions of mankind are fast blotting the picturesque, the poetic, and the beautiful out of human life” (Hawthorne).

To imagine, in this day and age, that someone would speak out so harshly against a wood stove! Surely Mr. Hawthorne has already rolled himself silly in his grave by now. For if the wood stove was what began killing family circles, then Instant Messenger must definitely be the broom and dustpan carrying off the now ashy remains. But I tend to disagree with Hawthorne. Humans progress by nature at a rampant rate. Our ability to adapt and prosper is the one thing that truly sets us apart from all other walks of life. To discredit the benefits and lasting qualities of human invention, for instance the wood stove, is to curse the ingenious and intuitive abilities humans have held and utilized since the dawn of their time.

A certain rhyme or reason does exist within Hawthorne’s essay though. The man is merely worried over the effect that such technological advances could leave in their wake: a disconnection with what is true. I believe Hawthorne detects and embraces certain universal truths, one of which being the needed correlation between nature and humans, the ability to recognize and appreciate our roots. But we must take this and our nature to progress hand in hand, especially in today’s world. It is highly important to have a sense and appreciation for what once was, so we can better appreciate what we have gained up to now. The internet is a highly beneficial tool to human existence, and, unless the world ends, will continue to play a spinal role in each and every one of our lives.

Vannevar’s Bush essay, entitled “As We May Think”, is a terrific piece from the mid-forties forecasting where twentieth century technology can take us. Bush takes a bit more of a brighter attitude in the possibilities that we have at our grasp, pointing out all that we have achieved thus far and almost clairvoyantly planning out such gadgets as the calculator, cameras (functioning at a caliber similar to today’s), and word processors.

There must exist a healthy medium where we can involve all of humanity and nature, moreover, creating a progression of benefit. There is no stopping humans from progressing, so the least we can do is stay educated, in touch, and smart to what was before and what could be. As Bush timelessly states in his closing paragraph: “[I]n the application of science to the needs and desires of man, it would seem to be a singularly unfortunate stage at which to terminate the process, or to lose hope as to the outcome”.



Bush, Vannevar. "As We May Think". Atlantic Monthly 1945

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Mosses from an Old Manse. 1846.

Blog #1

I remember back in the days when computers existed only in schools in and libraries. Kindergarden class was where I received my first dose of experience. The only brand of computers around, or at least that I noticed, were these large, clunky, grey boxes with a rainbow-patterned Apple on the monitor. It was an incredible machine with its vibrant green text against the dark black screen. I think I typed a Mother's Day card.
The day soon came though when Dad brought home the family's first personal computer. I can't remember the name exactly, but it was old. Windows hadn't even surfaced yet. We had this program called "Alpha Gold" or something, and the thing ran something called MS-DOS. I remember going into the newly named "computer room" at home and hopping behind the large machine to boot it up. The screen would slowly come to and after a while a C:/ would appear on the first line of screen. Somehow I accessed the MS-DOS program, which looked about as intense as an old book-retrieving program at the library. The program would open up to a large scroll page that contained hundreds of names, some of which made sense, and all were followed by .exe. This was my first real experience with dealing with computers at a personal level. Well, as the time went by, my Dad began to stock the computer with programs, most of which being games. Card games, Tetris, KidPix, Treehouse, and a multitude of other available, and corny, kid games. One game though stuck out above the rest: Doom II. I can remember my dad only playing it at night, when us kids were going to bed. One night I was lying in my bed trying to go to sleep, when I heard these loud pops, “Pow, Pow, Pow.” These pops soon were followed by the sounds of people groaning; they sounded like they were dying. I got out of bed and snuck quietly behind the large, computer desk chair and watched what was to be one of the most violent scenes my eyes had ever witnessed. The screen showed monsters and zombies all pacing over a hellish background as my dad unloading shotgun shell after shell into them. Once I was found out, my dad angrily shooed me out of the room and back to bed, but this soon turned into a regular occasion, as I would sneak into the room as often as my dad played the game. After the MS-DOS days, my computer usage stayed about the same if not a bit less. My dad installed Windows 93, which I can remember being incredibly easier than our former operating system. Besides school projects and such though, I sort of stayed away from the computer world. Occasionally, I would buy a new game and play it for a few weeks or so, such as Need for Speed or Sim City, but computers weren’t as much of a grab as they were before. All of that changed once the internet arrived. A world was opened up before me that has grown to an almost impossible size since that first time online. Today, I’m honestly astonished and overjoyed by the amount of information and e-territory that I am able to cover. It is something that has truly grabbed my attention and fascinated me over the years, and I am highly looking forward into incorporating it into my academic and professional life.