Something that I’ve heard said endlessly for as long as I can remember is the fact that we as a society are going downhill because technology is invading our lives and that we’re becoming worse because of it. Somehow, our generation is under attack by technology and we must now stand vigilant against the tide of techmonology that is coming to make our lives shallower.

We’re overloading on too much information! Our attention spans are short! We can’t concentrate on anything! We’re so much more superficial now! We can’t stay still anymore! We’re burning ourselves out! We’re going too fast! I keep on hearing these things said so much that they’ve become truths. The technologies is always bads!

The context and catalyst for this post is a short conversation that I was around for concerning deeper conversations in the context of fellowship. I was surprised at how quickly the blame was put on technology for something that I consider to be our fault. The great thing about these sorts of conversations is that it takes anywhere from thirty minutes to a few hours for me to gather up my thoughts, so that will explain my lack of contribution in these things.

Of course, this post isn’t a direct riposte, for those of you who have any idea of what I was referring to (not that I’m sure anyone bothers to read this anymore). But, after a few years of observation within the church, I’ve decided to put forth more of my opinion in this matter, because I believe that the fact that technology is actually a reason for our shortcomings means that there is something wrong with our premise regarding this thing.

The main evidence offered to support the idea that this ethereal threat of technology looms about is the contrast between our generation and some sort of generation before us. The definition of generation in this case changes from group to group, but it’s usually in the form of “you kids are [something bad] because of [technology] compared to [generation before]“. This seems to imply that as time goes on and there is somehow an increase in technology, we become more bad in some way.

In the case where generations are real generations, the time period would be measured in decades. So instead of being the corrupt youth of today, what would we have been doing if we were living x amount of decades ago? According to this myth, we would be having deeper conversations, reading more, and generally being more thoughtful. Do you actually believe that? Do you really believe that just because we remove the Internet and computers and video games and TV and all of these other things that are bad for us that we’ll be living more meaningful lives?

I, sure as hell, do not.

I call shenanigans on this fast paced, instant entertainment destroying meaningful stuff school of thought. Technology and entertainment do not magically make people less inclined to grow in our relationships with other people. The argument says that we’re all distracted by all of this stuff. That implies that there wasn’t enough stuff to entertain the folks back in the day and that they did not have these problems we are trying to fix today. To me, that argument sounds ridiculous.

And every time this argument gets brought up, two technologies that are very dear to my heart are inevitably brought up and denounced. These are the Internet and video games. For some reason, we love to equate these two things as wastes of time, especially in the context of the depth of relationships between people. Instant messaging is a waste of time. Facebook is a waste of time. Video games are a waste of time. Stop spending so much time on the Internet! Why are you always playing games? Try going outside!

These things are only wastes of time if people make them wastes of time. Facebook is such a powerful way to connect with people and it makes it really simple. We make Facebook a waste of time when we use that power to join meaningless groups and add retarded applications. This is why it was far more potent when it emphasised exclusivity rather than allow this rampant, global Facebook-wide garbage.

I believe in the potential and power of technology to change and improve our social interactions. Technology is a tool. It cannot be inherently good or bad. It is neutral. It is what we make of it. The problem isn’t technology, it’s people. Technology has nothing to do with how close friends are. No, relationships are about trust. Trust has nothing to do with any of this stuff we’ve been blaming our shallow relationships on.

So the reason why we aren’t engaging in deeper conversations is not because we are tainted from the start. It is a matter of trust. Why should I share thoughts on very important things to people that I don’t trust? We can’t expect people to magically open up if we haven’t reached a certain level of trust. I know I definitely have opinions that will offend people and make them not like me if they don’t know me well enough.

And so, logically, if there is a level of trust where such opinions can be exchanged, why isn’t it happening? Are we being distracted by the interwebs? The answer is simple, we simply don’t want to do these sorts of things. There are a lot of fun things we can do instead of talk about serious things. So at this point, the blame is squarely on the people. Regardless of technology, we humans are awesome at dodging things.

And now, because this is srs poast, I will make a plea for thoughts to be shared through comments, because this is what this is all about right? Also, I want to see if people are still interested in what kinds of crap I have to say so I can write further craps knowing that I’m not speaking to this phantom audience I have in my head.

While the code-name ‘Revolution’ expressed our direction, Wii represents the answer. Wii will break down that wall that separates video game players from everybody else. Wii will put people more in touch with their games… and each other. But you’re probably asking: What does the name mean? Wii sounds like ‘we’, which emphasises this console is for everyone. Wii can easily be remembered by people around the world, no matter what language they speak. No confusion. No need to abbreviate. Just Wii.

Am I the only one who remembers the outrage and ridicule that burst forth from just about anyone who was following the then-code-named Revolution? Remember the cries of Nintendo’s downfall and proclamations that they’d finally dug themselves a nice, stupid sounding grave? Remember the air of triumph that surrounded the Sony and Microsoft camp? Remember the sheer disbelief upon the invoking of the word?

How things have changed in just over a year! The vision that Nintendo had for their console has come to fruition. Most of my friends who’d gotten a Wii aren’t gamers, but have one in their possession because their parents were intrigued by the thing. Think about this for a second. These aren’t the parents that we’d envisioned when we were kids, who’d actually want consoles. No, back in those days, the adults that we imagined would be ourselves. But this same generation that was vehemently opposed to the merits of video games during our youth are now embracing this little white box that Nintendo has crafted.

I really can’t express my excitement at what Nintendo has done in the past few years. They’ve always been criticized for not following the lead of Sony, especially during the N64 and early Gamecube days. But now, look at where rehashing the same tired formula has gotten Sony. Not only has Nintendo revolutionised gaming with new control systems, but they’ve managed to make their vision of making gaming for everyone more real.

In Nintendo’s world, gaming isn’t something that’s only for those who reduce games to raw numbers. People who enjoy memorizing tech specs or gushing about polygon counts or compulsively min-maxing aren’t Nintendo’s target. Nintendo’s target is everyone. Nintendo’s made their consoles so that it’s easy for the social aspect of gaming to take place.

Where’s the proof for this? Well, it’s in the fact that you can’t seem to find them anywhere. I can walk into Futureshop, and there’ll be a mountain of PS3s and a display case full of PSPs. Nintendo’s only mistake with regards to their consoles is the fact that they don’t have enough factories churning these things out.

We’re past the point where the Wii is just Nintendo’s stupid idea. It’s a very real idea. No one giggles at the name anymore because the idea and vision behind Nintendo’s name is very potent. It’s managed to overcome the initial weakness in it’s name and has delivered on it’s promise to revolutionize gaming and make gaming about bringing people together.

Wii has a distinctive ‘ii’ spelling that symbolises both the unique controllers and the image of people gathering to play. And Wii, as a name and a console, brings something revolutionary to the world of video games that sets it apart from the crowd. So that’s Wii.

But now Nintendo needs you. Because, it’s not really about you or me. It’s about Wii. And together, Wii will change everything.

This is a post that I really should have written a few weeks ago, but time did not really allow, and I didn’t feel that much of a need to. After spending a bit of today following what’s been going on, however, I felt compelled to finally get to this. This is a post about politics, so be warned, lest you be swept away by my tide of opinion.

As you all know, there’s a little contest being held right now by our neighbours to the south. It’ll be a while before it’s finished, but it seems like things are moving at right about this moment. Yes, I know I’m a Canadian and don’t have a say in this, but I feel the need to echo what many people I respect are saying. And ultimately, the outcome of this fight will affect us up here.

There’s a ridiculous difference in the atmosphere of this presidential race from the one we had in 2004. Back then, all we cared about was getting the Republicans and Bush out. The choice was basically Bush vs. not Bush, and that sort of race doesn’t exactly inspire people. Not so, this time.

I should mention that I am very, very liberal. Many times, people confuse that for being Liberal. That is not so, as I am so liberal that I am not Liberal, but New Democrat. It’s taken me a while to come to terms with this, but I’ve fully embraced this fact during the last election.

Anyhow, essentially, I’ve decided to throw my worthless, non-US-citizen support behind Barack Obama.

So why did I feel a need to go ahead and voice my support for him? Everything that I’ve read about him leads me to believe that he really gets it. For me, the largest issues in politics pretty much revolves around civil liberties, democracy, accountability, and technology. He pretty much hits the nail on the head with respect to these things.

There are many people that have some fame and notoriety on the Internet who are smart and share my sentiments. Randall Munroe and Lawrence Lessig are among several who’ve written about their support for Obama. These are people whose opinions I trust, for their work in the area of the above issues.

Specifically, it’s his positions on network neutrality and his plan to keep the government accountable through the use of technology, making government data open by using standard machine-readable formats. And it’s this smart combination of technology and democratic governance that appeals to me and, evidently, many notables who have the same concerns.

I highly suggest that those of you who also share my choice of election issues to read the endorsements by Randall and especially Lawrence Lessig’s. Lessig’s posts really describe Obama’s character well and the stark difference that the other candidates sort of emit. It’s really been a long while since I’ve felt excited at the prospect of how the Presidential elections can change the States.