High Tech / High Touch

When it comes to technology, looking back is always easier than looking forward.  The glowing "jellyfish" effect captured at twilight in the photo below makes the point.  Just as the contrails of a Falcon 9 rocket give us a rough estimate of the past trajectory it is hard to fathom the soon to be consequence of that "shot" - the birthing of twenty-five Starlink satellites in low-earth orbits.  Taking their place within the communication constellation, each is capable of bouncing unimaginable volumes of data via laser between their peers before ultimately delivering said "cargo" to the end user back on earth.  25 of some 10,000 .... and counting.

Photo courtesy of my friend Jim
Oceanside, California,  April 6, 2026
Mission:  Starlink 17-35

As Falcon 9 was finding it's way through Southern California sky, another space project was proceeding with a different mission.  The Artemis 2 lunar flyby with it's four person crew reached it's closest point to the moon.  Also happening on April 6, 2026.  The mission marks the first time humans have left low earth orbit since the end of the Apollo program in 1972 and is the precursor to Artemis 3 which aims to land astronauts on the lunar South Pole in mid 2027.  All with the ultimate goal of establishing a long-term human presence on the moon and beyond.  

It was a hot day in Spokane, Washington on July 20, 1969.  A small group of us where huddled in a side room to our church sanctuary and intently focused on a television with grainy black and white images.  It was a big deal and the anticipation had been building for about a week.  Not to be disappointed, soon Neil Armstrong kinda bopped off the ladder of the lunar module Eagle and voiced those immortal words: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."  And in that moment, Moore's Law of smaller, lighter, more efficient, and cheaper seemed to get a kick start.  Our world would never be the same. 

Yes, for better or worse, the world has changed in those some odd 56 years.  Medicine, transportation, communication, energy, agriculture, education, manufacturing, finance, construction, commerce, etc. all look very different today than they did back in the "good ol' days".  But our humanness has stayed the same.

Somewhere in 1980's the book Megatrends by John Naisbitt came into my possession.  In it, Naisbitt identified ten megatrends that he believed would reshape the world.  With hindsight, I must say that most if not all of John's suppositions seem to have transpired.  Although, only one left a mark - High Tech/High Touch.  Here, John theorized that as we become more high tech (e.g. computers, robotics), the more we will crave high touch (e.g. natural and soft materials, human connection, outdoor activities).  Indeed, if a new technology is to survive once introduced into society, it must trigger a counter-balancing human response.

Two examples.  That Starlink constellation employs "stealth" technologies which make the satellites invisible to the human eye.  From the beginning of the creation man has gazed into the heavens at nightfall and wondered.  Some have worshipped.  More than a few people might be a bit peeved to look up and see a mesh of manmade satellites zipping around.  Business might suffer.  Technology upon technology so as to make the whole palatable.  

The second example resides much closer to home.  In fact, it's sitting on our countertop and has turned Yours Truly into a "coffee snob".  This thing (I dare not call it a coffee pot) grinds the beans, heats the water, dispenses a variety of coffee drinks each to a desired serving size, and ejects the used grounds into a waste bin, all with the touch of a single button.  Yes, it has made our morning routine easier but in truth this thingamajig wouldn't be in the house if it first and foremost didn't make a really good tasting cup of coffee.  Actually, it had me sold before the first sip with the aroma of the ground beans, followed by the warmth of the cup on my cold-morning fingers. 

     

I'm getting to my point although it seems anticlimactic after all thats been said.  Maybe its my age or maybe just the age in which we live but Naisbitt was right, I do find a very real need for high touch.  To that end, I've decided to start another wood working project.  Something simple yet challenging (the easy part considering my skill level).  Something of my own design.  Something that connects me to events and people in my past.  Something whereby I can smell the oak and join with the feel.

 I present you with the conception, the back-of-the-napkin design:

 

Obviously....it's a perpetual motion machine.  How long will it take to build?  Anyone's guess.  How many times will the pendulum swing?  Again, anyone's guess but the smart money is on zero.  How many matches will it take to light the bonfire in the event of complete failure?  That's another story.

I plan on chronicling my progress in a sub-entry to this writing.  That too an effort to grasp a bit of high touch.    

Wish me luck.