Mile-High Wi-Fi

It is a cliche that has been repeated so many times in recent years because it is inarguably true: We are more connected now than ever. This morning, at 4:30 a.m., I was in the Salt Lake City airport on the way to Dallas for my brother's wedding, and I felt the need to check my e-mail. No problem. I whipped out my laptop, got connected to the SLC airport wi-fi, and I was set.
Even in the airplane, cruising at 35,000 feet, I could have surfed the web from my seat in the sky (if, of course, I had been willing to pay $9.95...what a rip off!). But this made me think--as almost everything seems to do these days--about Vinge's Rainbows End. In the book, society's dependence on technology is vividly illustrated when, due to riots and various other dramatic happenings, the characters lose connectivity and are unable to cope. Clearly, we aren't too far from this already. When my airplane landed in Dallas, all passengers over the age of 10 and under the age of 80 reached immediately for their cell phones, and the release of tension was instantaneous. Technology doesn't even seem like technology anymore; it seems like a necessary part of life.

And, to illustrate this point, here is a creepy, yet intriguing Daft Punk video. Enjoy!