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Opinion

Technology Is the Future

By CHRISTINE CUNANAN-NOMURA


テクノロジーは未来だ

テクノロジーは未来だ 人間の生活は2000年以降、 どう変わるのかということが 最近、話題になっている 筆者もここ半年、 各種セミナーや展示会に参加し、 テクノロジーの重要さを実感している。

With the year 2000 only a few months away, people have been speculating about what life will be like after the millennium. One trend that has become apparent to me after attending conferences, seminars and trade shows all over Japan this past half-year is that our lives will be closely intertwined with technology.

At the recent Expo Comm Wireless Japan '99 trade show in Tokyo, for instance, I marveled at the new portable devices called third-generation (3G) cellular phones. Right now, most new cellular phones in Japan are second-generation (2G) phones.

The 3G devices, which may be available in Japan by 2001, promise to make life amazingly convenient. People will be able to manage their entire lives on a powerful 3G cellular phone from anywhere in the world. They will be able to plan their holidays, invest money, keep in touch with friends and relatives all over the world, hold work conferences, check up on their children or pets, watch TV and read the news. Moreover, such technology will concretely help society. Doctors can exchange data and advice on how to treat patients. Teachers can send each other information on how to make classes more interesting. Family members who may be living far from each other can feel as if they are living much closer via daily exchange of news, photos, illustrations and video clips.

This is a realistic scenario for the near future.

Unfortunately, technology is a topic that can easily discourage people and make them wary because it seems so hard to understand. However, few people in the world have mastered the topic because technology is always evolving and improving. This is what makes it exciting.

Some people also feel that technology makes society cold and impersonal because it makes human contact unnecessary. It's true. You can actually go for days without talking to a human being and instead leave messages on voice mails, chat via Internet or get prerecorded messages on the telephone. This situation can be frustrating.

However, neither of these are valid excuses for not being technologically literate. This means everyone should know enough about how systems, concepts and equipment work in order to make their respective lives better. For students, this means knowing how to operate a computer and other equipment not just for fun, but in order to learn more and to work more efficiently and with better results.

In the United States, for instance, a computer is now a prerequisite for college life. Students who don't have a PC or who can't be bothered to learn how to use one find themselves greatly disadvantaged. They end up having a harder time coping with schoolwork and they miss out on many opportunities to learn.

According to many futuristic thinkers, the 21st century will bring a new kind of world order, one that will distinguish between people who are in tune with technology and those who are not. Young people, now is your chance to join the technology bandwagon and possibly have a brighter future.

How can you become technologically literate? Keep up with the latest developments via newspapers, magazines and books. Explore the limitless possibilities on the Internet. Go to the many seminars, conferences and trade shows in Japan related to technology. Start thinking of how you can make technology work for you, whether in work or in your private life. It can make a big difference today and later on.


Shukan ST: Aug. 13, 1999

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