After reading Ted Nelson’s 1992 chapter on Literary Machines I asked myself a question:
How do computers actually simplify our lives? We type on instant-access screens, and have witnessed the “revolution” that Nelson spoke of. Older generations typically argue that computers have complicated our lives, however I disagree, I think they have made daily living easier. Young people take technology for granted, so I wanted to take a step back and analyse how specifically the people of today’s world are benefitting from hypermedia and computers.

• Communication – No longer to we have to send carrier pigeons that take weeks to deliver a note. Instead we now send emoticons of pigeons in milliseconds, to anywhere in the world at anytime. It makes international and long-distance interaction extremely simple.
• Knowledge – The internet is like a giant, limitless online library. RMIT has its own online research library. As do 99% of other universities. Wikipedia, Dictionary.com, Google translate, encyclopedia brittanica, the list goes on! Although the latter does require a membership fee, it is indicative of how ‘original’ research platforms now encompass an online version.
• Shopping – Ebay, ASOS and Catch of the Day are examples of the countless online-based shopping giants. Meanwhile, all retail shops now have a website and most provide an online buying option to save the hassle of going into the store. Money transferring services like PayPal, together with the introduction of internet banking have propelled online shopping skywards in popularity.
• Entertainment – even though we don’t have it available in Australia, services such as Netflix and Hulu have taken the world by storm. Their popularity is putting cable TV companies out of business. It is also important to acknowledge the ease of access to new release movies, television shows, music, games and software, through piracy and file-sharing sites.
• Portability – As I type right now I am sitting on the couch with a warm mink blanket. If i wanted to I could stand up and take my computer to another room, another house, another city, or another country, and still be able to finish writing this blog entry. If I don’t feel like using my ‘bulky’ 13 inch Macbook, then I’ll do some other online activity on my smartphone. Anywhere and anytime; the age we now live in.

There are definitely more to add to this list, yet I think this succinctly categorises the 5 main benefits. I’ll create my own theory here. I’m allowed to do that right? I mean, it is my blog.
Let’s call it the ‘Mechanical hand’. Mechanical because of the technological aspect, of course, and hand because the 5 categories represent 5 fingers, which also create the human-machine link. 

Attention span timed-out. Time to go eat a virtual cookie.