Shakespeare on the Beauty of Old Tools

This chapter was very interesting to read. Powers presented ideas that I wouldn’t have thought of myself, even though I probably would know it unconsciously. He says that the technology today is a combination of technologies and tools before. For example, he says that an “erasable table”, like an iPad or any other tablet, is a combination of a phone and a regular paper filled notepad. Instead of carrying around a book with all your notes in it, you can have an unlimited amount of notes in a gadget that can fit in the palms of your hands. This kind of reminds me of the concept of the movie Her. Her, if you think about it deeply, is basically a combination of a partner and a computer. However, instead of finding a person who satisfies your needs, the computer can change herself to be that person. Technology is evolving is a rapid pace.

“I likened Hamlet’s erasable table to the smart phone we carry around today because, like the latter, it was a new gadget that helped people better manage their busy lives. However, it was a new gadget built on two very old technologies.”