The conversation in the coffee shop:
“So, Brad, what’s going on today?”
“Nothing much; I’m going to the grocery store when I leave here.”
“Nothing much is right. Brad, hate to be the one to tell you, but you live a dull life.”
“Yeah. But what do you do that’s so different, Nick? Going sky diving today? Ice climbing? Taking a trip to see tigers in India? Going to wrestle an alligator? Discovering a new subatomic particle?”
“I see your point. Truthfully, I’m also headed to the grocery store. What are you going for, big shopping or just some things your wife said to pick up?”
“Pods. Yeah. Pods. I ran out of coffee pods today. That’s why I’m at the coffee shop. And she ran out of clothes washer pods and dish washer pods. And now she has that drink pod that supposed to be filled with stuff that’s good for you, you know, electrolytes and vitamins. Actually, that seems pretty handy; goes into a thermos-like container. She says it’s great for her workouts.”
“When I come to think about it, we’ve been trying to put our lives in pods since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and especially since we realized how convenient miniaturization is. Ever visit the Smithsonian’s original building, Nick? Big machines, really big—before the age of miniaturization began, before the age of convenience. Think about those pods. No mess, premeasured quantities that eliminate guesswork, no disposal process except for dumping the coffee pods into the trash can.”
“I wonder what we will pod-ize next?”
“Well, we’ve already pod-ized education, especially in so many online courses. And with the Web, any online student can simply find the right pod to fit the questions of the day, even online test questions. I guess that means we’re headed to pod-izing our intellects by putting knowledge into convenient packages. And that will spill over into our pod-izing our belief systems, our politics, and even, I suppose, our emotions.”
“Interesting. I’d like to stay and talk longer, but I’m supposed to have the pick up snack packs for the kids before go on their school field trip.”
“Okay, see ya. But one more thing. Where are the kids going?”
“Their bedrooms, I suppose. It’s a virtual field trip to the museum, I think.”
“So, Brad, what’s going on today?”
“Nothing much; I’m going to the grocery store when I leave here.”
“Nothing much is right. Brad, hate to be the one to tell you, but you live a dull life.”
“Yeah. But what do you do that’s so different, Nick? Going sky diving today? Ice climbing? Taking a trip to see tigers in India? Going to wrestle an alligator? Discovering a new subatomic particle?”
“I see your point. Truthfully, I’m also headed to the grocery store. What are you going for, big shopping or just some things your wife said to pick up?”
“Pods. Yeah. Pods. I ran out of coffee pods today. That’s why I’m at the coffee shop. And she ran out of clothes washer pods and dish washer pods. And now she has that drink pod that supposed to be filled with stuff that’s good for you, you know, electrolytes and vitamins. Actually, that seems pretty handy; goes into a thermos-like container. She says it’s great for her workouts.”
“When I come to think about it, we’ve been trying to put our lives in pods since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and especially since we realized how convenient miniaturization is. Ever visit the Smithsonian’s original building, Nick? Big machines, really big—before the age of miniaturization began, before the age of convenience. Think about those pods. No mess, premeasured quantities that eliminate guesswork, no disposal process except for dumping the coffee pods into the trash can.”
“I wonder what we will pod-ize next?”
“Well, we’ve already pod-ized education, especially in so many online courses. And with the Web, any online student can simply find the right pod to fit the questions of the day, even online test questions. I guess that means we’re headed to pod-izing our intellects by putting knowledge into convenient packages. And that will spill over into our pod-izing our belief systems, our politics, and even, I suppose, our emotions.”
“Interesting. I’d like to stay and talk longer, but I’m supposed to have the pick up snack packs for the kids before go on their school field trip.”
“Okay, see ya. But one more thing. Where are the kids going?”
“Their bedrooms, I suppose. It’s a virtual field trip to the museum, I think.”
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