On the way to work a few weeks ago, I was reading an article that made HackerNews headlines a few weeks ago called I want and it spurred a few thoughts within me. Not only did I want to participate in this game of thought but I also wanted to express a few thoughts on the author's initial writings.
What's interesting to me is that when I was growing up, I saw the Minority Report-esque future as the ideal. The blade runner grunge as desirable, along with others of the genre like Total Recall. The idea of having technology and electronics penetrate my entire life seemed like a beautiful dream.
And when I read the author's view (or wish or want) of the future, I realized that this is not what I want. I realized that the future of Her was perhaps a little better but still not perfect. The idea of killing off the radiant screens, the ever-invasive attention-grabbing technology sounded great but it touches on only a fraction of my "want".
It seems like what I want WILDLY differs from others who work in the same field as I do, and others who are in the tech sector.
I want to see self-sustaining cities that have their own farmlands to grow fresh produce, and mills/factories to create fresh products that do not require potentially harmful additives, perservatives, or chemicals.
I want to see products that don't use coloring just to satisfy some misconstrued knowledge we have (eg. pickle jars don't require green-tinted water). Or that use binders just so that we don't have to "shake the bottle".
I want technology to destroy jobs, as many and as quickly as possible. And instead, see people use their time for leisure, art, and whatever they want to. "Unemployment" should be desirable. There are many dangerous jobs, and jobs that degrade health that should be either eliminated by eliminating the end product, or by replacement with robots.
I want clean water and clean food. I'd like to have a water filter that can filter out any chemical I want. Including fluoride, chlorine, and others. I'd like to use this filter on fresh water and tap water alike.
I want to be analogue where it makes sense. There's no need for a toaster that has a touchscreen and an appstore, or a watch, or a toilet, or whatever else. I don't want to envelop myself in electronics that all scream for my attention. I want to unplug.
I want unbiased information on the world. If I search for "effects of EM on the human body", I'd like to be presented with the most up-to-date research, explanations, breakdowns, comparisons to other research (and how this particular paper is different) so that I can make a fully informed decision on the topic rather than accept what the current Wikipedia entry says or what some board of paid-off "experts" may have to say. I want information I can trust.
I want doctors to not be doctors but be humans. The human body may behave like a machine but it's not. It's more complicated than that. I'd rather see alternative healers, the usage of herbs, natural and holistic medicine as a first wave to counter most diseases and ailments. Surgery, antibiotics, and invasive procedures to be a last resort.