ELECTRICITY IS THE NEW BLOOD
THIS YEAR, I attended my seventeenth CES. That’s many trips to Las Vegas— every year since 2001—to gawk at the latest trends in technology. Each time, there’s something new, and CES continues to evolve. When the show first started, it was mainly about computers, but these days it encompasses any kind of tech that touches people’s lives. This includes cars, medical devices, home automation, TVs, cell phones, and, of course, computers—lots of computers.
But then something astonishing happened during the show: On day two of CES, the Las Vegas convention center lost power for nearly two hours. The show floor literally blacked out while I was traversing the endless aisles of booths. After a brief cheer by attendees, everyone then pondered what to do next. There wasn’t anything anyone could do. There was no electricity.
Booths were powered down, endless devices were shut down, and computers were all turned off. It was a bizarre scene, to say the least, especially at the epicenter of all things connected. Suddenly, everything was disconnected.
It was wonderful. I mean, it felt great to see everything turned off, and all those devices and products no longer vying for your attention. There was a serenity to it that’s difficult to explain. But then I could ld see the reactions of everyone else: What at to do now? Most people just sat around nd on the show floor, some people left, and nd others laughed about the situation being ng funny, given that it’s CES.
The blackout at the show demonstrated how deeply technology is integrated into our lives. Many jobs today use technology to make new technology. For those waiting for the cybernetics generation, it’s already here. We don’t actually have to wait for technology to be integrated into our bodies; it’s already an extension of ourselves. Technology is more than just a tool—it embodies our personalities.
Take the PC as an example. We like to customize our PCs. We even want them to take on certain personalities through their appearances. Custom cabling, custom colors, custom RGB lighting—they are all extensions of our personalities. When we build our own PC, we’re really augmenting part of ourselves. My PC does what I want it to do, although there are times when it’s not behaving as I want. But even my own body doesn’t always work well—I get sick, and sometimes I get cut and bleed, just like a leaky water pump.
We are electronic beings, with electronic body parts that we can leave at home or take with us. The benefit of these electronic extensions, though, is that they can all be upgraded and updated. I can’t exactly do that with my limbs. The only thing is, electricity is the new blood. There’s no way we’d survive without it. So I think what I’m trying to say is, I’m all for more tech. I’m welcoming our tech overlords. Tu an Nguyen is Maximum PC’s editor-inchief, also known as“the pointy end of the stick .” He’ s been writing, marketing, and raising hell in the te chi nd us try for 20 years.