Microwave

Daily writing prompt

What technology would you be better off without, why?

Not such an easy question to answer. Most technologies are a two-edged sword. That is that they have both benefits and costs. Advantages and disadvantages. Good uses and bad uses.

And technology itself is usually agnostic. It’s more about how we use it rather than what it is. It’s the application of technology that is of greatest concern. That puts the question back on us. Add to that the fact that technology is not only the new stuff. Achimenes Screw[1] is technology. Archimedes was one hell of a classical technologist. Equally, I could call him a scientist or engineer. Innovator or problem solver.

Let’s put global considerations aside. The question is a personal one. My assumption being that the question is about the rapid removal of a named technology from my life. One of the three wishes I might ask of a friendly genie.

So, I’m going for the Microwave cooker. Reason being that it makes it easy to eat too much chilled highly processed food. The trend is towards more and more convenience[2]. Time poor becomes health poor. Maybe that’s a big reason why “big” is becoming a problem.

[1] https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/lift-water-with-an-archimedes-screw/

[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-data-reveals-the-nations-changing-tastes