Technology

Technology:
Changing How We Live

Mr. VanStee
Economics
Mankind has been finding ways to improve life in various ways throughout human history. As Max Frisch puts it, “Technology...the knack of so arranging the world that we don't have to experience it.” Advances such as the wheel, the printing press, and advances in sciences and mathematics, religion, and digital technologies help separate us from any other race in history. These advances and many more have allowed the human race to live longer, happier, easier, and more prosperously in their daily lives through their work, home, entertainment, and education.
Everyday we take for granted the technology that has become integrated into the work environment. Take, for example, the computer. Nearly every job in the world requires the use of a computer for everyday tasks, even if someone doesn’t use one directly. Take United Parcel Service for instance. When someone sends one of 3.75 billion annual packages (Wilson) through UPS, a UPS employee must enter the necessary information into a computer and then prints the corresponding labels containing barcodes identifying the package. “Throughout the shipping process, machines and UPS employees can use bar-code scanners to read these codes and retrieve the information originally entered into the computer. This is why you can get real-time updates on where your packages are at the UPS website. The label also includes important information, like the delivery address, in print so that humans can read it.” (Wilson) After the UPS driver finds the destination they use route-planning software that helps them find the quickest possible route. “When the driver arrives, he retrieves the packages and scans them with a delivery information acquisition device (DIAD). The DIAD is a rugged, brown handheld computer [that] retrieves package information and stores signatures.” (Wilson) The DIAD is another type of computer that eventually sends its information to the computers at UPS... [continues]

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