A Living Hero (422 hits)
Category: GeneralRating: 0.33 on 4 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Martyn Steiner (View user info) at 2005-04-18 17:18:35 EDT
OK, the brief for this competition was to write a 500-700 word article about a living hero (person or organisation) in the world of science or technology. What do you guys think of this, my first attempt. Don't be afraid to really be honest, but do at least give constructive criticism, pleeeeeeeease. Oh, and I know you Americans call them cell phones, but we don't so get over it. Thanks :-)
In many ways, they could be described as the villains of modern technology. Depriving children of sleep, encouraging violent crime and slowly boiling our brains, mobile phones have had a bad press. But, like every cloud has it silver lining, so every mobile has its rhythmic backlight.
In fairness, they may deserve some of their bad press. But, every hero has his faults - and no distressed damsel every told Bond, "thank you so much, now if only we could work on some peaceful conflict resolution methods". And like that damsel, I shall not moan and I shall not groan and I shall rejoice in the reflected glory of my mobile. Fear not - my hero is not, of course my mobile. But, like heroic Batman needs the Batmobile, so does my hero need the mobile.
And don't we all? Hasn't the mobile phone become indispensable to every man, woman and child on every street corner from Nairobi to New York? Connecting mother with daughter, husband with wife and friend with friend, the technology of the mobile phone has made miles metres and added another way for we social creatures to be just that. No party could be arranged, no rival fan mocked, no torn teenage heart mended without the magnificent mobile. The power of the mobile to connect us with our loved ones wherever we may be is perhaps its greatest achievement, especially in the numerous cases of people who have fallen victim to unfortunate circumstances and been able to phone for help.
And it isn't just relationships that wouldn't run without a mobile. Whole businesses would collapse if a single junior body dropped his mobile; such is the dependence we have on them. The allow plans to be changed at short notice, to keep work going through lunch and conversations to be held with unknown people thousands of miles away. The mobile phone is breaking down cultural barriers and, in all seriousness, probably having a hefty impact on the removal of global prejudices.
And our mobiles aren't even just phones anymore. The condensation of camera, games console, calendar, stop watch, thermometer, mp3 player, video player and of course telephone into one tiny device is worth of the realms of science fiction that first spawned the mobile phone. But this is not science fiction - this is real technology, improving lives in both the micro and macro level - challenging us to score 10,000 on 'snake' one minute and calling Childline for a victim of abuse the next.
No hero story would be complete without a tale of an innocent life saved from the clutches of death. And Australia provides us with just that. The true story is recounted of how Michael Brown was hunted down with a crossbow-wielding drug dealer who proceeded to fire an arrow at Brown's chest. Thankfully, he had tucked away his mobile in his shirt pocket and the arrow was stopped inches from his heart by the daring phone. History does not record whether or not the phone lived to tell the tale, though I think we can safely consider this an act of saintly martyrdom.
So there you have it - mobile phones truly are nourishing love affairs, building businesses and saving lives - all hail mighty Nokia, heroic populariser of the Great Mobile Phone! Now if only they'd change that bloody ringtone...
User Reviews
Submitted by Berty (user info) at 2005-04-19 07:25:40 EDT (#)
Ranking: -1
I hate mobile phones. DOWN WITH TECHNOLOGY! ALL HAIL THE ULTRA_LUDDITE!
*puts foot through monitor*
Submitted by joedaddy (user info) at 2005-04-18 19:43:34 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Not bad.
This short comment
from an individaul
who has semi-proudly
owned a SAT phone
since 1996,
and Has... seen the changes "they" have wrought.
Submitted by jack11058 (user info) at 2005-04-18 18:12:32 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
overall nicely written. i would expand the portion about the crossbow shooting incident, as that is by far the most interesting part of the piece.
Submitted by Martyn_Steiner (user info) at 2005-04-18 17:47:53 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Yes, I've noticed the typos and changed the Bond reference, which was shit.