📘 Part 3: Computers

This episode's vocabulary

Integral (adj.) - necessary and important as a part of a whole.

Radically (adj.) - completely or extremely.

Courteous (adj.) - polite.

Initial (adj.) - of or at the beginning.

Loose (adj.) - not firmly held or fastened in place.

Infrastructure (noun) - the basic structure of an organization or system which is necessary for its operation.

Inseparable (adj.) - if two or more things are inseparable, they are so closely connected that they cannot be considered separately.

Complexity (noun) - the state of having many parts and being difficult to understand or find an answer to.

Immerse (verb) - to involve someone completely in an activity.

Akin (adj.) - having some of the same qualities.

Dimension (noun) -  a part or feature or way of considering something.

Simplicity (noun) - the fact that something is easy to understand or do.

Numerous (adj.) - many.

Corresponding (adj.) - similar to, connected with, or caused by something else.

Reliability (noun) - how well a machine, piece of equipment, or system works.

Artificial intelligence (noun) - the use of computer programs that have some of the qualities of the human mind, such as the ability to understand language, recognize pictures, and learn from experience.

Pessimistic (adj.) - thinking that bad things are more likely to happen or emphasizing the bad part of a situation.

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Questions and Answers

Maria: What do people use computers for?

Rory: Well, I think they're pretty much integral to everything we do these days, aren't they? Whether it's typing up documents or creating and maintaining spreadsheets and databases and oh, people store their photographs and videos on them, of course. And and we use them to stay connected to the internet and social media. I think if we didn't have them, it would be a radically different world.

Maria: What should people do when their computer has problems?

Rory: Well, it seems logical and professionally courteous to at least try and fix it yourself. It could just be a case of shutting something down and turning it back on again, or there might be a loose connection. So there's no point in calling IT specialist when all you needed to do is fix those problems, it's pretty simple. Some things are more serious. And I think the point of no return is probably when my initial advice fails, at least that's how it works for me. I think most other lay people would agree.

Maria: Do you think computers make our life simpler or more complex?

Rory: Well, who was it... Oh yeah, Noah Yuval Harari made the argument in his book that the methods we use to simplify our lives often accidentally make them more complicated. So you can see this with computers, since while they've made accessing and storing information more effective and efficient. They require their own infrastructure to do this with servers, repair people and the expert knowledge to maintain all of this. And it's also a mental thing, too, since people have grown attached to their technology and the two are pretty much inseparable at this stage. So that's created additional complications, which we've talked about. So, well, seems like our lives have gotten easier and in some respects they certainly have. The scale of the complexity in other areas is also increased. So it's like an equal and opposite reaction on balance.

Maria: Why can it be difficult for some people to use a modern computer?

Rory: Well, a lack of knowledge and experience seems to be the deciding factors or something of a generation gap here as older people are comparatively less capable of utilizing computers to their maximum extent when compared to younger people. You could see the difference in the aspects I mentioned between the two groups almost immediately since one group grew up immersed in this technologically advanced culture and the other didn't.

Maria: Should students be allowed to use computers at school?

Rory: Well, I don't see why not. They're already using their phones and the phones are basically as good as computers, if not better. On the other hand, I wonder if there's any point on even having them unless it's for printing or something akin to that, since there don't seem to be any immediate advantages, maybe it's easier to restrict access to certain content on school computers so they could learn to use them responsibly. That's the only thing I can see just now, being better about them.

Maria: What do you think of people who are addicted to computers?

Rory: They probably aren't addicted to the hardware as much as they are the software which you can run on anything these days. That makes it difficult problem to solve, since my understanding is that the mechanism for addiction is the same for everything people become addicted to. So they should receive the same help and support that any addict should get. But with the extra dimension that they'll have to use the thing they're addicted to. Again, you don't have to use alcohol or drugs, but you do have to use a computer and the software with it. So the basic issue is the same, but it's more complex.

Maria: Do you think computers have changed our lives for the better or for the worse?

Rory: Well, I think life has always been equal parts, good and bad. The only thing that's changed or, sorry, the only things that have changed are the reasons why. It's like we were speaking about in terms of complexity and simplicity. There are numerous positive aspects to computers. You can store and retrieve information more readily than before. But the corresponding downside becomes obvious when you see what people use that technology for, like distractions, addictions and all of the other less savory aspects of life. So on balance, it's like I said, to meet certain aspects, better and certain aspects worse.

Maria: Will we have reliable computers and technology in the future?

Rory: Just look at the progression in technology over the last 30 years from simple mobile phones, the size of bricks to things that you could probably run a country from, that you can fit it into your pocket and you would expect devices with that level of complexity and small scale to fail pretty often. But it seems we had more issues in the past with these things than we do now. I imagine the only real problem will be when we reach the limits of reliability. For example, how fast as a phone or an internet connection have to be faster than thought, faster than light. And I think that's where the real issue lies rather than the reliability itself.

Maria: Do you think this idea, which is in Terminator films, is it possible that some artificial intelligence will take this world over?

Rory: Well, it's a really simplified way of looking at things, but that's what films do it. They simplify the world to tell a story. I think the world will be a lot more complex than that. In the same way that there are good and bad people, there will be good and bad artificial intelligences. The other thing is, you know, why do people hurt each other? It's over things like different skin color or for resources, but artificial intelligences wouldn't have this same requirements. So I think it's maybe a bit overly pessimistic to think that just because artificial intelligence are similar to us and that they're intelligent, it doesn't mean that they'll behave like us because they don't have the same needs.

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