The Technical Travesty

If you’re not into technology, just skip this post. And no, I didn't have inspiration for the title.

Today, as I closed the morning newspaper after soaking in my daily recommended amount of news from all over the world (and France, too), my eye unconsciously fell on an ad for BNP Paribas (the ‘new’ Fortis, a bank). Click the pick to see it for yourself. Normally, I’m impervious to advertisements, as they promise an utopian and revolutionary dream world only to let me down time and again; I won’t bother you but in short, the only effect they usually have is annoying me worse than any mosquito ever could hope for. Oh yes André. I went there. Big whoop. Wanna fight ‘bout it?

Now, however, it wasn’t the prospect of an easier life, fabulous new inventions or great deals that attracted me, but rather a large matrix of seemingly incoherent blocks that could’ve escaped from your average Tetris game. I wouldn’t have thunk much of it if it wasn’t for a tingling in the back of my head, saying that this was a QR barcode or something (don’t ask) which could be scanned by my phone. So I fired up an app that can read those codes, went to town and literally 5 seconds later I was on the Fortis site, where I could check my bank account, read news and all that jazz.

All day, I’ve been thinking about this phenomenon.  I mean, I saw an ad and seconds later, I was browsing the intended site on the internet. To me, it’s crazy how much cellphones have evolved the last couple of years. For instance, my very first phone, way back in ’04, didn’t even have a camera. Now I have a 5 MP camera that can shoot HD video! Last week, I read somewhere that Android can run SNES, Gameboy and even PlayStation (!) emulators, so I tried them out, and, sure enough, I was able to play some of their respective games. On my phone. Another app I tried out is one that can read your pulse. And, I’m sure, there are many other apps just as shockingly w-t-f coming our way.

Some ancient bearded crazy Greek dude (no one has figured out who, if any) is supposed to once have said that wonder is the beginning of all wisdom. Well, I’ve begun to get wise, because I sure as hell am wondering where this trend will end.

As for something completely different: if you haven’t yet heard Muse’s Knights of Cydonia, check it out. It’s been stuck in my head for days.