May 27

I watched the 1981 movie, "Absence of Malice." It was very well written and Paul Newman and Sally Field were wonderful and so very thin-sheesh. (It was probably all the cigarettes people smoked back then. There certainly was a lot of smoking and drinking in the movie-so odd to see since they try not to promote that stuff in movies today.)

In the movie, she is at home working on her typewriter. Paul's character comes over and comments how she works long hours and she says no, she was writing her father a letter. She said something to the effect of, "I could call. It would be quicker, but when I hang up what would you have?"

It got me thinking. What will happen to the history of the texting, cell phone, social media generation? They are probably the most filmed generation as parent have easy access to cameras to create video. But even that isn't on actual film any more. What happens if the internet is attacked and lost? What happens if electricity changes or if technology changes in fifty years? So many books and letters and journals and notes will be lost. It will be like the mythical library of Alexandria-all the things that we once knew will disappear. You can argue that it won't happen that technology will continue to move forward. But history has shown otherwise.

I just wonder what historians will make of us two hundred years from now when the letters and notes and books are gone. When people don't remember how to write or read cursive...

It's quick and convenient-but when you hang up, what do you have? Maybe this weekend, I'll write a letter. Cheers~