Sometimes, when watching an early James Bond, or other spy, or action movie, you see a shot of the first mobile phone, the brick, or something that came in the following years, and you cannot help but notice the difference. How those great big, clunky (technical term) phones have reduced in size. Today, you have palm held phones, slim, and shiny. Small enough to slip in your top pocket, or into your purse. There are ordinary desk top computors, laptops, iPads, iPad mini, iPad air, tablets, and it won't stop there. Technology, is on a roll. Each new design becoming smaller, neater, easier to use, and more sophisticated in its range of abilities. Each one takes snapshots, each one has some ability to edit, and send on around to next door, or around the world. Everything is instant, everything is simple, and available.
With the onset of digital photos, you no longer have to load film, or have it developed. I know that some professionals, and purists still do, but most of us, don't. I don't know, and can't say how well we shall retain these photographic records we are all so busy taking. I am sure that many will be lost when various electronics break down, or become discarded. I fear few of us, are as good at backing up these records, or taking copies. We print so few now, and those in electronic memories, are so easily lost, or corrupted. Once they are gone, they are gone for ever. I know that currently, I have some almost three thousand images on my iPad, at least the same on my laptop, and a digital camera holds the same again. Now, that's a lot of images, a great many irreplaceable family records. Nevertheless, we love them, don't we. A few get posted by email, a few on Facebook, or other social media, and the rest just stored.
Being of an artistic bent, I like to edit, and to play around with images a little. Although. I do get frustrated at how little some programmes allow you to do. The other thing is, programmes, and apps, are constantly getting updating, with each step changing the way things are done. Most of them setting up more restrictions against what you can, or can't do. I find it totally frustrating, but then, I was born before the computer age really took off. I don't like being told how, or what I am allowed to do, Ifrefer to know the reasoning behind it.
Of course, editing photos, brings us neatly on to modern films. Having just watched The Hobbit, with all of it's technological wizardry, it can only be admired, and wondered at...where do we go from here? There you see, the illusions of a race of dwarfs walking through fantastical inner, and outer mountain beauty, and pure fantasy. Whole towns, and villages, clinging on to mountain tops. These either in scale down mock ups, or completely computor generated. Strange beast, snarl, fight, and race. Carrying even stranger beasts on their backs. Even a massive dragon, writhes, and slides, belching fire, and flying. As for Harry Potter, moving staircases, owl mail deliveries, and the like, well, it seems anything is possible...anything!
Despite all of this, I am still writing, as are more, and more people. Reading, and our own imagination can still supply every strange beast, and situation being described to us, in prose. As well as, or better than, depicted in these flash new films. Likenesses, of every description are still painted, and drawn by artists. It's that, in addition we have all of this modern technology running alongside the more prosaic, and conventional types of artistic expression. Of course, everything described, is a marvelous opportunity for the new type of artistic talent. I for one, find it exciting, and stimulating.
Roll on, I say, bring it on. I have seen so many inventions, and changes, the next ten, or
twenty, or more years, can only be even more interesting.
The only potential problem I can envisage, is affording the technology as it comes to the market. A well as keeping up to date with how to use everything.
'Bon Voyage' everyone, on this voyage of discovery.... and 'bonne' chance'. We may need it.
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