If you have never heard of Harry Potter, you are either less than one year old or live in a different galaxy. The original book was read by the entire population of the planet Earth, translated into numerous languages, and actually unglued most people from their computers for quite a while. Harry Potter became an iconic book and readers world wide would anticipate sequels with great anguish. Home assignments remained undone, blogs-empty, house work undone, sick and vacation days used in excess. Bookstores and libraries became actually quite crowded, keyboards were virtually untouched. For the first time in years books won back their popularity. Great discussions and movies followed. Cyberspace was put on hold.
But after a seven year bliss, the books went back to the shelves, the movies became just a memory, keyboards were dusted off and the Internet started its now permanent rule. My generation considers smart phones as a continuation of our bodies. Loss of a smartphone is grieved similar to a loss of a limb. People think that internet is the only way to communicate with the world. Meeting someone in person or going to the library to do research is the thing of the past.
But recently, my real world and cyber world collided when I heard the the new installment of Harry Potter is being produced in a form of a two part play in London. The name of the new installment was recently revealed to be "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child". The events in the new play take place 19 years after main characters graduate from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I found out that around a hundred thousand people got on the designated website (that one had to preregister for) to get the tickets. The summer preview run was sold out in minutes. The airlines and hotels immediately spiked their prices in response to high demand. People with better computers and faster internet have won the race: they got the tickets to the play, best and cheapest seats on the plains, more centrally located hotels. To continue the list, computer geniuses now get the most coveted dinner reservations, concert tickets, they are the first to get into pretty much any sold out event. Are we approaching the Age of the Geeks? I hope so! Every tech store has something similar to a 'Geek Squad'. Every business absolutely has to have a web site nowadays. Most businesses have a network for data storage. Almost every person has an email address to communicate with the world. People use graphing and project management software. Almost every person on the planet is participating in cyber madness. Computers are used everywhere: from manufacturing to agriculture, from theater production to space exploration. Will mankind ever be able to go back to the drawing board with just pencil and paper? - The answer is most probably no.
So, what can we do to make our living space a bit less of a cyberspace? I would love to tell you, but my word count tells me I just reached my 500 word requirement for this blog.
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