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A couple of weeks ago, I was puzzled when a colleague belatedly uploaded stories on his IG from a trip that happened weeks ago. Social media does that to us. When we take photos and videos to chronicle our experiences, there's a pressing need to post them right away, so that our friends know what we're up to. Many of my friends will only delay posting by a few days, not a few weeks. It was funny because while this colleague of mine was telling me about his trip in person, he was still overseas according to his IG. When asked why he did this, his reply was simple. "I want to live in the moment, experience whatever it is, and not think about updating my IG until I'm back home" That statement made me pause. Before smartphones and social media existed, we only had film cameras. Unless you bothered to get your film developed while on holiday, you had to wait till you returned home to send the rolls to be processed. You'd wait till the trip ended and you were back home before seeing the photos, and perhaps a while longer before your friends could come over and flip through the albums. Photo-taking was part of the trip, but it didn't eat into the holiday itself. (Image: Patrick Tomasso, Unsplash) Today, many of us rush to take photos and record videos in a bid to quickly capture the moments for posterity and share them with our followers. But to my colleague, doing this meant missing out on the experiences. "Bro, that's the whole point of travelling, right?" Yes, bro. Today's technologies have made us forget yesterday's learnings. We allowed the insatiable need for instant gratification to dictate the pace at which we live, or in this case, travel. Striking a balance After some self-reflection, I realised that all along, I've been trying to balance between living in the moment and taking photos. I remind myself that not everything needs to be documented. If the establishment is dimly lit, I won't take any photos or videos. Also, not every dish looks delicious on screen. Editing and posting is done at night when I'm in my hotel room, or early the next morning before going out. I'm not sure if I 'slow travel', but my holidays do not have packed itineraries. Instead, the missus and I have a list of things we'd like to do, see, and eat, and plan our activities according to their locations. There's no point in waking up early to leave the hotel at 9am when most shops open at 11am anyway. And we don't have a checklist to complete - we're on holiday, not at the office. The writer won't attempt photos or videos in these lighting conditions. (Image: Kiryl, Unsplash) A return to film? Folks who absolutely enjoy photography will carry on, for they live in their moment when they're behind a camera. As for me, I've pondered bringing one of my film cameras and just using it instead of my phone. It's an extreme solution, but it would ensure that I enjoy each experience as much as I can. However, shot discipline or refraining from documenting everything, is a far better solution in the long run. I can't escape the reality that there's an all-in-one device in my pocket, but I decide how much I use it and when I allow it to set the tone for my activities. In effect, I'll practise what I was used to growing up, which is being patient. Photos should take a while before they come to life, so shoot now, but edit later. Ditto for video clips. We try to capture fleeting moments on camera, so that we can use the images when we reminisce later. But remaining in the moment, rather than letting it pass us by as we stare at our screen, creates memories that are so much more powerful that we won't need our phones to remember them. – Jeremy Main Image: Vitaly Gariev, Unsplash

https://m.huffingtonpost.ca/andrew-tai-/new-car-technology_b_8437666.html I came across this article and I kind of agreed with it. Recently I sat in a Subaru impreza and Iwas kind of impressed wwith it but I realised it was full of features and gadgets that I thought I will never use. so its like kind of wasted and will be distracting to me if I bought it. what do the Bros here think? Are there too many features in new modern cars of am I a dinosaur?

Imagine a doctor watching television while doing surgery or a student studying at Starbucks paying more attention to his coffee and the girls surrounding him rather than his textbooks. Distractions can cost lives (or grades), but when it comes to driving, its a whole lot more serious. There are many people out there on the roads texting while driving, talking on the phone, playing with their Ipods and most of them get away with it. None of them crashed into a side wall and died, neither did they get caught by the Police. There are laws banning drivers from using the mobile phone while driving and there is certainly sufficient evidence to prove that people do die from such usage, but isn't it the advancement of technology that's making us create more laws just to 'protect' the general public? Years ago before the mobile phone was invented, I wonder if there were people at the wheel trying to write notes or letters! What about laws to prevent that.. To me its all self inflicted. If you're not careful, you'll die, or get knicked. Apparently, the level of attention paid to driving while texting is almost the same as when the driver is drunk. I don't see how scientists got that result but its cold hard fact now. I'm not saying that texting on the move is good, I just think we aren't skilled enough as a whole human race to prevent the law from being implemented. Imagine a world where everyone can multi-task as well as females.. No accidents will happen because of such 'multi-tasking'. So bottom-line is: be responsible and leave that phone alone! Another big distraction is kids. Kids at the back of the car spilling food, crying, throwing their parent's Iphone around while playing Vege-Samurai or Angry Birds. I guess mothers have the natural instinct to try and pacify their child while the fathers just try to concentrate at one thing at a time because that's about all they can do. Men suck at doing more than one thing at a time unless you're a fighter pilot. Well, unless you're as strict as a Disciplinary Master, you probably will just have to bear with your kids at the back but other than that, driving is first priority because without concentrating on the road, the kids will be in danger. So let them bawl away all they want, you being the safe driver is what counts! Distractions are everywhere! Share some here and maybe some solutions as well to help our fellow motorists to keep the roads safer for everyone..