Unneeded Human Layer.

Few things make me feel as useless as modern technology ( well, that and ready-made dinners).

Speaking of food, the first time I really felt as an unneeded human layer in the mesh of modern techno-society was when my parents had their kitchen redone. While it did turn into quite a nice kitchen, the overall moderno-cleanliness and streamlined appliances constantly kept me on my toes, waiting for a mechanical arm to come at me through the roof, grab me by the throat and tell me in a very HAL-like voice that "You are superfluous." - after which it'd crush my esophagus because, well, that's what kitchens do, right?

In a slightly ironic way, the only real thing halting technology from going forward is the fact that most of it has to be ( or is) dumbed down for your Average Joe. Cars have now become so simple to use that most of us don't even have to do anything except turn the wheel - that is, until the day you try to take a left and the car says "No" ( which it pretty much does already, thanks to modern GPS).

And if it's not dumbed down, it's up there like captain Kirk; have you ever tried to configure a computer's BIOS settings just so you'd be able to install a program required by your task at hand? Yeah, well, it's come to this.

*sigh* I still remember the days when folks didn't walk around with three different Internet-enabled devices constantly at hand.

I still remember Napster - and that stupid 'de-doo-doo-kssshhh' noise that our dial-up would do...

Now it's all automated lighting, Wifi, fusion power [ we're still working on that one] and mp3-players

At the very least, my toaster still burns my toast like it always has...

... but the minute it starts taking voice commands is the day I show it gravity's still kicking it old school.