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1、OldFatherTimeBecomesaTerrorRichardTomkins1Onceuponatime,technoloqv,wethought,wouldmakeourliveseasier・Machineswereexpectedtodoourworkforus,leavinguswithever-increasingauantitiesoftimetowasteawayonidlenessandpleasure.时间老人成了可怕的老人理查徳•汤姆金斯从前,我们以为技术发展会使我们的生活变得更安逸。那时我们觉得机誥会替代我们工作,我们则有越来越多的
2、时间休闲娱乐。UJ)I±I2Butinsteadofliberatingus,technologyhasenslavedus.Innovationsareoccurringatabewilderingrate:asmanynowarriveinayearasoncearrivedinamillerinium.Andaseachinventionarrives,iteatsfurtherintoourtime・但技术发展没有把我们解放出来,而是使我们成为奴隶。新技术纷至沓来,令人H不暇接:一年涌现的技术创新相当于以前一千年。而每一项新发明问世,就进一步乔噬我们的
3、光阴。巴]④I3Themotorcar,forexample,promisedunimaginablelevelsofpersonalmobillity.Butnow,trafficincitiesmovesmoreslowlythanitdidinthedaysofthehorse-drawncarriage,andwewasteourlivesstuckintrafficjams.比如,汽车曾使我们希與个人出行会方便得让人难以想象。可如今,城市车辆运行得比马车时代还要慢,我们因交通堵塞而困在车内,徒然浪费生命。4Theaircraftpromisednew
4、horizons,too.Thetroubleis,itdeliveredthem.Itsveryexisteneecreatedademandfortime-consumingjoumeysthatwewouldneverpreviouslyhavedreamedofundertaking—thetransatlanticshoppingexpedition,forexample,orthetriptoaconventionontheothersideoftheworld.飞机也曾冇可能为我们拓展新天地。问题是,飞机提供了新的天地。其存在木身产生了对耗时的长
5、途旅行的需求,这种旅行,如越洋购物,或远道前往地球的另一半参加会议,以前我们是根本无法想象的。1Inmostcases,technologyhasnotsavedtime,butenabledustodomorethings.Inthehome,washingmachinespromisedtofreewomenfromhavingtotoiloverthelaundry・Inreality^theyencouragedustochangeourclothesdailyinsteadofweekly,creatingseventimesasmuchwashin
6、gandironing.Similarly,theweeklybathhasbeenreplacedbythedailyshower,multiDlvingthehoursspentonpersonalgrooming.在大多数情况下,技术发展并未节省时间,而是使我们得以做更多的事。在家里,洗衣机可望使妇女摆脱繁重的洗衣劳作。但事实上,它们促使我们每天,而不是每星期换一次衣服,这就使熨洗衣物的工作最变成原来的7倍。同样地,每周一次的沐浴为每日一次的淋浴所代替,使得用于个人穿着打扮的时间大大增加。巴④
7、2Meanwhile,technologyhasnotonl
8、yallowedworktospreadintoourleisuretime—thelaptOD-on・the-beachsvndrome―butaddedthenewburdenofdealingwithfaxes,e-mailsandvoicemails.IthasalsoprovideduswiththeopportunitytospendhoursfixingsoftwareglitchesonourpersonalcomputersorfillingourheadswithuselessinformationfromtheInternet.与此同时,
9、技术发展不仅听任工作侵入我们的闲暇时间