When computers first started out, they were mechanical marvels of gears, levers and wheels. One of the first modern builders of a computer was Babbage. He created plans for working computers that were run on muscle power. You turned wheels to generate the results. Charles Babbage was an accomplished mathematician, philosopher and mechanical engineer, that lived in England from 1791 until he died in 1871. He had drawn up plans not only for a mechanical computer, but also a printer. They were never completed in his time, but they were in ours and they worked astonishingly well. Next we moved on to huge devices run on electronic tubes that filled entire rooms and sometimes most of a building. No one in those days ever thought that the computer would ever be desk size. As a matter of fact, the head of IBM stated that he believed that there might be a world market for perhaps 5 computers. One scientist said he believed that someday, the computer might be shrunk down to only 1 1/2 tons.

ENIAC The First True Electronic Computer - Pan aroma of one side of the room containing the computer
Photo Source: U.S. Army

Enter the 21st century. It certainly is no secret that anyone can purchase a computer that fits on his desk that is far more powerful than those from the 1940s and 1950s. The computer is not content to just be a device that you can do you bills on, or write email with. It wants to invade every facet of your life. When combined with other devices, its power is increased tremendously. If we look at where the computer is taking us, we will notice that it is not always where we want to go. Depending on who is making the decisions for us, the computer can either become our friend or a dreaded enemy. One of the things that comes to mind are the sprouting of cameras hooked up to computers everywhere. Thanks to computers our every move is being watched. When you tie that in with satellites, there is no where to hide. Why be worried you ask? Let me put it this way. We had the freedom of movement in this country since its inception. We could go anywhere we wanted and as privately as we wanted. That is becoming impossible today. Some say that is ok because they have nothing to hide. Most of us don't, but do you like being spied on? I know that I don't. Even the simple act of paying with a credit card tell reams about where you were and what you did, thanks to the computer.

As if this wasn't bad enough, some places are even mounting cameras on aircraft, so that they can watch the streets even closer and see into those places that don't have camera coverage. Then there are the new devices that allow people to see right through your walls. You are not even safe in your homes anymore from those peeping eyes. There are also devices that are tied into computers that allow someone to hear what you are saying in your home, without planting a bug in there. They just aim it at a window and they can hear everything. I bet you think that this kind of thing will only be used in criminal surveillance? Think again. The temptation is just too great to use it for political reasons. That is how these things start, until they filter down to the common Joe or Jane. When you have agencies that are secret and not responsible to the public, anything can happen. With computers came the birth of tiny chips that can send out a signal. How tiny can these chips be? They can be the size of a grain of sand or a piece of dust. Once attached to a human, he or she can be tracked anywhere with a cheap piece of equipment. It is very easy to attach this stuff. It can be put in someone's food, left on the ground to be stepped on, slipped in clothes or dumped on someone.

Sometimes some of the ordinary devices we carry can be used to track us. Take the cell phone for example. If in the on mode, it can be tracked anywhere. Now here is the scary part, computers are increasing in power at the rate of doubling their computing power about ever 12-18 months. There is some disagreement on the exact time period. With this increase in power comes new threats to us. I am not saying that lying is good, but sometimes a lie may be told to protect someone from being hurt or to try and make one's self look better on a job interview or such. There is a device that has been released that is being bought by many companies. It looks like a light array and sits on a desk. This device can detect certain patterns in someone's voice and when it thinks that they are lying, the light array changes color. How would you feel, if you were going for a job and noticed one of these things on the desk of the person about to interview you? Even if you had nothing to hide, you might be afraid that it would give a false reading.

A new type of computer is being worked on by British and American scientists that will be able to read some of your thoughts. It will work off of a camera and will analyze all your facial expressions and then render a decision on what you are thinking. Guess what one of the uses is going to be? Ad campaigns. You are going to have your mind read so that some company can make a few more dollars. Truthfully, I think that this will be more of a mood recorder than mind reader, but it is the beginning of something that will eventually bite us. It is the forerunner of reading our thoughts, the last bastion of privacy left to us. Just think about how uncomfortable life will be in the future if everyone is carrying around a combination lie detector and mind reader. Ouch!

There has also been a robot, that has been constructed in Korea, who's sole purpose is to kill humans. So much for the law of robotics. The robot is going to be used to guard sensitive bases and the border between South and North Korea. Anyone that comes too close to it and doesn't know the correct password, will be eliminated. Doesn't it seem that there is something immoral about this? I know that I am not comfortable with it. Will companies decide that they need one of these to protect their property? I never thought that I would say this, but maybe it is fortunate that we have so many lawyers in this country, under these circumstances. If people start suing over these things, maybe companies will be less likely to use some of them.

There has been some talk of putting intelligent devices in our cars. The purpose of the devices, as stated, seem noble enough. The idea is that if you are impaired in any way or confused, the device would prevent the car from starting. Could there be a more sinister purpose behind these devices, such as tracking your movements? By the way, the mind reading machine is said to be on the way to installation in cars for our protection. It is claimed that it will know if we are too tired or bored and will be built into the dashboard.

I don't like where we are going with all of this. Machines watching our every movement is just contrary to the way I was brought up. It is an undeniable fact that most people in power, given the chance, will want to watch their citizens "to keep them in line" This is happening in democratic countries as well as non democratic. In a few years you won't be able to sneeze, without someone making a record of it. Hey. give me a little privacy please.