There is an old saying that “Necessity is the mother of invention.” Perhaps that is true in some situations, as in the movie Apollo 13 when they needed to invent a repair with limited materials and limited time.

A different theory of invention states that repetitive activities are the inspirations behind most modern inventions. For example, repeatedly dipping quills in the inkwell led to the invention of the fountain pen, which gave way to the ball point pen.

Washing machines, dryers, dishwashers.  All invented to replace repetitive yet necessary chores.

Innovations in technology take ‘convenience’ inventions to a whole new level. Repetitive key strokes on computers eventually turn into automatic features. Remember needing to save your documents or risk losing all your hard work? Auto-save is now automatic. Texting? Our phones anticipate the very word we are typing so we don’t have to finish typing.

And now, gmail’s latest version anticipates cute and quick little answers for us, like, “Thanks!” or “Will do!” or “Nice!” complete with a thumb’s up icon already attached.  No need to actually respond to your emails, simply touch the appropriate auto reply…

Do less, think less.

Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate my appliances as much as the next person. But… I can’t help noticing that map reading skills are becoming an antiquated skill in the wake of GPS. Spelling? Why bother when we have spell check? Why learn the rules of proper grammar when we have Grammarly? Parallel parking? No longer a boast-worthy skill.

Do less, think less.

Watch out for artificial intelligence. We may not even notice its advent as we bask in the convenience of modern technology.

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog.  Your comments, questions, ideas and suggestions are always welcome.  You can comment here, or choose between Facebook, Twitter, or the contact button.  

Anne Milne is an every Sunday blogger.  I keep it short and to the point.  Topics are as wide ranging as a straight but not narrow path.