These sci-fi stories, on the other hand, mirror a general discomfort with technology. It affects most of us. I still recall my first encounter with the PC. My fingers, accustomed to banging on typewriters, suddenly found themselves gun-shy and having a hard time finding the correct keys. I was literally afraid, fearing the novel, yet intimidating contraption sitting before me. I also was afraid I might break the keyboard.

Some people take to new technologies like fish to the water, but I guess for most of us, we have to deal with and overcome our being closet technophobes before we get to enjoy the benefits and pleasures that technology brings.

On the other hand, there are occasions when technology does play a supporting role to humanity. More accurately, technology adds to humanity, even expands it.

Power of Words

In the heat of the last elections season, a senatorial candidate drew the ire of parents of children and adults with autism. The neophyte candidate, widow of my favorite Bicolano, unfortunately used the A word to describe the attitudes of her political rivals, whom she claimed were living in a world of their own and were out of touch with reality.

While I fully agreed with her assessment of those politicians, as a father of two autistic boys I had to voice my displeasure with her choice of modifiers. Well, I know she neither meant harm, nor did she want to denigrate my boys and other kids living with autism. I also know that the word autistic is used by almost everybody on almost a daily basis to describe people whose actions and words resemble those of the aforementioned politicians.

It’s almost an endless, hopeless struggle. This campaign to enlighten people, to help them understand that the words we use not only describe the people and things to which we ascribe or assign those words. Words we use define people and things around us. Almost all psychologists, sociologists, and all those people whose names are followed with a long list of acronyms and other big letters, are one in saying that words represent man’s efforts to take control of his environment. (This idea is not mine, I remember reading about it in a book or magazine I cannot now recall.)

Robots Help Autistics Talk

Whereas some people are too ready to put down people living with developmental and communications disabilities, robots have been developed to help children with autism and similar conditions develop social and communications skills.

Researchers at the University of Hertfordshire’s School of Computer Science have been working under the European Union’s Interactive Robotic Social Mediators as Companions (IROMEC) project. The program is studying the use of robotic toys to help children with disabilities to acquire or develop skills that will help them communicate or interact with other people.

As part of the scientists’ studies, a robot named KASPAR, for Kinesics and Synchronization in Personal Assistant Robotics, and which looks like a little boy, is being tested in various schools in Hertfordshire, England, to assess its progress.

Previously, the researchers worked on the AuRoRa (Autonomous mobile Robot as a Remedial Tool for Autistic children) project, which used simple robots. The project showed huge potential and was later expanded. Hence, the KASPAR project came into being.

According to a University of Hertfordshire news release, “IROMEC will investigate how robotic toys can become social mediators encouraging children with disabilities to discover a range of play skills, from solitary to social and cooperative play…” It will also allow other children, caregivers, teachers and parents to connect with these children.

It is rather ironic that it needs to take some robotics technology for people to be able to communicate and understand children with communications disabilities. But I am not complaining, not even if it were to take some Vulcan or other alien science for my sons and other autistic children to finally express themselves, their feelings, their concerns and worries, and their joys. To be finally able to talk and communicate with the rest of the world.

Not that I believe that their silence limits them and prevents them from attaining their full potential. On the contrary, I believe that we, who consider and believe ourselves as “normal” and complete, stand to gain so much, learn so much, more than they would from us, if this silence were to be broken. And this gap to be finally bridged.

Worship Online

Get your college degrees online. Buy your medicines from your favorite online druggists. Purchase books from bookstores operating in cyberspace. You can even download porn flicks fast and easy, and anonymously.

Now, even worshipping one’s gods can be done online.

An AFP story revealed that in South Korea, there are a growing number of people who perhaps out of being too busy or lack of affinity for crowded churches or temples have been attending church services online. For example, the country’s Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported that some 135,000 people daily heard sermons on the Yoido Full Gospel Church’s Web site.

The newspaper also noted an increase in number of religious Web sites.

With the rate things are going online, cyberspace will soon become a true mirror of the real world. For some of us, that scenario has been only too real for quite some time now. Making money, meeting new friends and lovers, finding a job, and a host of other activities previously done offline, in the real world, can now be performed online.

Why am I feeling the way I did when I first saw a personal computer?

That’s all for the meantime, folks. Join me again next time as we keep on watching IT.