IT Revolution
IT - Information
Technology- began in the 1970's at the beginning of computer age. At that time experts predicted many changes in people's lives. Computers would do most of the work and give us more free time for leisure making our lives stress-free, shorter working hours and longer holidays. Now, more than 50 years latter, the results of IT Revolutions are very different. Our life is getting faster and faster and stress at work has become a major problem. People are working longer not shorter hours. According to studies by Harvard economist Juliet Schor, today the American worker works 163 more hours a year than in the 1960's. Our computers work 24/7/52, that is, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. It seems we are beginning to do the same. The economist say, "Yes, we are"- and it seems we have no choice. Computers are getting faster and more powerful almost every week. But we humans are also learning how to live faster lives and do more things at the same time, - that's called "multitask" - Americans are experts in multitasking. A classic example is eating. Instead of wasting time eating, Americans get their dinner from a drive through and eat in the way home from work. Very efficient but, is it healthy? The number of heart attacks and other illnesses associated with stress and bad feeding are increasing every year. But technology makes medicine more efficient and new treatment possibilities appear very often. It looks like for every problem technology creates it creates also a new solution. Beautiful isn't? But wouldn't it be better to live without stress, eating good natural food and working less hours a week? Of course the answer is "YES" What can we do to live like that? Of course we can't destroy computers or reverse the IT Revolution - that would be a back to the past and the idea is always to go ahead - we must learn that computers, internet, and other technological resources exist to serve us not we to serve them. Use your computer at work at home at work or for fun. But remember that the unique intelligent part of a system is the person who types on the keyboard - even if sometimes you cause "crashes" in the system. |
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Some words to help: (entre parenteses a
pronuncia aproximada)
Leisure - lazer (léjar)
Lives - vidas (laives) plural de "life" (Veja a pagina Plurals)
IT - Information Technology - (ifârmeixon técnologi)- Informática
Predict(ed)- predizer (pridit)
That is - ou seja (déris)
Instead of - em vez de (instérof ) (veja a pág.Expressions)
Resources - recursos (rizórces)
illnesses - doenças (ilnésses)