It seems that with society progressing at an ever-rapid pace, well, uh, we might not get used to it.

Okay, so maybe I'll be fine with more advanced computers with features that I can't understand, but what about, say in 5 years something totally revolutionary happened, and then 5 years later, something even more revolutionary happened, and so on and so forth that I get confused on what is pretty or I turn neo-Luddite and say, "Stop! Stop! Stop!"

It's called Future Shock, and it is detailed in a book (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Future_Shock) in the 1970's with some predictions that seem pretty valid in today's world. For example, it predicted that people will start using more disposable stuff, that people will organize into very small groups and cliques that all believe in uniformally the same stuff, that nobody really cares what political beliefs you hold if you are doing a valuable job (a capitalist won't go and scream at his shoeshiner nor would he care or even know that said shoeshiner is a Communist), etc.

Future Shock can be the same as Culture Shock, in that you go to a differnet culture and be shocked at how different it is. But the difference is that you can't escape Future Shock, once you are in a new future and you are used to the past, you can't change. This could pose lots of problems...

Could I suffer from Future Shock when the next technological breakthrough happen? Could you?

Innovation has really become a way of life. I think members of the up-and-coming generation, with its fixation on technological prowess, won't have much difficulty adapting to new technologies.

Older people, however, are already having difficulty adapting to current technology, but some seem to be able to cope better than others. For example, my mother is nearly technologically illiterate, and can only use basic functions on a computer or cellular phone. Her brother, who is about 4-5 years younger, stays very up-to-date technologically. He runs his business electronically with web cams, carries an iPhone, and has successfully lobbied the city commission to get municipal wifi installed at the federal courthouse.

Future Shock is in effect today, with the elderly, like John Galt said. But the question is whether or not you'd be able to adapt. You have to either change or stay, and when society is changing, that would be the smarter step. So, Future Shock is a choice.

Innovation has really become a way of life. I think members of the up-and-coming generation, with its fixation on technological prowess, won't have much difficulty adapting to new technologies.

Older people, however, are already having difficulty adapting to current technology, but some seem to be able to cope better than others. For example, my mother is nearly technologically illiterate, and can only use basic functions on a computer or cellular phone. Her brother, who is about 4-5 years younger, stays very up-to-date technologically. He runs his business electronically with web cams, carries an iPhone, and has successfully lobbied the city commission to get municipal wifi installed at the federal courthouse.

I think that can be a personality thing as much as anything else. Some choose to accept and embrace change, some choose not to. About 20 years ago, my grandmother, who was then 70, decided to take a class at the local community college to learn computers. A lot of her peers never touched one.

The challenge is keeping up with the information explosion. I think computers have introduced an information revolution on the scale of what the printing press did for us 400 years ago. It'll be interesting to see how it works out.

Yes, resistance to change is often a funny thing. My own mom is a bit of a "technophobe". We used to have to turn on the cable tv for her just so she could watch it. She's finally "adapted" to the remote, but is still thinking of getting a typewriter (oldschool) rather than use a computer.

Well, its a personality thing, and its sometimes a preference when it comes to selective types of technology.

My mom completely hates touching the microwave, and she does not enjoy the condition of the food that is cooked in it. Yes, we all know there is a difference, but some choose to enjoy it, while others think of using the old school cause "those are better", and in come cases, the old ones does have its advantage.

But yes, I would say that some new genuine of technology would separate the "Dos" and "don'ts"

On the other hand, this presents a new market. Designing devices that are limited in functions, yet easy to use by those who do not enjoy fidleling with things. Yes, simple things like making a cheap program that is only capable of checking email, with only several simple big buttons, would do wonders to some. Such "idiot's programs" would help people to someget in touch with the newer stuff, withouth having to deal with the good complex functions and what not bundling with everything we get nowadays.

Its like, many people would be happy to only talk and call someone with their cellphones, and that the extra functions only poses to confuse them... so a "simple mode" on the thing is actually benefit to these people. And yes, as funny as it sound I only use my cellphone for calling people and SMS, making the rest of thsoe function useless. Granted I do have my PDA/NDS on me at all times capable of other functions...

It is sometimes annoying that people seem to "forget about" being user friendly to those people who are "not in the know" This is actually causing a barrier to many people who would try to learn. Imagine you are a guy who is happy with dialing phone numbers out of your old cellphone with that weird dial-plate thingy all your life, and suggenly someone give you an iphone and make you call people up with it, flashing those 7890709790 functions in front of your eyes. Chances are you would go all confused. But yet, there is few "in between" products available to those with no needs of gadgets only wanting the simplest things to catch up with daily life.