The Modern Digital Age

Studies show that the Modern Digital Age is making us smarter. Now that we can play games on our laptops, iPads, and Smart Phones, we can exercise our brains anywhere, any time. Rather than putting our gray cells in neutral by watching the movie or daydreaming on that long flight, we turbocharge our cerebellums with the challenge of Tetris or Donkey Kong. It takes effort to go to the gym so our bodies get flabby, but our Smart Phone is right at hand to fight boredom and keep those neurons sparking.

Unfortunately, there's also a downside. Back in the Dark Ages before cell phones and their programmable Contacts List, we primitive people had to memorize important phone numbers. I still remember the numbers for old girlfriends, my father's workplace, my high school ("Can't come to school today (cough / cough)), and the local beer distributor. Yesterday, Lowe's asked for my home phone number and I couldn't remember it. Why would I call myself? I had to whip out the cell phone and look it up under Contacts. Am I getting dumber? I play lots of games on my cell phone. I should be getting smarter.

Of course, phone numbers are getting more difficult to memorize. Instead of seven digits, we now have to enter the area code and there are area codes within area codes (like the dreaded 484 within our venerable 610 that used to be 215). Ah, for the good old days of five digit phone numbers preceded by a cool code word. Growing up in Scranton, all our phone numbers began with DIamondx-xxxx dialed 34x-xxxx. Allentown was HEmlockx-xxxx dialed 43x-xxxx.

Maybe the Modern Digital Age is making us smarter after all. We have progressed from Code Word plus five digits to seven digits to area code plus seven digits to changable area code plus seven digits. Humanity can handle it! After a few more rounds of games on my cell phone, even an old-timer like me can enter the Modern Digital Age.