#launch an application

I must admit that I am a gadget freak and a huge fan of new technologies. I really like the new iPhone since you can see who you're talking to. Isn't that amazing? The Blackberry phones and, oh, the Droids with all their fantastic applications.

I can launch an application that tells me where the nearest gas station is and how much a gallon of gas will cost. Find a restaurant to eat at and filter down your options to Mexican, Chinese, or American cuisine, for example.

I'm going to check the bar code on a product I want to buy at Target to see if it's cheaper elsewhere. I look for on-the-spot coupons for whatever product I'm looking for and call them in right away so the cashier can see them and give me the discount.

These are only a few of the many uses accessible. I could keep going, but I think you get the idea.        

In today's society, we are more CONNECTED than ever before, and that number is growing every day. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We become closer to everything except each other as we get more connected. It's a fantastic piece of technology, but there are some drawbacks.

When my two-year-old granddaughter comes to see me, she says, "Let me see your phone," after greeting me.

She accepts it and goes straight to "my favorites," where she finds her mother's photo and presses the phone icon underneath it to call her. When she's finished, she scrolls higher with her finger, looking for who knows what. When I beg for the phone back, she simply says, "Hold On."

Is this anything that has happened to you? You're out to lunch with your child or spouse, hoping to have a one-on-one talk. It's ringing on their phone. "Oh, I just received an SMS," "Hold on." I say, "Sure thing." They send you a text message... We resume our chat only to be stopped by another form of ding: "Oh, I just got an email," they say. "Hold on," they say, as their phone rings. "Oh gee, I've had to take this call," they say. "Sure thing," I answer, and the rest is history.

We are so connected that we overlook the people right in front of us. "Hello, remember me, I'm over here," says the narrator. "I say," I say. Except in the present, we are everywhere. In the now, we are completely absorbed. It's getting more convenient to text the person sitting across from you rather than talk to them face to face.

Our children play x-box and popular hand-held games and bring them with them wherever they go. Of course, we can't chat to them during a game because it would distract them. They say, "Don't worry me now, Grammy."

Multitasking has become the norm, and people are growing addicted to their computers, cellphones, and video games. As a gadget enthusiast, I can appreciate the importance of these fantastic time wasters, er, time savers. I've even been guilty of ignoring my partner while looking for new apps on my Android phone.

Are we, however, able to strike a balance between humans and technology? It must be a top priority. What will our future look like if we don't take safeguards now?

Families will no longer play a game together; instead, they will each play their own game and go their separate ways. That is now taking place.

How will our children learn to socialist, become social, liked, and have good manners if they are continuously engrossed in a game and we are unable to communicate with them?

Instead of telling our children to "hold on," we should tell them to "come here and let me hold you."

I believe it is all about moderation and balance, and each of us must decide for ourselves what life should be like in this age of fast-moving high-speed technology, based on our family values.