I think it has been about two years since I posted about our modern machines and our increasing dependence on them and asked if we were becoming slaves of our own creations. Since then, things have not improved. If anything, we are becoming more dependent on these high-tech devices and dependence means we are letting them control us. 
    The biggest change has been in the field of cell phones. The new smart phones that have an ever increasing number of APPs available can do so much for us. Want to compare the sale price at the supermarket with the price at the other market down the road? There's an app for that. Want to know when is the best day to plant those tomato seeds in your garden? There's probably an app for that as well. There are so many apps (short for application programs, in case you didn't know), that on the TV show Ellen, they are now showing a new feature of worthless apps. 
    The point though is that we are becoming so dependent on these devices that, if a solar flare knocked them out, many of us couldn't function. And do you know what drug pushers do when they have a new customer totally hooked (dependent) on a drug? They either raise the price or convince the addict to try a more expensive drug, then one more expensive than that, etc. I certainly don't suggest that we give up our technical gizmos. I obviously use some of them myself. But it might be a good idea if we all tried to have a tech-free day occasionally so (1) we would realize just how dependent on these things we have become, and (2) we would discover if we are still able to function without them because the day will come when we will have to.