Computers: Ruling our Lives

One wonders at the speed with which computers and laptops have taken over practically every aspect of our lives. How on earth did this happen?
* Writing letters and buying greeting cards have become passé. It is now routine to log on to the World Wide Web, dash off an e-mail or send an e-greeting.
* Rarely will you see a young child playing outdoors, say on a skateboard. Instead, he will be indoors playing the latest war game on the computer.
* Rather than looking up that beautiful leather-bound Encyclopedia on the bookshelf, the student writing an essay on a freedom fighter will refer to Wikipedia.
* Instead of noting down monthly family expenses by hand, an Excel spreadsheet will be opened to check out if the budget has gone over the limit.
* E-books have caught the fancy of some readers, but not in so big a way as to take away the pleasures of reading a book in hand. Public lending libraries still flourish, thank heavens!

It must be admitted, though, that computers have helped a great deal in speeding up work, such as writing this blog! So buying a computer has become an essential part of our lives, no matter how much we may resent it.