Where did our brains go?

Have my Ol' Three Faithful Readers gone to the movies lately?

 

As you might remember in the Fantastic Four movie a miscalculation from one of the world's greatest genius causes an accident to wash over them. Of course it all turns out for the good in the movie - that is why it is called fiction -; but here in real life miscalculations from "geniuses" cause this, this, this over here and finally this. Disasters.

 

These day we have been hearing a lot about the Discovery's piece of foam that broke from one of the tanks endagering the mission. Luckily, as I have read, the foam fell after the time critical first minutes of the launch thus reducing the risks of insta-boom action. The crew was even luckier when a large chunk of the foam fell and totally missed the Discovery... then another small piece fell and did hit the wing, acording to NASA, but it did no critical damage.

 

The sad part of everything is that just two and a half years ago a similar incident made the Columbia go in flames just minutes after take off back in February 1, 2003. NASA even cancelled all launches of future missions in order to fix the problem with the insulator and make later missions more safe. $1.4 billion dollars were spent, millions of computer simulations were run, many men burned their eye-lashes working extra hours and two and a half years went by.

 

For nothing.

 

We are in the year 2005, we have super computers, technology and what not and we still cannot make a space launching safe for the crew? We still have miscalculations, half-brewed solutions and disappointments. Now, if backing up all this missions are what I believe to be the greatest brains in the world and the best technology ever is not sufficient enough, if we are still losing space probes, shuttles and men with the best of the best behind them, then how am I supposed to believe that on July 20, 1969 we set foot on the moon? We cannot get it right now so how could we have gotten it right back then without all the technology, simulators and whatnot?

 

This makes me believe all those reports that the Apollo 11 never really did set foot on the Moon, and everything was recorded in a video set to make people believe. Besides, how could we know, it is not like any of us has actually seen the moon up close and personal. For all we knew hey could have shown us a picture of the Sahara desert and no one would have noticed.

 

Everything can mean only one thing: we human beings are getting stupidier. So dependant on computers to make simple calculations such as a multiplication for us that we forget how to use our brains. Think about it, if your PocketPC can now hold all your phone numbers, addresses, to-do lists, meetings and just about anything else, does it not mean now you would have more of your brain free to waste on useful stuff?

 

Here's the inside scoop: we normally use around 10% of our brains and lets just suppose that thanks to the help of all technology we save up 2% of our brain use; shouldn't we then be 2% more smarter using the extra brain power to cure the world from cancer? Just imagine what we could accomplish with that generous amount of extra brain! But too much Nintendo, too many movies and too much sex is in what we use our extra brain muscle in. Television takes our brains away; so now we waste it in learning character moves from 100 video games, the complete chapter lists from Friends and senseless horror movies.

 

Then again I will not complain much. Thanks to that extra 2% we have better Nintendos, better movies and better sex.