Technology to Make Life "Easier"?

I'll admit it: my current technology collection is reminiscent of someone caught between the outdated and even more outdated, but considering the leaps and bounds in technological advances (less than a year for the iPad2 to be pushed out with the iPad3) I'm finding it so much easier to simply ride out the storm with things that not only work, but exceed my needs, rather than scramble to drop a small; fortune on the latest game, the latest tablet, the latest phone, the latest vehicle.  And from this perspective, I've been wondering if these advances are truly making life "easier", considering both the short- and long-term implications.

Not too long ago I happened across a smartphone commercial (while watching one of our two channels we get through the antenna), where the narrator was talking about upgrading to a phone with a longer battery life so one could stay on the phone all day long "and never have to think again".  While I do appreciate that they're no longer beating around the bush, it seems to me that by freely admitting to this also implies a complete lack of concern for it.

This morning I saw a commercial for a new car coming to market, complete with a rear camera for safely backing up, as well as forward cameras to predict things ahead and potential upcoming hazards and blindspot alarms.  I'm sure I would agree with the argument that all these things contribute to the safety of the driver, passengers, and everyone else on the road, absolutely.  But let's look long-term for a second.  In the next decade or so, as everyone becomes used to these features, how long will it take before they're taken for granted and no one checks their blindspot manually or rearview mirror anymore?  How long until people lose the ability to be safe, conscientious drivers without these things?  As we develop greater technology, we must also be aware of the cultural-evolutionary effects of these developments.

Or micro-evolutionary affects.  The "Google Effect" (no specifically tied to Google alone) has been discovered in reference to the way our brains have been subtly changing with the advent of instant searches and the information of the world available at our fingertips.  It's been argued that this instant information has been causing us to lose the ability to create and retain information because, well, we don't have to.  And yet as we lose the ability to think without, specifically, the internet, what effect will that have in the future?  In a previous post I wrote about how the more we know, the more we're able to learn - however, if what we know is limited to what we can find in an internet search, one search at a time, we lose the ability to make those instant connections and, dare I saw, lose the ability to become critical thinkers.

Up next: 21st Century skills - those skills most vital for success in the new century.  Near the top of the list: critical thinking!

And people wonder why the U.S. is slipping in international rankings.  Our inability to reason has been exacerbated by an apathy toward learning in general.