Katrina vs. Technology

Through the passing of hurricane Katrina, we are given a glimpse into the future of technology and culture. For the first time in human history, up-to-date and accurate news has been brought directly into households around the world, as well as to fellow Katrina victims. All without reporters.

How is this possible? Well let's go over a few of the many many scenarios that recently came to pass in the flooding of New Orleans.

First, picture a man sitting on the roof of his house. Turbulent waters swirl through the rooms below. As the events unfold, he writes down every detail into his wireless laptop, and uploads the information directly to his blog. Hourly. To receive updates from fellow bloggers across town, he has only to search for them.

Second, imagine a typical teenage youth wandering the streets looking for surviving friends, or simply the next meal. While he forages, he is constantly taking photos with his cellphone, and uploading them directly to his photoblog or Flickr account.

Next, a middle-aged tech industry worker is in his 5th-floor highrise apartment. Stranded there, he sets his webcam on his windowsill, and opens his account for anyone in the world may view real-time video of the flooding and rescue operations.

Here I am at home in Canada, listening to a podcast from Focus on the Family on my iPod. They are interviewing a US congressman over his cellphone in New Orleans, just as he is stepping from a helicopter to survey the damage to the city.

Sure, not all civilian news is trustworthy, but on average, it is far more reliable than television news stations. For example, stations here in Ottawa are weeping over an apparent lack of contribution to aid the crisis victims. They entirely failed to mention that the SBC and IMB have large teams present in New Orleans, handing out over 300,000 meals a day!