CHRISTMAS GIFTS OF GADGETS & GIZMOS

Christmas is over and many of us will have received at least one gift that is a gadget or gizmo to keep us up to speed with our technology driven society.

The older generation thinks we have robbed our children of creativity and imagination with all the electronic games and cell phones and more.  Not to mention the feared health hazards from them.  They wish the "good old days" of Lego, dolls and train sets would return.

But times have changed and kids need to be changing with them.  Learning technology from a young age only means they will not be technologically illiterate when they are older.  It will be the tech savy children that will likely find more opportunity in their future.

After all, look how quickly things have changed.  I'm not that old but I remember when there were no cell phones, no microwaves and no internet.   The first digital cellular phones came out in the early 1990's and they did not look anything like what we have today.  As for the microwave, it was first introduced in 1955 but only became popular in the mid 1970's.  And the internet, well it did not start until 1982, after I graduated from high school.

Now kids have laptops in the classroom and the blackboard is often replaced by a computer screen.  Technology has allowed learning to be more interactive and less boring then the lectures I listened to in school.

So don't criticize technology.  It is continuously developing.  If we don't keep up with it, we will be left behind.

Well at our house, the Christmas Wish List included the best new cellphone on the market.  In order to prevent debate or argument, I will refrain from naming which one it is.  Another gadget received was a Pocket Sized Camera with Android capabilities.  What will they think of next?

Also, some gizmos that were not electronic were on the gift list.  One was the +Buddy Rider, a great Canadian invention that attaches to your bicycle to transport your small dog with you on a bike ride.  Another gizmo found under our Christmas tree was for chronic back pain.  It is +Dr. Ho's Decompression Inflatable Belt.  It wraps around the low back and when inflated with air, traction is applied to the vertebrae.

So I am thankful for technology!  I enjoy the convenience of a cellphone, the speed of a microwave and the endless resource of the internet.

I am also thankful for the invention of gizmos and gadgets that make bike rides more fun and back pain less intense.

So what gift are you thankful for?

Give Thanks!