Note from the Editor:
This article was kindly written for the SDC by member @Doctor Alan.


Handwriting:
My mother kept quite comprehensive diaries at various stages of her life, and I have been reading them and my own hand-written diaries (before I had the sense or the equipment to type them directly to a computer) as part of my own autobiography. I realised that the written word has changed drastically over the years, and what we know as communication now was regarded a lot differently in my mother’s era. Her writing was beautiful and very easy to read. All the ‘tails’ of the letters were exactly as long as they ‘should’ be, with the letter ‘p’ having a slightly shorter tail than that of ‘q’, and ‘l’ and ‘b’ were taller than ‘d’ and ‘t’. Is any of this taught nowadays? That art of writing beautiful cursive script has largely been forgotten, along with ‘don’t answer the teacher back’, ‘don’t put your elbows on the table’ and ‘put a hand over your mouth when you yawn’!



Non-verbal communication:
But I digress. In passing I should mention that my handwriting is pretty awful – I have difficulty reading my old diaries (which I scanned into my computer) myself.

As animals, we ‘communicate’ in many different ways, not just with the written word. A look or a gesture can convey a wealth of information. If you have a dog, you’ll notice that some dogs go absolutely psycho when your own dear little pooch approaches, while others are not bothered at all. They’re more honest than we are and communicate very truthfully.



When I was a lad, I used to write letters and the person I wrote to would write back. Simple. If it was somebody special, I’d run eagerly to check the mail as soon as it was delivered. We’d write long air letters to friends and family overseas and they would always write back with all their doings – trivialities, like where they went on the weekend, shopping visits, domestic crises and so on. We’d send back similarly inconsequential happenings, and that’s how we communicated. It was interesting and shortened the distance between us.

Modern Communication:
Fast forward 50 years, and where are we? I still send emails like the letters I used to send, but there’s rarely any comment. If I get a reply, it’s usually a joke or a funny video it’s assumed I’d enjoy – rarely any mention of my own email. Communication is usually by phone or text message. The former cannot include detailed information and the latter cannot be too long. One way or the other, we miss out on the valuable part of the ‘communication’ process. With mobile phones being a part of everyday life, it’s not necessarily a joke to see a group of teenagers around a table, busy texting one another. Kids don’t know how to write cursive or longhand because they believe it’s not necessary. Their thumbs are used together to move like lightning over the keys of their telephone.

I should say though, that it’s a real plus to be able to actually see somebody you’re talking to on the telephone, as on Facetime, Skype, Zoom etc. – and at no cost at all!



Computers and AI:
Of course, the use of a typed input to a computer is quite anachronistic. In a very few years, there will be absolutely no need for it. We already use Siri or Alexa to answer questions and perform functions for us, and that capability can only enhance itself as so-called ‘Artificial Intelligence’ takes a firmer hold on our lives. I actually look forward to this eventuality since it appears there's really very little human intelligence in the world. The stupidity of the American election process and the senseless destruction of people and places in the Middle East by grown men who must have had their little sand castles kicked over on the beach by the town bully when they were younger is a valid case in point.



Long Distance Communication:
We’re going to Mars, and we’re going to colonise the Moon. Don’t bother about the whys and wherefores – we’re human beings so we’re allowed to ignore the plight of families who can’t even get clean drinking water or any food – we’d rather spend our ill-gotten billions on spreading our aggression and greed throughout the Universe!

Like our old air-letter forms, we simply won’t be able to communicate immediately with places like Mars – it takes between 15 and 30 minutes for a message to reach Earth from Mars and the same time to return. There’ll be no immediate help in the case of a serious problem, so the new Martians will have to have the wherewithal to ‘fix’ it. From the Moon, verbal communication may not solve a problem there either. Perhaps Selenites and Martians will need to sign a life insurance disclaimer before they go!

It would, of course, be far more sensible and cost-effective for the peoples of the Earth to live in harmony and put their heads together to look after this fragile planet. But what would I know?



The Future:
Of course, radio communication, relatively fast as it is, may not be the be-all and end-all. Work has been carried out with twins to try to find how somebody’s twin will almost instinctively know if their sibling has a problem. This is not a foolproof occurrence though, and lies at the moment on the fringes of science fiction, but it appears to be one of the only ways human beings could successfully colonise a very distant planet, light years away. Human beings are social animals, though, and most of us would far rather stick to what we know among like-minded friends with whom we can communicate in close proximity.

About the author: Having spent three years living in Australia in his youth, Alan returned to Australia in 1969 with his wife and young child. Holding a Bachelor of Engineering degree and a Doctor of Science Education degree, Alan has experience in flight simulations, Einsteinian physics, and inventing an ‘eye blink’ device that allows cerebral palsy patients to communicate. He even took a turn at acting, starring in a TV advert and landing supporting and lead roles in his local dramatic society plays. His short stories have been published in WA’s The Gingin Buzz for ten years, and his novel The Magic Hourglass is a work in progress. He and his wife have a lovely life in Brisbane and regularly visit their two children in Sydney’s West. You can read Alan’s full-length bio here.

Note from the Editor:

Members, can you still write in cursive? And can you children/grandchildren? I’d love to know!

Love Alan’s writing and want to read more? You might also like to read:

Alan G.’s Member Spotlight: ‘Almost Famous’
The Ice Cream Job: The Tech Guy – Dr Al
The Lucky Man: The Tech Guy – Dr Al
‘Ten Pound Pom’ Hostel Living: The Tech Guy – Dr Al
Many Happy Returns of the Day!
Reaching for the Stars!
Sportsmanship, Manners, and Respect
My great-grandfather’s journal of 1908: The Tech Guy – Dr Al
Christmases I’ve Had