Office coffee and the interconnectivity of things

Oftentimes when I find myself dumbstruck by the power of modern technology, I put myself on time-out until the shame passes. I must remind myself that most consumer electronics these days are being created and marketed for my generation, and that in truth it just doesn't sound that cool to hear a 24-year-old marveling over the picture quality of an HD TV. However, today when my vice principal pulled up Google maps and had me point out exactly where my house was in Wisconsin and what it looked like, I was happy to don my "gee whiz" look sans embarrassment. There in the teachers room, we - myself, vice principal sensei, and a handful of other teachers - looked at the car sitting in my driveway and discussed the idea of neighborhoods and why mine was so full of trees. Together we strolled down Capital Drive, lauded the impressive outdoor sports facilities at Brookfield East High School, and counted the small airports around the town. And while the technology has been there for several years, we didn't look at it because of its novelty or because the satellite image looked cool; we did so because it was convenient.

I couldn't tell whether my vice principal was talking about my home or the map when he leaned back and remarked, "It's pretty great," but I'm positive that my answer (to either) was resolute: I think so too.