The Frankenstein Monster was a combination of parts of corpses. It is Science Fiction because we can’t breathe life into a pile of mismatched things wired together, but it made for a wonderful story. It’s considered horror, but it never felt that way to me. The poor monster didn’t ask to be made, he didn’t understand what was going on, and for the most part he wasn’t actively trying to hurt people, he just didn’t know his own strength. That story was more about being an outsider than it was about digging up dead people. The underlying message was also a warning not to let our aspirations lead us into places we aught not go, echoing the fear many have of science and what they see as the human race “playing God.”
There was a time when the microwave oven was going to kill us all with radiation while we cooked a baked potato, but since that turned out to be complete bunk, no one really thinks that anymore, and most homes in America have a microwave. Today, discussions are beginning about “H+,” the idea of augmenting the human body to either overcome disadvantages or increase abilities. Some argue that implants to give us super-hearing or digital eyes would make us less human and shouldn’t be allowed. Others argue that we’re already H+ and have been since the first artificial knee or cochlear implant and we should embrace it. Supporters include eyeglasses and prosthetic limbs as rudimentary augmentations, and conceptually no different than the more high-tech options available today, saying that those who reject H+ may as well reject antibiotics, too, since that’s not their natural immune system. Enthusiasts and scientists debate those who are hesitant and try to change minds to explore what’s possible. Fear over new things is not new. Someday, H+ augmentations might be as commonplace as the microwave, which was also very controversial for its time.
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” (Arthur Clarke) People are afraid of magic. They tend to burn it. Until they understand it. Then it’s not magic and then they have to have one in every room.
Are you rocking a Frankenstein Monster at work? Is your tech-plan cobbled together from other systems that are no longer with us, perhaps acquiring used equipment when someone else was fortunate enough for a real upgrade? Hey, you work with what you’ve got. I’m sure if there was a clean, well-stocked body-parts store, the Doctor would have preferred to send Igor with the list rather than watch him lug a shovel. It probably would have cost an arm and a leg, though.
The point is that the updates you don’t really understand, which is why you are sure you don’t need them, aren’t scary. Right now, there are things your poor, poor system is doing that drive your entire office to reach for their torches and pitchforks, but it’s not the system’s fault. It didn’t ask to be made, and it’s essentially a pile of mismatched parts wired together. Kinda amazed it works at all.
But what is common sense to a SkyTech Engineer looks like magic to the rest of us. It’s ok. They got this. If you just step into that brave new world and let your Engineer help you, your office can have the most up-to-date equipment available to meet your needs, and it will work like magic, because if you have any questions, you can call your system’s Engineer—the person with a name, face and cell phone number who you work with every time you call—and let them deal with it.
You should take a break. Maybe go microwave a hot pocket or something. You have a microwave at work, too, don’t ya? See? Not scary.