Assignment 2 - Kyle Hosey

I'm not sure that there is a single element of my life that, at this moment, does not require some sort of technology to feel normal and fully in tune. At school, I use my iPad to keep track of my many assignments, appointments, and test dates. At home, it is my main source of entertainment; I can watch a movie, listen to whatever music I so choose, read the next Tom Clancy book for free or watch as many as 200 TV channels. All of this is just on my iPad. Online homework, PC games, and research are done on this very laptop. Even family time is centered around our TV on Sunday nights, watching the Steelers play. If pressed for an answer, I might say that my time spent playing golf comes closest to being technology-free; after all, it's just you and the elements, right? Well, I guess my laser rangefinder counts, and yes I can order my lunch from the cart, and the lessons I take at Keene Run utilize all manners of video and motion capture technology to give me every minuscule detail about my swing, and... Even when outdoors, far from any Wifi, technology affects my every action.

        In most cases, despite its immense prevalence, this has been an overwhelmingly positive development in my daily life. At school, my trusty iPad has allowed me to keep up with my studies in ways I never thought possible. Every single resource I could possibly desire is contained within a rectangle of plastic; the PowerPoint files of lectures, study tools like Quizlet, and even simple things like the ability to set a reminder for homework with an alarm to remind me it is due (Or to wake me up from the nap I was using to procrastinate). At the same time, I can follow everything in the wider world that I care about. World News? One tap and I am on the Washington Post app. Sports? My folder for those apps takes up two pages, from fantasy football to PGA Tour results. Bored at lunch? A YouTube video from my favorite World of Warships commentator is readily available.

     The other major part of my existence, my golf game, as been just as revolutionized as my school and private life. When I first walked into the building that houses my lesson facility, three years ago, I did not expect several television screens, various sensory equipment, and computers running every manner of swing program, namely Trackman. It may have been unexpected, but it sure as hell worked. While my own dedication and work play a very large role, that effort is enhanced by being able to see slow motion video, ball spin, club speed, and 10 different measurements of swing angles. Within a few months, I was starting to understand not only what my problems were, but also why they existed, the changes to make, and what those changes would cause to happen. I am presently at least 25 shots better than I was three years ago when I stepped into the technology side of the golf world. I have no doubt that the hundreds of tools available to me were responsible for a large part of my success today.

     As my exposure and skill with technology increases every year, I feel more and more able secure in my abilities to harness it in all facets of my life. Yes, it has become the integral part of my daily routine, but that routine and its actions are more intelligent, more efficient, and more enjoyable. I simply cannot imagine returning to the reality before my many technological friends.