Look in the trunk

Bark on a hillside
London, ON
March 2012
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I should be somewhere over some huge ocean by the time this entry auto-posts to the blog. Thanks to the magic of technology, I've been able to stay connected throughout my journey this week. From receiving emails from the kids - including every last detail of the dog's bat-hunting adventure - to sharing the skyline with them via Skype, there hasn't been a moment here where I didn't feel some kind of tangible piece of home right at my fingertips.

What a sea change from the way it used to be, when the Internet was limited to scientists, educators and the military and phoning home from overseas meant quick, staccato-paced discussions as you kept half of your mind focused on saying everything you needed to say and the other half on the ever-ticking clock to avoid a massive long distance bill.

Indeed, for all the writing I do about technology, it often takes an experience like this - where I'm forced to eat my own dog food for a while - to really appreciate the significance of an otherwise benign-looking gadget. A laptop, for example, barely gets noticed these days because virtually everyone has one. But when it's your main link to a life you left far behind for a few days (or longer, as the case may be) it becomes a lot more than a sliver of metal, glass and plastic. It's a lifeline, a window, an extension. I'll never look at my own laptop - one of kazillions of MacBook Pros just like it both here and around the world - quite the same way again.

So what the heck does this view of a tree-filled hillside near my house have to do with a faraway adventure? Well, it's actually quite simple: Roots. Wherever you go, know where home is, and never forget where your roots are planted. It's a powerful way to get the most out of your time away, and it reinforces why coming back home is so very good for the souls of those who have gone and those who have waited behind.

Your turn: Can you share one example of how tech transformed your life?

Say it...