FEAR THE MACHINE.

I forgot how inconvenient getting sick could be. Not only will I be short on my next paycheck because I missed a day of work, but it makes life in general that much more harder to manage. Last night I had a fever of 101.5, the highest its been in YEARS. I suppose I can't complain since I didn't get sick all winter, but tonight I'm supposed to be going out to the city to catch KASKADE and Hercules & Love Affair DJ set at Roseland. Right now I'm feeling a little better because I can breathe, but hopefully it won't bog me down for the night.

Since the beginning of this year, I've been revisiting my interests in house and trance, and I'm finding that its evolving to everything I've ever wanted it to be. Now more electronic artists are collaborating with indie artists, and for me its the best of both worlds considering my background. So Technologic is getting hotter than ever.

I feel a little uncomfortable in this point in time considering there will be a few potential changes to my life. Steve is graduating in a couple of weeks, I'm graduating in August, and right now there is a sense of uncertainty. I really hope we get to stay on Long Island so I can continue pursuing my musical passion, not only on the radio, but also in the studio. Hopefully I'll have enough money to buy the equipment I need to get started, along with new car payments, insurance, substantial rent, and all of that fun stuff. And that's IF I find a full-time job later this year. But at work we're definitely seeing the market pick up so at least that's a sign of good hope.

Its also weird because last week the market hit its lowest mark in 15 months. These days, a lot of trades are done using high frequency trading technology, and I staff the people who actually develop the technology. I never really looked at it this way before, but the modernization of technology is really starting to freak me out. Just seeing how social channels like Facebook, and Twitter are the anchors to web advertising, and how websites tailor everything to what you like and where you are located makes me feel a little uneasy about where technology is going. Its becoming more intuitive, and with the trades, they are being done so frequently that most of the time, a human touch isn't even necessary to make it go through. Are we losing this human touch with the modernization of technology?

Today I went to the bank, and there were FIVE people standing waiting by the one ATM to do their transactions. Meanwhile, the line inside the bank was completely empty. What could be the reason for this? Are we becoming more and more anti-social and prefer to deal with a machine than a person? As I walked in and handled my transaction with the teller, the same five people were at the ATM waiting.

The same thing happens at the supermarket. I could understand that maybe if you were buying condoms, or a pregnancy test, one would feel better about just dealing with a machine. But if you're just buying your ordinary things, and a line with a cashier is empty, why would someone still use the machine? Are we so accustomed to replacing people with machines that we actually prefer it without the personal interaction? Imagine how many peoples' jobs have been replaced by machines, including LIRR ticket handlers. Granted, the employees are over-cushioned with benefits, pensions, and pay, but if you need help to figure out where you need to go what do you do, ask the machine? I suppose these days, that's all you can do.