I believe that technology has advanced so rapidly within the last fifty years that in its wake it has left behind stressed out, overburdened, mentally saturated zombies, of which I am one.

Forty years ago a computer occupied an entire floor of an office building. State of the art air conditioning units, worth millions of dollars were a part of the commercial landscape, necessary to ensure a controlled temperature for the hardware,

Once the microchip was developed desktop computers became accessible to the general public, but the cost was astronomical.

Today if someone does not have an email address they are considered suspect; without a cell-phone, possibly dangerous.

Cell-phones are no longer telephones. They are computers capable of instantaneously connecting the user to the world. The "apps" are endless and what is not available today will certainly be on sale Friday.

It wasn't so long ago when the argument for Sunday shopping was heatedly debated. A mere twenty years later, the midnight line-ups outside the Apple store for the newest technology snake around the block and wristbands are issued to avoid riots. The desperate need to have the newest, fastest, smallest and most sophisticated communication device is reaching epidemic proportions.

Technology has also embraced the electronics industry. Try shopping for a TV. Within moments of encountering a salesperson inside a big box store he will hit you with a barrage of questions. "Will that be LCD or plasma? What size did you require? Did you want that wall mounted?"

"I think I want a Sony," I say, watching him roll his eyes and excuse himself to attend to the customer eyeing the 'home theatre' package.

Cars are equipped with GPS systems that can trace your whereabouts anywhere in the world. And should you have an accident, a voice, a real person, will send assistance. No need to search for the cell inside the trashed vehicle.

When fax machines first came on the market we laughed at clients who faxed payment checks to the office, unaware that they were nonnegotiable. Today we have electronic transfers and on-line banking.

And, we have gadgets that can pick up conversations from outside buildings, hackers and identity theft. We are advised to carry our credit cards in special tamper proof wallets so that our information can not be picked up by the hacker sitting with his laptop in the airport terminal.

It has been suggested that much of this fraud can be avoided by having a chip surgically implanted. All our medical and financial information could be stored beneath our skin, obliterating any need to carry identification or cash. I have to tell you, if I agree to any form of elective surgery, it will include Botox.

These miraculous advances have also transformed medical instruments and procedures and cured many disabling diseases. But, the sheer speed of these advances has created a social enigma.

In the world of instant communication, we have created social networks. No, I don't have a Facebook account and no, I don't twitter. But millions do and take claim that they have thousand of "friends" who share meaningless and constant interaction. The users claim it keeps them in touch with friends, but in sharing their vacation plans they alert thieves when their homes will be unoccupied. Posting little Emily's picture scoring a winning goal at her soccer game will also alert predators what park you frequent with your golden-haired moppet.

As yet, no one has written a social etiquette guide suitable to address one on one encounters with these electronic diehards. I'm sure when someone does, even proper table settings will be revised. There, next to the salad fork is the proper place for the Blackberry. Placing it next to the crystal goblet would be rude.

Can I not have a meal or a visit without my companion cutting me off in mid-sentence to take a call? Apparently not!

It is almost impossible to have a meaningful conversation without someone tapping into Google to prove how wrong I can be. My years of learned debate, arguing different points of view are instantaneously dismissed when Wikapedia joins the conversation.

For a generation who has grown up in this environment they think anyone over fifty is odd if they do not share their passion for all things digital.

It's a wonder that Hallmark is still in business.