[July 19, 2011] The Miami Herald What a Life! column Tweet Jul 16, 2011 (The Miami Herald - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Bummer. I'm in the salt mines, toiling for a living, and the action is elsewhere. My twin granddaughters, cherubs of my heart, are performing in a red-white-and-blue show at camp. No matter. Internet to the rescue. My daughter-in-law forwards an email with instructions and a password to sign on to Photobucket. There, to my heart's content, I click through 165 photos and a couple of videos. I press my hand to the screen. It's not as joyous as being in the audience, not as satisfying as catching the girls' attention while they warble on stage, and of course I miss their tight little hugs at knee level but under the circumstances, although this is second best, it is good enough. Viva technology! I've occasionally lamented the effects of all those gadgets that bing, bleep and blink. I've criticized people who have cavalierly announced such important moments as a miscarriage on Twitter and railed against a generation that is more comfortable in front of a screen than face-to-face. And yet...yet... I now find certain inventions indispensible, a great and easy way to keep in touch and to stay informed. Whether by cell or text or email, through Facebook or LinkedIn, I connect to people -- or places and events -- who might have remained on the periphery of my life simply because I lack the time or resources to reach out. A couple of days ago, I Skyped my 20-year-old son who's studying abroad in Spain. My father, who remembers when his family didn't have a phone in Cuba, toured his grandson's apartment on the outskirts of Barcelona through a built-in computer camera and microphone. Imagine! Just this morning, my daughter texted me a video of her 2-year-old walking around in high heels, purse slung over her arm, curls in disarray. Though we live 10 minutes from each other, I would've missed that moment if not for the camera on her smart phone -- the very same technology that ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner used to send compromising photos of himself. Yes, like every powerful tool, technology can be used in the wrong way. Privacy is often an issue, hackers a constant threat. I'm also forever shocked by what people share in this brave, new world. Modesty, civility and respect tend to fall by the wayside when a keyboard lands in some people's hands. And it's no secret that children -- heck, even people my age -- spend far too much time downloading, locating, playing and firing off messages. Instead of crossing the room for an exchange, our fingers do the walking. No wonder obesity has become an epidemic. But for every phone that creepily tracks a user's location, there is a matching story of technology rescuing a lost child or launching a social movement. The yin and the yang. I wonder if we're not like the ancient storytellers who warned villagers of the dangers of the printed word, only to be revolutionized by it. Every invention, every shift and change, is met with trepidation before it is reluctantly accepted and then elevated to the essential. I think that's where I stand now, hesitance dissolving into approval. Of course there is no substitute for the snuggle and cuddle, for the wet kiss on the neck, for the conversation at the dinner table. None. But given the choice between nothing and watching my grandchildren's camp show, I'll choose second best every time. Follow Ana on Twitter @AnaVeciana To see more of The Miami Herald or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.herald.com. Copyright (c) 2011, The Miami Herald Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]