Trans-Communications

While walking my dog along the beach today I realized that there are two aspects of modern human life that define us as individuals. 1.The way we move around our world. 2. The way we communicate with one another

As to the way we move, many just sit around and move very little. Others stroll at a leisurely pace, while some power walk and others jog or even run for exercise or because they’re in a hurry.

Human ambulatory power [in most cases] is not as efficient as many animals who can easily outrun us over short to medium distances. . . so many people choose bicycles, electric-bicycles, scooters, skateboards, motorcycles, wheelchairs, and other simple devices to improve their efficiency and range.

The majority of people in developed-developing societies seem to choose automobiles to move about and even these powerful vehicles come in many flavors. There are hot rods, sports cars, convertibles, economy cars, luxury cars, SUVs, pickup trucks, limousines, RVs, etc.

For those who really want to move even faster there are airplanes and rental cars at destinations all around the globe.

Whatever mode of transportation we choose, it is matched by communication. Most folks choose to associate with others who travel at the same speed as they themselves. Walkers like to match up with other walkers and chat as they go. Many carry a cell phone or even a Personal Digital Assistance device [PDA] to extend their range of communication as they walk along.

Take the extreme business executive who has a high powered laptop computer and a PDA as he/she flies first class with a hotspot enabling them to constantly do their business or play their games of life. Further back in the plane there are folks who want to fly, from place to place, but cannot afford to pay to be constantly connected, so they write email to be sent when the plane lands, and they can get to a coffee shop with a hotspot. The current trend is to have a personal digital assistant that is connected wirelessly to a 3G or 4G network. One way or the other they can have a direct connection to a wireless network when they get into the terminal in their rush to a car rental or pickup by a friend or associate.

As we descend the ladder of transportation and communication we have common folks who hitch rides or take buses or ride bicycles or backpack as they walk about. Most of them now carry cell phones . . . even in the poorest of countries. . The world population just passed 7 billion people, which many beieve is beyond the carrying capacity of Planet Earth. Perhaps more surprising is that there are over 8 billion cell phones and many people in developing nations are so captivated by modern communication that they now text or Tweet their way through life.

My observation is that people tend to associate with others who travel via the same modalities and communicate on digital devices, using the technique that fits their pace and their purse. It is reasonable to believe transportation and communication are the major factors in how we socialize, romanticize and do business.

This is nothing new. Modern-humans have historically socialized based on modes of transportation and communication. The thing that has changed is the speed of these things
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I am a mere 65 years old but I have spent many more years than my chronological age studying transportation and communication because I have made it my business to conduct studies in both fields at the same time. I am not talking about multi-tasking. I am talking about integrating my transportation and communication work into one common theme.

So I would claim that I have a century of experience in these fields of study. During that time I have made two round the world trips with my bicycle and cameras. Soon we will insert a short slide show of some places I’ve traveled.

Admittedly my century involves at least 35 years of overlapping work, but if you’ll permit a leap of time travel, let me take you on a tour of Americas last 100 years ago by trans-com.