Fast forward

Change is happening so fast these days that it can be hard to keep up with the newest gadgets and social networks. Facebook is now very last year, and people are turning on to tweeting, in a big way. From businesses (the savvy use it to their advantage) to celebrities to the rest of us, everybody has something to say online.

Gadgets and the cyberworld are a huge part of our lifestyle today, as discussed in the cover story. Sometimes the emphasis seems to be more on style – having that latest must-have tech toy, signing onto a social network because it’s the done thing – than on finding a practical and effective use for them in our daily lives. Or it’s a way of satisfying other, less savory sides of our character.

There is no holding back progress, of course. The most important thing is to find the balance between the inevitable advance of technology and its pitfalls, without losing sense of who we are. It can be done. Traditional cloth expert Obin, profiled in this issue, is one person who has managed to bring together tradition and technology in a mutually beneficial relationship.

BRUCE EMOND

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