First it was your television, but now there is nowhere to hide. My dog recently bought a smart phone and I realize I needed to consider going on a serious digital diet.

Since the first abacus was invented, humans relationships with machines and other time saving items have only grown. It was a shortcut so we could get on with the business of living & loving or do more. Where does the tipping point begin when the machines dictate the relationship and not visa versa? Perhaps humanity has lost its way or maybe its humanity itself. I’m talking about empathy. Money removes us away from it. Things we own or want drain it from us. And we certainly gave up a slice of it with the birth of the Industrial Revolution, but now I’m getting pretty far afield.

I’m no luddite. I have embraced the advantages of technology for many years. Home computers. The internet. MP3s. The iPhone. WiFi. Bluetooth. Uber. Airbnb. Skype. The list goes on. Maybe I am beginning to turn my back on all this stuff because of the ubiquity of tech. Now that I am no longer intoxicated by the buzz of its novelty, do I consider it unworthy or dangerous? Will I be yelling at the kids in the Metaverse to get off my digital lawn or not fuck with my NFT Tesla? I might just be selfish.

Once again, David Cronenberg has given me thoughts. He has been wrestling with much I’ve written above above for years. That dude has always been an early adopter. His obsession with the mind & machine connection threads itself though pretty much all of his work. Similar to my continued love affair with Mary Jane, I pick it up and put it down and pick it up only to put it down and continue thinking about it. Addiction is the downstairs neighbor to obsession while madness is locked in the basement, away from the prying eyes of the neighbors.

Cronenberg’s new film, Crimes of the Future augments his mind & machine connection into the realm of nightmarish, futuristic avant-garde.. Will I go see it? Absolutely. Will it bleach out my thoughts for some days? Well, it’s Cronenberg. He does his job well so I guess I’ve been a card carrying member for some time. Long live the New Flesh!