Gestural Abstractions Reading Response

This reading proved to me to be another document of immersive technology.  We have come so far technologically that soon we ourselves might become a literal component of operating systems.  Had it not been for Apple, selfishly monopolizing present day touch screen apparatuses, we might already be much further into submersing ourselves into technology, quite literally.  It is very difficult to imagine where we will be in ten, twenty years.  Then again, look where we are now compared to where we were in 2000.  If we are to continue the path to further technology I believe that companies need to band together, not isolate themselves in an attempt to claim all the glory.  The more companies that work together, the more diverse ideas, and the grander the outcome.  

Reading Response #1 - Encapsulated Bodies in Motion

Erkki Huhtamo's insight into the realm of Immersion was very eye-opening.  I have always been curious as to why people go to such great lengths to escape, although not physically, into a world of simulation.  What is it inside us that longs for retreat?  I have always been keen on the fact that people are losing themselves more and more into this technological world that we have created.  But I was unaware at just how prevalent this world is all around us.
Everyday I am disgusted at how much time people spent surfing the web, checking their facebook notifications, or playing video games.  It makes me wonder what they live for.  I have always been a person who could care less if I lost my phone or don't have Internet.  My idea of a good time is to escape from all of these distractions and just breathe.  I know of several people who would absolutely shut down if they misplaced their phone.  How is it that we have become so attached and dependent upon technology that we are incapable of living how nature and God intended?  I also find it unbelievable that if faced with the challenge, many people would cease to exist if they were placed in a natural environment without any technology whatsoever, and they had to fend for themselves.  How is it that eight year old children know how to operate an ipad, yet they don't know the first thing about natural survival, such as fishing, gathering, cooking, hunting?  My cousin is three years old, yet he knows every nook and cranny of an ipad and it's operations.  I constantly feel suffocated by this immersion of technology and its grip around our lives.  I find it terrifying that a huge chunk of the American population would die if all technology suddenly ceased to exist.  How is it that we have adapted this technology to become an extension of our beings? 
Another Huhtamo finding that I find very interesting is the fact that "experiencing an amusement park attraction gave one a momentary outlet from the routine and often stressful relationship t technology in everyday life."  We have become so entwined with technology that we use it to escape from everyday technology.  I wonder who was it that thought that the solution to technology overload was just technology of a different form?  
Although technology has become a hindrance in many ways, it also has it's blessings.  It has brought our medical care to new heights.  It has also strengthened our military to unimaginable measures.  Technology is not always a blindfold to what is natural and healthy.  But is does turn into a problem when if taken away we are unable to function as a person, and a nation as a whole.