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Amidst my ramblings on "Technology and Life":http://revjim.net/item/10132/, I only hinted at the conclusion I was attempting to make.

Technology will continue to adapt. Just like pink is the new black, technology, is the new evolution. The only way to survive is to adapt.

In the old days, you'd crochet. It was your art, your passion, your living. There was one craftsman for every two consumers. In the new world, crochet isn't a viable career. You've got to move up the chain. Now, there is a crochet machine engineer, and thousands of workers who build those machines. There is an artists who designs the crochet patterns and thousands of workers who run the machines that perform that work. And for each artist, there are millions of consumers. For that artist, that engineer, and all of those consumers, technology has drastically improved their way of life. But, at the same time, the millions of would-be crocheters are now out of work and can only resort to crochet as a hobby.

So, if you enjoy crochet, and you want it to be your way of life, picking up a needly and some wool doesn't cut it any more. What pleases you more, the mechanics of crochet, or the art of it. If you like the art, then, to adapt, you need to learn how to program a crocheting machine. And if you like the mechanics of it, you need to learn how to build one.

Technology increases the gap between consumers and producers. Technology makes it more difficult to be successful in a field. But technology also makes new fields possible, and allows more consumers to reap the benefits of goods and services. It gives unskilled workers something to do, and gives skilled workers a chance to really succeed. It improves the quality of life for many people, forces others to adapt or change entirely, and decreases the quality of life for those that cant. It's survival of the fittest, with new rules and regulations that change almost quicker than you can change with them. Enjoy it.