It's sunday morning when Laura arrives at the airport ofMilano-Malpensa.
After having been lost in the jungle for 30 years, the thought of boarding an
airplane made her very nervous because it was on an airplane that all her troubles
had begun.
The voyage out the be a continual surprise. The plane was totally different
to that which she remembered. The hostess had been substitued by efficient robots.
Seats could be changed into confortable armchairs and new tecnological comforts.
Laura, like any person who had lived for 30 years in a word where time seemed
to have stopped, wsa confused by this new environment, where human relationships
were substitued by cybernetic relationships.
After the initial diffidences to this new world, she felt enthusiasm for and
a curiosity in the discovery of how new tecnology had changed man' s life.
Above all how it had changed her parents life.
At the airport her parents were waiting for her, but world they remember how
she looked after 30 years? Laura looked for her parents among the crowd, were
she saw some familiar faces.
It wasn't until she found her family in front of her that she was filled happiness.
As they went home in the car, Laura had in her mind the normal concept of a
family car, typically used by her parents, but instead she finds herself in
a new technological vehicle. Inside it was not a car but something like a little
sittingroom, comfortable, where one could watch T.V quietly. Given that there
was an authomatic pilot, the only concern of the driver was to have a rest!
She couldn't believe it. Her parents explained to her that society completely
changed; that in a life so frantic one had the need to have as much relaxation
as possible. What could be a better place for having a rest then un a car? For
this reason, the structure and the role of … Have enormously changed. When
they arrived home, Laura rest in her original home, but also here technology
had replaced a lot of the old ways. First of all, there were no handles on the
doors and window, them were operated by the use of a camere which showed the
image of a person to a computer. After the first impact.... which astonished
ber she also had a great desire to know more about becoming part of this new
society. When she entered home it was time for dinner. She remembered how her
mother had been an excellent cook, but now the ability to cook was no more a
basic necessity. Given that before women had too much work now they spent no
time in tha kitchen; tecnhology had solved the problem. In fact new machanized
eletronic appliances had been invented. All that needed to be done was just
to push a button, having placed the incredients in the machine and after a short
time a ready cooked meal of one's choice would appear. Laura was enthusiastic
about these machines seeing that she didn't like cooking! Even though years
had passed, her mother still remembered what food she enjoyed most lasagne.
For this reason, she decided to prepare foe her a special meal in order to celebrate
her homecoming. There was no probiem regarding time, either, for technoiogy
had filied the breach in the form of a robot. It was easy to use, it had some
"arms" which, after they had been given the ingredients, prepared
and cooked all at the some time. Laura looked on astonished at the "arm"
which beat and prepared besciamella, the other which prepared the pasta, and
the central "arm" which mixed the various ingredients and placed the
lasagne into the over. After a very short time had been prepared an excellent
dinner and Laura felt happy to be part of this world where man's labour had
been substituted by new technological inventions.It was then time to have a
rest and she decided to have a bath. Hopefully she would have a bath in hot
water, given that it had been 30 years since she had the pleasure of plunging
into hot water, and soaping herself all over! On entering the bathroom, she
was that it too had been transformed into a little livingroom with an enourmous
bathtub. As soon as Laura immersed herself in it, there was a television in
front of her and a robot had the job of massaging her. At length, she left relaxed
after 30 years. In the morning she awoke early, and she decided to go to a bar
for breakfast, but there, too, everything had been completely changed! As she
entered, she failed to see any barman. In fact the barman had been replaced
by a machine where you programmed when you wanted to have. After a very short
time, you received a hot and very good breakfast. She decided to go shopping.
She was prepered to face any modifications that had been made to fashion. After
she had been walking through the streets of the city, she noticed that the shopwindows
no longer contained manequins. As she entered one of the shops, she observed
that there were no sales assistants. On looking around she noticed the presence
of a computer. She approached it and through some photocells the computer noticed
her presence and told her to choose the cloth she wanted. Laura indicated her
choise by puching a button that showed an eveningdress. Some pictures of dresses
appeared. The computer gave her instructions and she selected the patten, the
colour and the measurements. Suddenly a robot with the chosen dress appeared
and Laura, after just a few minutes, had a renewed wardrobe. When she left the
shop, her sister phoned her to say that
she was to collect her nephew from school. As the beh rang, she was reminded
by something her former years, she saw a group of children leaving school running.
What amazed Laura was that instead of them carrying rucksacks the reason why
the children brought their computers to school. Her sister explained to her
that books had been replaced by computers. All the school programmes remained
in the computer's memory, and the children learnt to write without making rnistakes.
Laura spent the afternoon waching her nephew painting some pictures, doing his
homework, reading with the computer. She was satisfied, in some respects, with
the use which the children made of the computer, but she was disappointed by
the fact that the new generation will never know the pleasure of reading good
adventure books or paint and colours with their own hands a picture as a gift
for their mothers. Laura learned after a whi le how to integrate in a active
way in the society of the time, appreciating the new technology and the new
inventions, because for her, they have improved men's life. For Laura there
was one negative factor, men's relationship were noexsitent and communication
was though machines and not interpersonal.