28 posts tagged with "technology"

When K woke up, he felt something wasn't quite right, but he couldn't put his finger on it. The sky outside the window was the usual dreary grey, like the expressionless facades of the buildings he passed on his way to work every day. He reached for the phone on his nightstand, an action as natural as brushing his teeth each morning. Today, however, the phone felt somehow different. Beneath the cold glass screen, something seemed to be vibrating faintly, continuously—not like a notification, but more like... breathing?

Lin Xiaohe carried an iPhone 6 in her pocket. Not the latest model, nor any special edition, just the kind with slightly worn edges, a screen protector replaced countless times, a battery that didn't last long, an old fellow that would occasionally "ponder life" when running. Most young people on the street held shiny new phones with multiple protruding camera lenses, click-clack, taking photos so sharp they looked like they could capture your very soul. Not Lin Xiaohe. She just used this old companion, taking photos slowly.

The street she lived on had some years to it. Flanked by tall French plane trees, it offered dense shade in summer and golden fallen leaves in autumn. At the street corner was a noodle shop that had been open for decades. The owner, surnamed Wang, always cooked perfectly chewy noodles with generous toppings. Lin Xiaohe often went there for a steaming bowl of noodles with pickled greens and shredded pork. She would take out her phone and snap a picture of the bowl of noodles. No filters, no searching for the perfect angle, just a casual shot. Photos from the old phone weren't brightly colored, perhaps even a bit grayish, veiled in a haze. But Lin Xiaohe felt this was fine, like looking at things through a thin layer of steam, possessing an indescribable gentleness.

Nowadays, everything requires queuing, even rockets launching into space. It sounds absurd, but it's actually happening.

Old Li is an honest retired worker whose greatest hobby is fiddling with his smartphone. Recently, he has become fascinated by the NFC function of his phone, feeling that it is extremely convenient. He can pay with a tap and even use it as an access card.

Old Li is a honest and down-to-earth programmer. He lives a nine-to-five life, and the only thing that makes him anxious is the "little red dots" on various apps on his phone.

Li Tiezhut, an "AI face reader" with a stall on a pedestrian street in a third-tier city. In essence, he uses an old tablet computer with an AI face reading app, scans people's faces, and then the AI spits out an analysis: something like "a developed career line but a winding love line," "a full nose indicating wealth, but the children's palace is slightly sunken," and so on.

Business is hit or miss. Those who believe it find it accurate, while those who don't scoff. Li Tiezhut is quite content, as the costs are low: a tablet, a power bank, and a bit of data traffic.

Old Wang runs a small gold shop. Nowadays, who even buys gold? The busiest time in his shop is when the garbage collector passes by in the morning, taking a glance at the dull gold ornaments in the window. But recently, the price of gold has skyrocketed like a rocket, yet Old Wang's shop has become even more deserted.

He couldn't understand it, until Xiao Zhao, a tech enthusiast from the coffee shop next door, explained the concept of "quantum gold" to him. It is said that this new type of gold is not a metal in the traditional sense, but rather, through some quantum technology, consciousness and data are encrypted and stored in a microscopic structure. It can achieve various incredible functions, even curing diseases and prolonging life.

Old Zhang is a security guard at the Leifeng Pagoda scenic spot. He's been working here for twenty years and has heard countless legends about the White Snake Lady.

Master Wang, a veteran chef who has been in charge of the Geely cafeteria for thirty years, was recently transferred to a new department - the "Galaxy E5 Dumpling Filling R&D Group." He found the name strange, but he didn't think much about it, after all, everything now emphasizes "technological innovation."

The new department's office was more like a small laboratory than an office. Various unknown instruments hummed, and people in white coats came in and out, holding not kitchen knives and spatulas, but test tubes and chips.

The stage lights dimmed, and the music abruptly stopped. The entire audience erupted in thunderous applause, surging like a tide. Spotlights illuminated again, focusing on the group of perfectly synchronized robots in the center of the stage. They had just completed an astonishing dance, with fluid movements and precise timing, as if they possessed human emotions.

Zhang Qiang stood backstage, a tired smile on his face. He was responsible for the maintenance and control of these robots. This was his third consecutive year participating in the Spring Festival Gala production, witnessing the progress of technology and the indifference of human emotions each year. This year, his team had spent countless days and nights just for this few minutes of perfect presentation. He knew it was not just about the company's reputation, but also his belief in technology.