Is it Failing?

Recently I had the opportunity to engage in a public debate on the Economist.com with the brilliant Richard Szafranski on the topic "If the promise of technology is to simplify our lives, it is failing." In my defense of innovation and technology I found a renewed optimism that I haven't felt in quite a while. Mr. Szafranski pointed to some of the key issues of technology that we quite conveniently forget, and I was heartened to engage in his ideas. I do sincerely believe that the next phases of technology development will be for the better because we have no other choice really. Failure cannot be the accepted state for the future.