Liquid glass tyrants

When I was ten I had a pre-arranged nightly rendezvous with my friend Louisa, who lived next door. We’d both stand on our upstairs landing at 9pm and wave.?It was difficult to make out her expression or read the meaning in her wildly gesticulating fingers but the mere fact that we were communicating across 20 feet of night air was a huge thrill. I think we were mostly saying: “I’m going to bed now!”?

Like I said. Thrilling.

During the day we had other cutting edge comms tech to call upon - like two plastic cups connected by a long, taut bit of string. You could actually hear the other person! I mean, you couldn’t make out actual words, but tones and shrieks, yes!

Or there was the simpler but no less exciting option of leaving each other teeny-tiny notes in the hollows of trees. In CODE! We’d discovered book ciphers!?Have you done this yet? No?! Well… I've set you one at the end of this so you can have a go.

Of course we could have just used the phone. But it wasn’t that simple. It was anchored to the hallway table and its circular dial was so incredibly loud it would draw a parent out like a trap-door spider. You had to have a reason to call your friend. And what ten-year-old has a reason?

This is on my mind after reading Mike Hanley’s excellent blog on social media and the health of our kids. Unsurprisingly, it turns out 24/7 access to your mates, without need for plastic cups, string or house-to-house waving is not so good for you. Nor is access to the full horrors, alongside the full wonders, of unfettered internet.

More than anything, though, I fear our kids are missing anticip

ation.

(Yes, thank you, Rocky Horror Picture Show)

There is joy in having to wait to get something. I mean, hey, getting a same day delivery of Parisian fondant creams is pretty cool, I admit, but how much more might I enjoy them if they took a week to reach me?

The gadgets in our hands are innoculation against boredom. There’s always something winking through the glass, waiting to occupy any space between our thoughts.?

But boredom is a wonderful tool. Without idle thoughts there aren’t many fanciful notions. And fanciful notions lead to bonkers ideas… and bonkers ideas lead to extraordinary innovations. Or children’s novels. (Just sayin’.)

Do I have the answer? Not really. It’ll be down to each of us to work out whether a tech detox each evening is valuable. I’m very relieved my sons are old enough to make that decision for themselves.

And in no way certain they’re out of the woods…

BOOK CIPHER?! You know you want it. Except books shapeshift online, so we’re going to use a sonnet. Which one? It’ll be one of Shakespeare’s. Here’s your code sequence - can you crack it??(It’s OK - you can Google the sonnets if you don’t have the Complete Works to hand…)

5,12,4 - 5,5,4 - 5,6,1 - 5,2,8 - 5,5,1 - 5,10,2 - 5,10,8 - 5,3,4 - 5,1,8 - 5,2,5 - 5,2,6

It’ll take you ages. You'll love it. DM me the answer!?