The Inner Realm
Anthony J. Cerminara
Freshman CHC
I hold in my hand, a thin wafer of plastic, fitted with tiny gadgets
and watchamacallits too small to be seen by even a good pair of eyes. Some parts
appear round and circular, metallic to the touch, hanging off of the plateau with
little tiny feet, and appear to be embedded in tiny globules of chrome. Other intricacies
look like tiny champagne bottles, missing the cork and painted skin beige. Different
colors mark their sides, describing their physical properties, almost like a name.
Their small arms connect them to the turf, which are also embedded in the goo along
with other cousins and variations of their race.
Next, there are funny looking things that seem not to belong in this tiny world of
devices. Insect-like black boxes, with eight or more legs sticking out of their sides,
seem to have a life and a place of their own. They can be moved from their place
of residency, with the proper tools, to take the place of another family member.
Their bodies are composed of even smaller components, simulated by various metals
of the earth. Their internal organs allow human beings to communicate with the inner
world, and provide a means of information exchange. They are the smartest of all
devices, despite their odd appearance.
The remainder components that comprise the board consist of red dots that light when
fed the electrical life essence, glass tubes which act like gates preventing electrical
current from accidentally flowing backwards, and many other oddly-shaped creatures.
If you ever got the chance to remove the inhabitants living on the surface of the
board, and viewed it from front to back, the wafer is quite simply put, an invention
of man without any real purpose. Sure, there may be intricate paths etched in copper
traveling the surface, or complex pathways in the form of silver scratches. This
piece of plastic however, serves no purpose without the life that resides within
it. The small creatures living on the surface of this primitive apparatus make the
real magic happen. When electricity flows through the veins of each component you
can almost hear the advent of a new age, a great world of change happening beneath
the surface.
I would definitely caution you against touching the strange creatures when they are
active, since their bodies harness enough voltage at times to kill a grown adult.
If you run your fingers across them when theyíre not active, they all seem somewhat
tubular or wine-bottle shaped, in exception of the bug-like devices which are entirely
flat.
If youíve ever been in a department store, and have ever taken a trip to the electronics
section, you will know the famous aroma of a wafer board from the first scent. It
smells almost like melted plastic. It is not a pleasant aroma, unless you are an
electronics fanatic and can tolerate it to the point of exhaustion.
Viewing this incredible networking of human and elemental technologies is far more
important than experiencing it with any of the other four senses. There is just so
much detail contained within this miniature world, that touch, smell, and hearing
cannot detect. Can you hear what the circuit board is doing? Not without a speaker
you canít. What about touching it? No, you might electrocute yourself or damage the
components. Weíll skip the taste, since I doubt anybody would attempt to eat the
board. I rest my case, sight is the most important sense in the world of electronics.
Along with experiencing this object that I hold in my hand, one must truly understand
its importance in driving the society of today and tomorrow, and itís complex inner
structure. Although each component appears to associate with its own subgroup, performing
routine tasks, each unknowingly works as a formidable team, pushing imagination to
the limits.
To put it in perspective, this object that I hold in my hand, forged from the elements
of the earth, allows our world to be as flexible and high tech as it is. Technology
is rapidly advancing, and in the coming century, gadgets and computers will eventually
become a far smaller and an increasingly important addition to our daily lives. Who
in todayís society can get by without the comforts of modern luxury? Who in their
right mind doesnít have a television or a cellular phone? What about a transistor
radio? In conclusion, the things that make our lives easier could not have been possible
without the electronic circuit. Technology and the future rely upon this tiny concoction
of semiconductors, to forge a new road ahead to better our society and way of life.
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