Technology Essay, Research Paper

He never got a look in that season, the manager preferring ‘experience´ in the quest

to stay in the third tier of Norwegian club football. The younger lads had to be content

to watch from the stands, or if they were very lucky, from the dugout. As relegation

beckoned, the manager decided that he wanted to have a bit of a clear out, and Egil

and eight others were thrown uncompromisingly into the wilderness – no job, no

money and most importantly, no education.

The internet hadn´t been around long, and so the chances of encountering it in a

small fishing village in north-east Norway, were minimal to say the least. However, one

day as he trekked through the thick snow on his way to the village shop, out of the

corner of his eye, Egil noticed the flashing of a screen of some sort. Before considering

the ramifications of such a move, he ran up to the door and gave three loud knocks. A

few minutes later, the door opened. It was a little frail old man with wispy white hair

and a walking stick. He asked what he wanted, and after a little consideration, Egil told

him that he had lost his way and that he needed somewhere to shelter until the snow

passed. The old man invited him in and they sat down in his living room, but as the

conversation progressed and they became more and more acquainted, Egil couldn´t

help his eyes wandering to the flashing screen in one corner of the room. Underneath it

there was a big grey box with a little green light shining in one corner, the whole

contraption totally out of place in an otherwise traditional Norwegian home.

On questioning, the old man explained that it was a computer sent by his son, who

ran a computer shop in Oslo, he said that it provided him with a means of

communication as well as a link to the outside world. He could shop, visit museums, it

provided everything he needed without him ever having to leave his house. Intrigued

but such a machine Egil inquired about the possibility of advertising on it. If this

invention was as popular as he implied, he could broadcast himself to potential

employers all across Europe. This idea excited the old man, who immediately got to

work, eager to typify the community spirit, and help a fellow human being.

The advertisement was not flash, there was no fancy word play or eye-catching

design. It just explained who Egil was and what he wanted. It said that he had played

for a top local side but, due to a continually empty trophy cabinet, had decided to

spread his wings. It continued that he had had experience at the world youth cup (he

once went to see a world cup qualifier), that he had great potential and immeasurable

ambition, and that he was prepared to start at any level. He would have been lying if he

had said he expected to play for a top team, but with age on his side, he was quietly

confident that his career was quite not over yet.

Months passed, but still noone replied. The phoneline that the old man had set up

especially for Egil had never been used. He became like a grandfather to Egil, the

relationship blossoming as they surfed the web and tracked down potential clubs

together. One day however, while Egil was sweeping the snow away from the front

porch, the phone did ring. Unable to hear the noise through the old man´s thick oak

door, Egil continued to work ardently. With the old man taking an afternoon nap the

phone continued to ring, and the snow continued to fall.