We Put A Man on the Moon in 1969, but…

It has been over 50 years since we put a man on the moon.  Reportedly, this technological and engineering feat was accomplished using less computing power than what our smartphones now possess.  While many fields and industries seem to have continued to build upon this amazing feat, I am a staunch believer that some industries and fields have been resting on their laurels and not doing their part to advance society.

We put a man on the moon in 1969, but haven’t been able to create a folding ironing board that does not sound like a banshee being tortured when you fold the ironing board up.

We put a man on the moon in 1969, but we cannot get on the same page and ensure that hot dog and hot dog bun packages match in number. 

We put a man on the moon in 1969, but we cannot get the cereal and potato chip industries to use resealable bags in their packaging. 

We put a man on the moon in 1969, but plugging in a USB device is still a 50/50 proposition of it being turned the correct way.

We put a man on the moon in 1969, but personal at-home printers still require advanced IT training to operate, and you are displaying no sense of urgency.

We put a man on the moon in 1969, but we cannot agree on a uniform credit/debit card reader.  I’ve yet to encounter any two stores using the same device/system.

We put a man on the moon in 1969, but every self-checkout machine assumes you are stealing. 

We put a man on the moon in 1969, but conference calls still begin with five minutes of “Can you hear me?” followed by someone speaking into the void for twenty seconds while unknowingly muted.

We put a man on the moon in 1969, but the ice cream scoop still bends like it’s made of recycled ice cream containers when faced with actual ice cream.

We put a man on the moon in 1969, but shower curtains continue their aggressive campaign to cling to our bodies.

We put a man on the moon in 1969, but public restroom soap dispensers still dispense either a dribble or a tsunami, with no in-between.

We put a man on the moon in 1969, but the stickers on produce require a team of specialists and a chisel to remove.

We put a man on the moon in 1969, but prying apart the edges of those plastic produce bags shouldn’t require licking your fingers, blowing on the bag, or asking for assistance from a small child with small fingers.   

We put a man on the moon in 1969, but God go with you if you have to try and find the starting point of a roll of packing tape. 

We put a man on the moon in 1969, but the “close door” button in elevators is either a placebo or an elaborate prank.

We put a man on the moon in 1969, but the “skip intro” button on streaming services appears just late enough to miss it every time.

We put a man on the moon in 1969, but airport security lines move at the same glacial pace as they did decades ago.

We put a man on the moon in 1969, but hotel thermostats are still hidden puzzles with no instructions and seemingly phantom buttons.

We put a man on the moon in 1969, but public Wi-Fi continues to be both slow and unreliable, despite all our technological advances.

We put a man on the moon in 1969, but every power strip is designed to block at least one outlet with oversized plugs.

We put a man on the moon in 1969, but the “easy-open” packaging on electronics still requires a sharp blade and a Band-Aid.

Despite our greatest technological achievements, it’s funny and a little frustrating that some of the simplest challenges remain unsolved. Maybe one day, we’ll finally conquer the ironing board or at least get hot dog buns to match the hot dogs.