Time for speed bumps?

I was reading a story on my homepage this morning. The fastest residential Internet connection on the planet is in the home of a seventy-five year old woman in Sweden. When I say that the connection is fast, I don't mean "Ferrari on the freeway" type of fast. We're talking "space shuttle re-entry without computer guidance" fast. According to the article, the woman can download a feature length movie in just over two seconds.
Think about that one for a second. Okay, she just downloaded an entire episode of The Sopranos, including commercials. Seriously though, we are talking a lot of content in the blink of an eye.
Her son installed this fiber optic connection really just to show that it is possible. His mother is really new to computing. This is her first computer.
What does this super connection get used for, you ask? She reads on-line newspapers.
I told you that story to introduce these questions. When is technology for the sake of technology going to end? Does anyone really need to download that fast? One day we may be to the point where we can actually use this kind of computing power in our homes, but not for a long time. Right now, I think most of us would be satisfied with an Internet connection that is reliable and doesn't cost a fortune every time you download pictures of the kids.
It isn't just our connections to the web that have gotten so extreme. The machines themselves have gotten powerful to the point of the ridiculous. Some of the heavier computer geeks (and that's a compliment these days) are now using computer so fast that they are water cooled. That's what I said folks, water cooled, just like your car.
When I bought this computer, I liked the fact that it had so much memory and a two gig processor. What do I do with this machine? I keep a journal, a blog and pay bills. A simple lap top has the power to do a thousand tax returns, and here it sits, bored. As I type, it works between keystrokes coming up with a universal theorem, saying, "Come on, let's get on with it!" Yet I still find that there are still glitches in the basic programming.
Maybe it's the guy in me, but I can guarantee that my next computer will probably be twice as fast and have four times the memory. I think it's an extension of the old "my car is faster than yours" gene. It took an evolutionary step sideways. It isn't just for guys anymore either. More and more women are obsessed with speed an power. They just tend to be a little more refined about it.
Maybe we should slow down once in a while. The technology will be there when we are ready for it. Perhaps by then Windows Vista will have all of the bugs worked out.