When I was a young girl sitting on the living room floor in front of our black and white television, I marvelled at Spock and his Tricorder… or Bones and his device. They were possibilities. I never imagined that in my lifetime, rudimentary Tricorders would be everyday tools. I write this on a ‘droid tablet, a “real” handheld device capable of analysing data, storing information and scanning.

June 2 would have been my maternal grandfather’s 130th birthday. Victoria was Queen. The Wright Brothers had not yet flown. Transcontinental trains in North America were new-fangled and the epitome of high speed transportation. A mere three generations after his birth, we’ve been to the moon, transplanted hearts, and nearly annihilated ourselves, twice!

Sadly, for all our advances, poverty, prejudice and fear continue to exist. There is no Tricorder yet capable of eradicating ignorance.