Somewhat unknowingly, I had been following a systematically devised set of rituals to prepare and eat all my meals.

After rushing back from my lab, located conveniently within 2 minutes of walking distance, I put my bagel in the toaster and open my laptop sitting beside it. A progress bar starts to move forward as the laptop wakes up from its ‘sleep’ mode.  A slice of bagel takes longer to toast than the time it takes for my laptop to wake up for me. Before the progress bar reaches the 50% point, I open the refrigerator and take out the cream cheese and the strawberries I had washed in bulk a few days ago. With the laptop fully awake and ready to go, I lay everything on the coffee table. Meanwhile, I hear the popping sound of the toaster. Perfect. I have wasted no time.

I load up my Google Reader and glance at the list of latest articles to be read before getting my bagel. With the bagel on my left hand, my right hand navigate to the latest informative video I can find from the Google Reader. And I come across the following: ‘The Secrete Powers of Time’ by Phillip Zimbardo.

About half way through the video, I realize that I have something in common with the people Zimbardo describes. People who, if given eight days a week, would spend the eight day working harder rather than sleeping more or spending the extra time on having meals with family members…

Zimbardo, in the informatively creative RSA animate video, links the time perspectives of people like me with what technology is doing to kids – kids who should be more future oriented rather than present hedonistic.

What would robotics technology add to such a change in the younger generation’s time perspective?