TECHNOLOGY and the TIMES

          After I “unplugged” last week, my return to the digital world took a few dips.

          As a both a consumer and a writer I think all people tend to hold on to the technological advances and systems that we like. And like any consumer accustomed to their tried-and-true, I’m a little hesitant to jump into a new technology unless I know its pros and cons, although there’s a lot of cool advances out there.

 A quick story to illustrate this is back when I was attending college part-time at night.  For eight years straight I packed lunches, budgeted my amenities, and dedicated all my free time to homework.  Things like online video games and high-speed internet were coming into their own at this time, but as I didn’t have the inclination or budget to invest in them, I went upon my merry way without all the fancy stuff.  The funny experience came after I graduated and attempted to reenter the world following my time school-driven seclusion.  

          Feel free to laugh as I confess that at the time I owned a tube television, a gift from my fifteenth birthday, the square monster living forever in TV years before it exhibited signs of impending demise; blipping and flashing towards the end. 

          Making my once-every-five-year trip into the go-to warehouse for home appliances, the store’s branded colors of yellow and blue blinded me, all the shelves displaying flat screens with Price is Right shaped stickers reading five hundred bucks or more. I felt intimidated, like Alice in Technologyland.  

          Looking around for a white rabbit—uh, a blue shirt—a nice sales rep exuded a saint’s worth of patience as I directly asked if they had any tube TVs left.  At first I wondered why the guy was leading me over to the kids section.  The mystery was quickly solved though as I blinked at a tiny tube with a plastic Jack Sparrow lounging on top, then over to its bubblegum pink neighbor, another small box sporting mouse ears and a big, polka-dot hair bow. 

          Okay, newsflash.  Tube TVs are obsolete.  It’s all Hi-Def and wide-screen and the size of a school bus now.

          I walked away with information about some of the new models, sticking with my rule of never making a big purchase without sleeping on it first.  I kept my die-hard relic of a tube until December at which time I received a moderate, perfect-for-me flat screen for Christmas.  It’s HD and compact, and with all luck will last me another fifteen years. By then I’ll have married a prince of a man who comes with his own kick-butt home entertainment system.  ;0)

          And if not, TVs aren’t my end-all.  I utilize them for basic cable and watching DVDs.  Because I'm a writer, my must-haves are the latest computer operating system and a hi-tech cell phone. Both of which I upgraded last week. 

I have a dictionary that docks to the document I'm writing.  Visual voicemail.  Consolidated contact history.  MS editing on the fly.  *Fistpump* Yeeesss!

I’ve been living the life… Until I decided to unplug.  Then I noticed that I have wires to pull.  A LOT of wires.  Attached to my keyboard, to my speakers, my video camera, my monitor... Too many.

In my techno-naïveté, the bare-bones, basic monitor that came with my computer failed to include integrated speakers, which I would have looked for if I’d known.  A combined camera seemed like a superfluous feature at first, a way for teenagers to video-conference friends sitting next to them.  If I want to see and talk to someone I’ll call, text, or get in the car and visit.  So until I had a legitimate reason, like to talk to my CP an ocean away in another country, the service didn't appeal to me. 

        It boils down to quality and function in my mind.  The technology needs to benefit people in personal ways and it needs to be consistent. 

        That minimalist future with flying vehicles and wireless everything?   We’re there. 

And it's hard to choose between what bells and whistles will last and what is unnecessary.

So the need for an all-in-one monitor prompted my bi-decade jaunt back into the warehouse.  The motif had changed, no yellow, more gray, making the place feel cavernous.  The reps were just as friendly although my problem was again, hard to fix.  There are wireless keyboards, solar ones even, to which I may invest.  But wireless speakers are as rare as tube televisions now, and with the need of a camera and certain screen resolution requirements, I may need to succumb to the current tech standard if I want to lose the wires.

Or I can keep it as it is, no harm in that either.

You know how technology is, you wait six months and the new takes over. 

So what is your favorite technology?  Any systems that you wish had stayed?

Let’s blog about it. 

- SNG  :0)