Rathdrum Prairie News: Technology overload bewilders this shopper
What is an iPod? Who needs to take pictures with their cell phone? Why does my telephone keep getting smaller and smaller – and where the heck is it, anyway? I used to know what department I was in when I walked into the electronics section in Sears or The Bon. There were TVs and stereos – lots of them – some with wooden cabinets and some without. I knew what I was looking at, even when I saw a few innovative TV/stereo phonograph combinations.
When I wanted to listen to music at home, I turned on my phonograph or the radio; when I wanted to listen to music outside, I carried my portable radio – and when I wanted to take a picture, I used my camera. When I needed a new telephone, I called my phone company and they brought me a new one. It was always in the same place – anchored to reality with a hookup to the outside.
Advancing technology has snapped that anchor, leaving both me and my phone adrift. I no longer know what I am looking at when I walk into an electronics store. I don’t know if the blank screen I am standing in front of is a computer or a television or a microwave oven. I don’t know if the small hand-held device I’m holding is a television, a telephone, a camera, a radio, a computer or a stun gun.
What is a 3G iPhone, a Facebook, or the Satellite Navigation Project? Who or what are cybersquatters, rogue resellers, widgets or bot masters. Why does Google want mobile airwaves? Why is Apple killing Boot Camp Beta, and what is it? What is Wi-Fi, and why is it reaching out to cameras and music.
We so thought we had made our biggest mistake when we chose that Beta player all those years ago, only to find that VHS won the VCR game. We didn’t have a clue what changes technology would make in our daily lives, or how that Beta-VHS dilemma would become a common occurrence. So common in fact, that I’m throwing in the towel this Christmas.
Having decided keeping up with the latest technological advances is not an option for me, I’ve decided to no longer look at those electronics Christmas ads this year, and to ignore the latest tech news. I’m not going to worry that Google is dabbling in Digg-Style Democracy, that Zumobi is talking about Widgets this week or that Cisco is leading in the Wireless LAN Market. I’m not going to price iPods, iPhones, MP3 Players, or any plasma, LCD or projection HDTVs. I’m not even going to wonder what toy they are talking about in the article, “For Toddlers, Toy of Choice Is Tech Device.” (I don’t believe it anyway.)
Seeking a return to solid ground, I’ll be returning to 1400s technology for Christmas this year. I’ll be buying books because I know what they are when I see them; even babies can figure out how to use them and they are user friendly. While reading a book one doesn’t have to worry about being attacked by large-scale Internet worms, clicking on infected cyber-messages or updating spyware. There are no worries about Internet hookups, satellite connections, cyber criminals or hijacked musical downloads. A book doesn’t require updated ringtones or a renewed commitment every time you turn a page. A book just offers simple enjoyment and entertainment, knowledge or advice.
Oh, and there is one more good thing about a book. When you are done with it, it is not obsolete and doesn’t have to go into a landfill. If you enjoyed it, pass it on, add it to your library or give it away. If you didn’t like it, use it for a door stop, a paperweight, or to start a fire when your jeep gets stuck in the winter woods and you have to keep warm to survive. Now, where is that darned phone?