Sign In »
Register Now!
Help
Posted by
GlenR 
Something strange seems to be happening to me.
There was a time when I couldn't wait to get hold of the latest and greatest technology. CDs replaced vinyl and I had to get a decent CD player, dump the records and update. DVD arrived and I couldn't wait to replace my video cassettes with the shiny discs - just as soon as they were cheap enough. Similarly with flat screen TVs. I drooled over the early plasmas that hit Myer at a lofty $15,000 each and lamentede their price and my ability to justify that expense. As soon as they were cheap enough, the CRT's days were numbered. And then, of course, I discovered Media Centers...
But recently I have noticed this trend is reversing. Instead of not just embracing, but lusting after the new technology, I'm finding myself strangely indifferent to it. My mobile phone is one that just makes phone calls and sends SMS messages. I believe it does MMS, but I've never really tried. As it's getting a bit old, I am looking for a new phone and am considering the iPhone or Andriod things as they are fairly cheap under a plan, but I can't say I've broken my neck trying to get one. I look through the reviews and so on and see what they can do and think, "when would I use that feature"?
I haven't gone down the Blu-Ray path. I appreciate the higher resolution, but it doesn't entice me as the advance from VHS to DVD did and, frankly, couldn't be bothered spending the money on it.
3D TV? Meh! Nice toy I guess but doesn't make me want to rush out and get one. Even the 3D movies at the cinema don't get me all excited.
But it's not just the gadgets that seem to underwhelm me, it's the new(ish) activities they spawn.
I rarely text message; if I want a conversation, I'll phone the person. I can't get interested in Facebook; I just don't care about the minutae of other peoples boring lives, and I'm pretty sure that my boring life would (or should) be of no interest to most other people. I don't tweet.
I prefer a map to GPS. If I want some female voice telling me I'm going the wrong way or that I need to "turn in 100 metres, 50 metres, 10 metres, now"; I can take the wife with me. I would rather plan my route than have some software direct me.
The wife bought an eReader, It's clever, nice and effcient, but after using it I find I miss the tactility of actually turning a page. Somehow the eReader seems to remove an element of involvement in the reading process.
Technology used to be my friend, and in many ways he still is. Of late, however, I find this friend is becoming a bit of a stalker, wanting to be involved every facet of my life, not just dropping in every now and then to lend a hand or hang out with me.
I just can't understand why are people drawn to the awful banality of Facebook and Twitter. Why is it people become almost dysfunctional if their smartphone isn't with them or if they can't get internet access?
I just seem to miss the point with some of the technology out there. So, I have come to realise that I am becoming a luddite. No longer loving the technology, but wondering what is the point of a lot of it.
There was a time when I couldn't wait to get hold of the latest and greatest technology. CDs replaced vinyl and I had to get a decent CD player, dump the records and update. DVD arrived and I couldn't wait to replace my video cassettes with the shiny discs - just as soon as they were cheap enough. Similarly with flat screen TVs. I drooled over the early plasmas that hit Myer at a lofty $15,000 each and lamentede their price and my ability to justify that expense. As soon as they were cheap enough, the CRT's days were numbered. And then, of course, I discovered Media Centers...
But recently I have noticed this trend is reversing. Instead of not just embracing, but lusting after the new technology, I'm finding myself strangely indifferent to it. My mobile phone is one that just makes phone calls and sends SMS messages. I believe it does MMS, but I've never really tried. As it's getting a bit old, I am looking for a new phone and am considering the iPhone or Andriod things as they are fairly cheap under a plan, but I can't say I've broken my neck trying to get one. I look through the reviews and so on and see what they can do and think, "when would I use that feature"?
I haven't gone down the Blu-Ray path. I appreciate the higher resolution, but it doesn't entice me as the advance from VHS to DVD did and, frankly, couldn't be bothered spending the money on it.
3D TV? Meh! Nice toy I guess but doesn't make me want to rush out and get one. Even the 3D movies at the cinema don't get me all excited.
But it's not just the gadgets that seem to underwhelm me, it's the new(ish) activities they spawn.
I rarely text message; if I want a conversation, I'll phone the person. I can't get interested in Facebook; I just don't care about the minutae of other peoples boring lives, and I'm pretty sure that my boring life would (or should) be of no interest to most other people. I don't tweet.
I prefer a map to GPS. If I want some female voice telling me I'm going the wrong way or that I need to "turn in 100 metres, 50 metres, 10 metres, now"; I can take the wife with me. I would rather plan my route than have some software direct me.
The wife bought an eReader, It's clever, nice and effcient, but after using it I find I miss the tactility of actually turning a page. Somehow the eReader seems to remove an element of involvement in the reading process.
Technology used to be my friend, and in many ways he still is. Of late, however, I find this friend is becoming a bit of a stalker, wanting to be involved every facet of my life, not just dropping in every now and then to lend a hand or hang out with me.
I just can't understand why are people drawn to the awful banality of Facebook and Twitter. Why is it people become almost dysfunctional if their smartphone isn't with them or if they can't get internet access?
I just seem to miss the point with some of the technology out there. So, I have come to realise that I am becoming a luddite. No longer loving the technology, but wondering what is the point of a lot of it.
Share This Entry:
0 Comments On This Entry
Page 1 of 1
Trackbacks for this entry [ Trackback URL ]
Recent Entries
-
-
-
When did I become a Luddite?
on May 15 2011 05:56 AM
My Blog Links
Recent Comments
1 user(s) viewing
1 Guests
0 member(s)
0 anonymous member(s)
0 member(s)
0 anonymous member(s)
Blogs Sponsors
As I write this I can see two beefy workstations that have been in pieces for months which were planned to be backend/ backup servers.
Late at night I sometimes think I hear them taking to each other, whinging about how disinterested I've become - and I know they're just begging to be reassembled.
Or maybe the voices are just my guilty conscience berating me for being so lazy?
You're not alone mate. I think it's an age thing. Midlife crisis perhaps? I read that not taking pleasure in the things that have always provided it in the past is a sure symptom.
I'm exactly the same.
Haven't upgraded a PC in years. Don't have and don't care for 3D TV. No interest in Blu-ray, though I do appreciate HD but my one and only TV is only 720p to this day. Do have an Android phone but it knows nothing of Facebook or Twitter.
To be honest more often than not these days technology is more a burden than anything else. Manufacturers fail to work together to produce a good end user experience. Instead competing against one another on formats and standards, leaving us is a technological mess that only the most devout could be bothered trying to sort out.
Much like I stopped listening to new music when my mp3 collection became sizeable enough I think I'll soon stop watching anything but re-runs of my favourite shows... For that matter, tv generally bores me these days and I'd prefer a good book.
I've either read the entire internet or anything on it of any interest, hardly spend any time in front of a PC any more.
If others want to get the best of their technology that's great for them but truthfully I have less and less interest in being the catalyst to their success. There's far too many problems with technology which is ironic given I always believed technology existed to provide solutions. Guess thats the end result of profit driven innovation.
Makes you wonder where we'll be when we're content again. Maybe tending the vege patch out the back?
Cheers,
Arkay.
I think its definately an age thing, and cause I could thing. I may only be 34 but the appeal started because I could do it and cause no one else could. I remember having our first computer "hatachi peach" (funny that people were still trying rip of apple) at the age of 6, and was amazed. It only had one game and because of enteraintment I tought myself basic and used to write games for my little brother. Then it was on to bbs at 14.4k and then 8086's and sierra games and the first sound card. I think I saved 6 months pocket money for that. $120 at the time. Then sierra games ( I still remember as a child writing snail mail to sierra because I figured out that you could copy the hercules graphics driver to kings quest IV and make it work when it was only CGA and up, still pissed I didnt get a response) :S. then pentiums, nvidia riva 128 and so on. I think the leaps in tech where so large in that timeframe but we have lost humanity in the meantime.
When I was a kid, we knew everyone in the street, almost every family had kids, a phone call was a special event, and you only had kids shows for a few hours a day on 2 channels.
now Im wont let my kid ride his bike on the street without supervision, worried that some rock spider neighbour could be watching him, and if you dont have sat your behind. constantly bombarded with emails and txt to the point work staff call me if they havent recieved one in an hour (as there must be something wrong with the system), and truly to what end? I still like the tech, but Im with you arkay it seems more of a burden now and the simpler things are more important. learning to sail, dinner with your kid with no tv on. Im still amazed to see the 55+ woman am sharing with addicted to WOW and that is all she does in her spare time and think what is the point?. Now I am the geek that knows things and is nice and can fix your puter (more or not for free).
Information and access to it quickly is the new generations blessing and curse.