Chekhov's Mistress
I and My i Life
Cell phone, Palm Pilot, digital camera, Apple Powerbook with an iSight camera and photo printer/scanner/copier, plus an iPod with two different types of headphones, big TV, DVD/SACD audio, component stereo equipment and a fancy espresso machine.
Of the many misperceptions that plague me, my reputation as a gadget freak is the most troublesome. Sure, I have 3 laptop computers, only because I haven’t thrown the old ones out. Sure, I have a cell phone, Palm Pilot, digital camera, Apple Powerbook with an iSight camera and photo printer/scanner/copier, plus an iPod with two different types of headphones, big TV, DVD/SACD audio, component stereo equipment and a fancy espresso machine, but who doesn’t? I am an American.
Okay, the first step is admitting it. What’s step two? I own all this stuff, but surely I could do without it. Maybe that’s step two; admitting I can’t live without it. I could probably live without some of it, but I do get a lot of good use out of most of these things. What should I do, put them all up on E-bay and move to the country? Doubtful, although I’ve entertained that idea on occasion.
The only real problem I see with having all of these technical marvels in my life is that they must be updated constantly. Upon buying a 2 megapixel camera, one instantly realizes that 4 is the new standard; should you buy a 2/3 inch ccd, or wait for a new standard? Is 1.25 GHz fast enough for my laptop to run the software that’s always up-to-date because it does so instantly off of the Internet? And all that updating requires a sufficient amount of time to find out what’s best to buy, so the result is that once you’ve stopped perusing the digital camera zines, it’s time to start on the computers.
But I haven’t figured out if it’s better to be ahead of the curve or behind the curve. Ahead of the curve is to be an early adaptor; to be behind the curve is to be a savvy shopper. But is it so savvy? Is it better to pay $500 for a slightly behind the times gadget, or pony up an extra $200 for something that will not be obsolete for as many nanoseconds. So, what the early adaptors have is time and time is precious. That’s a fine justification; so I’m an early adaptor. Besides, being a savvy shopper is for wimps. Just buy it!
Wait, maybe I do have a problem.
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About this Post
- Posted by: Bud Parr
- Date: May 11, 2004
- Filed Under:
Song of Myself: Diary
- Comments:0
- Links to this Post: Technorati
