Tech talk while waiting for BBQ
Last night I was waiting in line at my favorite barbeque joint, which happens to be nestled in a gas station and next to a liquor store (one convenient convergence Wal-Mart will never one-up), when the woman behind me noticed the obsessive attention I paid to my BlackBerry and struck up a conversation about technology. Her premise was that technology is taking over our lives...I closed my eyelids and rolled my eyes at her comment. She was fired up about television coverage of the Pope's funeral, stating that it was intrusive. I argued that while I don't want my own funeral covered, I understood the reasoning behind worldwide dissemination of the funeral of such a figure.
She continued talking until I ended the conversation by saying, "Sorry, but I need to reply to this e-mail."
I got my ribs to go and headed home, thinking about the positive and negative affects of technology on my life.
Top three technologies, positive and negative.
+1) Internet - check e-mail, bank accounts and the box scores of my favorite Japanese baseball team at any hour of the day.
+2) iTunes - my generation's mixed tape.
+3) Laptop - I've never been without a laptop for personal or professional pursuits, since my sophomore year of college.
+/- The BlackBerry - a true love/hate relationship.
-1) Television - now that college basketball is over and the West Wing has completed its season, I would love to end my home cable contract. But then I’d miss Family Guy reruns….
-2) Digital camera - I miss society's love for and dependence on print photos. Sure, you can print your own digital images, but I find it easier and more gratifying to drop off a roll of 35mm at the grocery store.
-2b) Digital cameras that add the digital sound of a shutter opening and closing.
-3) Online-only customer service - I'm finding an increasing number of service-oriented sites that provide customer service online instead of via phone. Many sites no longer offer a phone number, requiring customers to send an e-mail or post an instant message.
She continued talking until I ended the conversation by saying, "Sorry, but I need to reply to this e-mail."
I got my ribs to go and headed home, thinking about the positive and negative affects of technology on my life.
Top three technologies, positive and negative.
+1) Internet - check e-mail, bank accounts and the box scores of my favorite Japanese baseball team at any hour of the day.
+2) iTunes - my generation's mixed tape.
+3) Laptop - I've never been without a laptop for personal or professional pursuits, since my sophomore year of college.
+/- The BlackBerry - a true love/hate relationship.
-1) Television - now that college basketball is over and the West Wing has completed its season, I would love to end my home cable contract. But then I’d miss Family Guy reruns….
-2) Digital camera - I miss society's love for and dependence on print photos. Sure, you can print your own digital images, but I find it easier and more gratifying to drop off a roll of 35mm at the grocery store.
-2b) Digital cameras that add the digital sound of a shutter opening and closing.
-3) Online-only customer service - I'm finding an increasing number of service-oriented sites that provide customer service online instead of via phone. Many sites no longer offer a phone number, requiring customers to send an e-mail or post an instant message.
posted by Andy Woolard at 12:30 PM
2 Comments:
The Pope was actually SEEN (as in people saw his image/him in person/him on television -- basically his visage) by more people than anyone else in the history of the world. I think that woman is a bit ridiculous for finding the coverage of his funeral "invasive." I wonder what her thoughts were on the coverage of 9/11? In the age of digital and live media, everything is subject to overexposure... (ahem, Britney Spears is pregnant! Let's tell everyone for three days straight!)
Sorry... "intrusive" not "invasive." My apologies for the misquote.
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