TedPage

I was reading Technology Review and they were covering up-and-coming technologies like they regularly do. This got me thinking: Am I technologically behind? Am I going to be the guy who can't program his VCR in the future? Here's some of the technologies that I haven't embraced that seem to be taking the world by storm:

• Text messaging -- perhaps I'm just cheep, but this is too expensive. For the most part, I'll either IM someone or call them. Perhaps send an e-mail. I think it could be useful, but with the cost I've never really gotten involved.
• Podcasting -- I have a portable music player, but I don't listen to podcasts. Mostly this is because I never plug it into my computer except when I get a new CD. Plus, most of the time my computer is asleep when I'm not using it -- it's not downloading MP3s. Sure, KCRW has some really great stuff, but with a 35 hour battery life I never plug my music player into anything more than once every couple weeks.
• Cell phone camera -- I admit it, my cell phone doesn't have a camera. While I have found a couple of situations where I thought it might be useful, I'm just not excited about going out to get a camera in my cell phone. This is probably mostly because I'm a graphics snob and can't take the idea of having a plastic lens on my camera, but I still don't have one.

In many ways I couldn't really care less about many of these things. They may catch on in time, they may not. Perhaps, one day, I'll be unable to imagine living with out them. As a technologist today, I have to wonder if not embracing these emerging technologies is putting me on the fast track to obsolescence. Bring on the Beta VCR!

posted on Mon, 25 Jul 2005 at 02:44 | permanent link