Cell Phones

One of my favorite things to say over the last two or so years is that technology is finally catching up with pragmatic usage. Now by this I mean that the main stream use of technological wizardry is finally reliable enough that Ward Cleaver can use it every day. Some people have commented on this particular anecdote by saying that "the coming years and months are really going to be exciting in terms of tech developments in the retail sector." While this comment is very true I do have one or two points to make and hence the blog post.

Point number one, we live in the present and not the future, therefore we can only comment on the items and tech available and usable now. Of course this does preclude anyone involved in the development of new gadgets but only in so much as I am using a retail availability as a common denominator for the judgment of the pragmatism of modern tech. I guess the point I am making is that if you keep putting off buying something because something "might" come out in the next six months, you'll never buy that new computer or cell phone. However, if you bite the bullet and make that tech purchase today, you too can enjoy the satisfaction of a instant before your new toy is obsolete. Now don't get me wrong, make your purchase when you feel comfortable doing so but please, don't labour over it and then keep delaying it just because something better might come out.

Point two, if ou keep looking to the future you'll never be able to enjoy our modern toys as you will constantly be in anticipation of those future toys. Case in point, if you were an early adopter of the modern air card, you probably have the PC card version. Now if you're lamenting your decision because there is now a usb version available, try to console yourself with the memories of the use you received while people were waiting for the usb version to be released. Besides, a lot of the telecom co, have upgrade offers.

Lastly, and probably most importantly, those future toys that we dream of and drool over would never come about without the modern product being used and tested. So in a way, by holding out for some future maybe product your actually delaying it by not taking advantage of modern tech and using it to it's fullest and helping developers work towards filling larger and larger niches. Tech is only as good and the projects and people who use it.

Anyway, that's it for tonight, just some thoughts I had on my mind, and remember, enjoy your tech!

Happiness, Philosophy and Technology

I recently read a post on Twitter, www.twitter.com, from Natalie Del Conte. Being a long time techie and fixture in modern media, she has a lot of exposure to people from every walk of life and little more in common with each other than an interest in technology. In her tweet she laments the fact that people seem to take every opportunity, when gathered in large enough numbers, to be cruel. Unfortunately this has moved into the social networking world as well.
In the modern world one would think that with the free exchange of ideas and art that the internet and web have fostered, we would be beyond the petty ritual of attacking someone who presents a different view or perspective. Now this is not to say that discussing or arguing a point or belief is not warranted. In actual fact it is encouraged, but for heaven's sake, stop hiding behind a twitter account or facebook post. Natalie Del Conte published a blog post post, http://is.gd/tzMt, where she brings up a very good point. If you do not like what someone is saying, either provide some constructive criticism or surf to another source. People who constantly have only negative things to say not only present a very dismal appearence to those around them but also encourage others to wallow in there own shallow graves of misery.
While certainly not on the level of Miss. Del Conte, I believe I have met a fair number of people in my life and am generally well informed. As such I have come to the conclusion that there are three types of people in this world. Angry people. Happy people. And finally, people who are only pretending to be angry because they think that will make them happy. This categorization is obviously very simplified as any number of mitigating circumstances can come into play when assessing someone's state of being and sense of self. To offer some examples and therefore explain what I am talking about and the point I am making, let's begin with Miss. Del Conte herself, a happy person. From her twitter posts one could glean that she finds great satisfaction from her work and daily routine. Her blogs also support this. Now take an angry person, say the guy in front of you in line at the coffee shop this morning who just couldn't seem to find anything about the day to be satisfied with. And finally, the fakers. Someone who preys upon those whom they believe will not stand up for themselves or who will simple accept their perspective as correct thinking. One quick stipulation, do not confuse the fakers with someone like say, John C. Dvorak. There is someone who appears cranky but is using his own personality as a delivery system for constructive criticism. If Plato were alive to day, he would conjecture that Mr. Dvorak belonged in his ideal plane of forms, complaining about the lack of a deli and blogging about how to start one.
Now, to return to my main point. I have seen in my own life too many people who need to be depressed about themselves and everything around them. Far too many people are far to willing to buy into fear mongering presented by our own news sources and governments. For too many years schools in every level of a child's development try to instill lessons of math science and subjugation. Where do schools get the idea that having signs out front with the following quote is a good idea?

"Failure is normal!"

What message are sending? Okay, I get the fact that you want to instill a sense of real life values in our kids, but why does it have to revolve around failure? Now to make sure I don't fall into the trap of being an angry person, here is some constructive criticism. Move into an education system that while yes, rewards success and honors performance, also fosters a sense of commitment and drive without agrandizing failure. That seems like a pretty tall order for any board or school to accomplish, but try starting with the baby steps. Re-institute firm due dates, re-establish grammar and assignment guidelines that must be met and re-affirm the necessity of common sense, right thinking and logic in everyday life by teaching not only science and arts, but sciences and arts together.
Those people that Miss. Del Conte laments in her blog post and that everyone has met either online or in person should be foster the same reaction from all positive thinking people. First, a simple identification of someone who is negitive and trying to spread their negitivity. Second, recognition of the fact that even though this person may not be satisfied with their current position, you should not be forced to believe the same things as you can be happy and satisfied without the world around you patting you on the back for it. Thirdly, every challenge we come across in life is an opportunity to learn something, if not about others and the world around us, then about ourselves. the next time you run into someone, identify who they are, and ask yourself a few questions. "Why is the gentleman in front so upset over a cup of coffee and is that worth getting upset over?" "Did that podcast really upset me or just present a different opinion and can I respond intelligently by criticising the idea without attacking the person?" "Should I ask John C. Dvorak where to get a good deli sandwich or just google it?"
No one can be happy all of the time, but shouldn't we be happy as often as we can, for as long as we can, whenever we can?