Tuesday 22 November 2005

Pic of the day: "I'm getting exited!" (I knew I would find a use for that screenshot one day...)

My tech lust

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
(Arthur C. Clarke)

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is irresistible."
(Me)

***

I am the not so proud owner of a number of nifty shiny objects that I should definitely not have bought, had I been a rational being. But clearly there is still some human nature in me, and so I act irrationally at times, even against my own better judgement, if I don't seem to immediately harm anyone by it. I guess it is a kind of infatuation, in the sense that an e-pal said some years ago: Infatuation is the belief that the other will improve my life, or make me happy. With humans, I know from long experience how far that is from probable. With computers, I find it more realistic. Or at least enough to suspend disbelief for the crucial time it takes to acquire the object of my gadget lust.

Yesterday I mentioned the PSP. Rather than waiting until there was actually something to use it for, I just had to get it while it was new and shiny. And I can't even show it off, because people I know have no interest in that kind of stuff. And let's face it, right now it isn't good for much else than showing off.

Then there's the latest Pocket PC, the HP iPAQ hw6515 with built-in mobile phone. That's awesome, but I phone perhaps 5 minutes a year, and any purchase decision ought to take that into account. Yes, I am always available, but no one in interested in contacting me, except occasionally Staffman from work with some technical question if I'm home sick.

My newest HP laptop is likewise a result of unbridled desire. I already had a nice enough HP laptop, although a couple years older. This one is better, but not good enough to compete with my desktop computers, and I don't travel; and even if I did, I could have used to old one. I'm still occasionally assaulted by the desire to look for yet another laptop, preferably a really small one. That's the high-tech these days. Laptops get even smaller and ligher. Must have!

***

Now that I think about it, I had similar episodes with other technologies when they were new. When the CD player was still on the geeky edge, I amassed hundreds of CDs, most of which I don't listen to anymore. Too bad there isn't a used CD shop in my city so I could do with them as I do with the books.

When the personal computer first became powerful enough for games (beyond snake and asteroids), I bought at least 100 computer games, often several each month. Some of them I barely played at all. I just bought them because I could, and because they existed and therefore I must have them.

Because any sufficiently advanced technology is irresistible.