Chestnuts Roasting etc.
If you are anything like me (and I bet you are you handsome devil you) then your a bit of a geek, and thus always prefers the 'techy' solution to a problem. Stuff the problem, a geek just wants the tech, especially if it's pocket sized, silver, has a small menu screen and good battery life. Like foil to a magpie, as long as it sparkles, glistens and delights your inner geek is gonna want it, whatever the fuck it actually does. And there's the rub. Because let's admit it guys (and this is solely Y-chromosome issue I assure you), gadgets are often just not that good. Yes, yes, yes before you start throwing your iPods at me (frankly I'd rather you posted them) I know there are some fabulous gadgets out there. However, for every iPod there's a hundred 'Oakley Thumps' - sunglasses and mp3 player together at last, 'cause your never gonna want music in poor light conditions are you now?!
As a geek I'm often looking for an over tech'd solution to a largely nonexistent problem. Take for example the task of keeping track of peoples contact details. To my wife the answer is simple. You buy one of those little books with the letters down the side and write the names, addresses and telephone numbers of everyone you know on the appropriate page. You put it near the telephone and updated it by crossing out the old details whenever people move or get a new phone. No, doesn't really do it for me either. Instead, I'd rather spend around 500 quid on various PDA's, pocket computers and mobile phones with address books that synchronise (partially) with just about every one of the 167 different Windows, Linux, OSX, Solaris, Spectrum, MSX, BBC Model B and Vic 20 (with 16K RAM pack) address book applications I've installed, loved, crashed, deleted and replaced in the past 20 years. Still, at least I could always read mine in the dark.
Occasionally though, you do get a really well designed, fit for purpose piece of technology. Take for example the donation website JustGiving. This site allows anyone to set up a sponsorship page free of charge. Great if, for instance, you want to hurl yourself out of a perfectly serviceable aircraft wearing little more than a backpack which, according to the person who gave it to you contains a parachute. The benefits are obvious to everyone. You no longer have to wander around the office carrying an old brown envelope filled with £18.87 in loose change and I find it so much easier to ignore things sent in emails. Brilliant! I also felt the same way about the Amazon wish-list. Fabulous idea. I'm much more likely to get things I actually want and the person buying no longer has to agonise about what to get me. Even better I can remain oblivious to what my Christmas bounty will contain until the big day, if I so choose. What could go wrong? Nothing, right? Not unless you too happen to share your name with someone who, as well as having an Amazon wish list, also loves to read about Hungarian waistcoat designs of the 17th Century whilst listening to Daniel O'Donnell singing the hits of ABBA before settling down to watch series 1 and 2 of 'Howards Way'. Thank Christ for eBay.
As a geek I'm often looking for an over tech'd solution to a largely nonexistent problem. Take for example the task of keeping track of peoples contact details. To my wife the answer is simple. You buy one of those little books with the letters down the side and write the names, addresses and telephone numbers of everyone you know on the appropriate page. You put it near the telephone and updated it by crossing out the old details whenever people move or get a new phone. No, doesn't really do it for me either. Instead, I'd rather spend around 500 quid on various PDA's, pocket computers and mobile phones with address books that synchronise (partially) with just about every one of the 167 different Windows, Linux, OSX, Solaris, Spectrum, MSX, BBC Model B and Vic 20 (with 16K RAM pack) address book applications I've installed, loved, crashed, deleted and replaced in the past 20 years. Still, at least I could always read mine in the dark.
Occasionally though, you do get a really well designed, fit for purpose piece of technology. Take for example the donation website JustGiving. This site allows anyone to set up a sponsorship page free of charge. Great if, for instance, you want to hurl yourself out of a perfectly serviceable aircraft wearing little more than a backpack which, according to the person who gave it to you contains a parachute. The benefits are obvious to everyone. You no longer have to wander around the office carrying an old brown envelope filled with £18.87 in loose change and I find it so much easier to ignore things sent in emails. Brilliant! I also felt the same way about the Amazon wish-list. Fabulous idea. I'm much more likely to get things I actually want and the person buying no longer has to agonise about what to get me. Even better I can remain oblivious to what my Christmas bounty will contain until the big day, if I so choose. What could go wrong? Nothing, right? Not unless you too happen to share your name with someone who, as well as having an Amazon wish list, also loves to read about Hungarian waistcoat designs of the 17th Century whilst listening to Daniel O'Donnell singing the hits of ABBA before settling down to watch series 1 and 2 of 'Howards Way'. Thank Christ for eBay.
posted by AntToeKnee at 9:54 AM
4 Comments:
Or people who are incapable of grasping that you have to buy it off the wishlist page so you end up with two of the same thing and have to faff around going through Amazon's returns procedure to get credit (minus the postage cost of course). Or who manage to change the delivery address so that it's "name, London". Oh wait, that was the same person...
Favorite Gadget Gift: Humax PVR 9200T (a hard-disk based twin tuner freeview recorder with 80 hour capacity + MP3 playback). Hmmm...
Naturally I had to purchase it myself as you can't leave that sort of descision to 'er indoors but it's the thought that counts.
Ah yes, the Humax 9200T, very fancy. Record 2 channels whilst you're watching a 3rd (you're obviously not a geek if you can find 3 simulaneous progs that you wanna watch). Can't do chase play though - can it? Not so smug now are ya.
Shame about the chase play - I often run up to it - say 'tag - you're it' and it just sits there. [sigh]
It plays a very poor game of Othello as well...
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