You can't beat the delight of unwrapping a shiny new toy in all its (usually) glossy black slickness.
The first time you press the 'on' switch or, as is more likely these days, stroke the surface in a vaguely lascivious manner as if enticing the item to do its thing rather than like it was in olden times ( 2001, 2002), when you poked it into life with an aggressive finger.
The way the lights glow and pulse as 'the box' is fluttering its diodes at you, Siren-like: ". Stroke me, insert that into me. Look what I can show you in 1080p. Listen as I whisper to you in 7.1."
Then the thing starts to get fickle.
Then the gadget starts to get demanding.
"I need attention! I can't do what you want me to until You do what I want You to do."
When did that happen? When did it start that the stuff we buy makes us do stuff for it or it would take its bat and ball home, or just refuse to come out to play at all!
Now, it seems, everything needs up-grading every five minutes. "A new version is available: do you want to down-load now?" The underlying, unspoken line being: "if you don't you wont be cool, you'll be left behind, or worse: you wont even be able to use me at all." The Horror!
Yes, I know other stuff, like cars, need care and attention, needs to be treated like a family pet, but when did a video tape recorder or walkman ever need a monthly overhaul in order to keep doing what it did. Or the washing machine for that matter!
Of course, I wont stop buying Stuff, I like it too much. I, like most of my fellow humans, seem to crave The New, the necessity to change in the hope that this means improvement to MY life.
However, as evolution of the human variety hasn't seemed to improve our lot overall (bigger and better sticks to hit each other with), the constant evolution of technology only seems to make us more slaves to the device.
Now, where's my ipod?
No comments:
Post a Comment