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 Jul 25, 2005 | permanent link