The days of keeping up with technology are far behind us, if those days ever even existed.
These days you’re lucky if you get out of the store before your new phone, computer or camera is rendered obsolete.
I bought my cell phone a few months ago, newly released at the time and by the time I went online with it, a flurry of new devices meant to replace it were ready to be released, seemingly out of nowhere.
It’s not like I just decided to buy a random phone out of the blue. No I did some extensive research.
The new devices, shinier, faster and more responsive, make my so-called brand new phone look like a relic from ancient Rome.
And don’t get me started on the ridiculous amount of research I did before buying my digital SLR camera.
I made the purchase knowing as soon as the return period ended, the new version would be coming out with never-before-seen features.
Your camera takes pictures? Does it quote classic literature? Can you use it as an X-ray machine? Does a helicopter rotor spring out of the lens?
Maybe not all of these upgrades are close to fruition but it does bring up a good point: that even though your technology envy might pull you to all the new products out there, you just have to be happy with the things you have.
It makes me think of my old flip cell phone, which I probably would still be using now if it weren’t for a rainy afternoon in a small Albertan town.
Do I need a phone that uses the Internet? Not really. I have a computer. Do I need a camera that can shoot lasers or take photos of invisible dust mites? As interesting as that would be, no not really. I like to compare it to an axe. An axe only needs to do one thing; chop wood.
New technology gives you a lot of decisions to make, probably too many. Should you snap a picture or just take a video with a new camera? Should you text, email, Skype, tweet, send a video to contact somebody while using a cell?
I definitely can’t answer these questions and think it’s safe to assume using your cell to make a call is out of the question.
Arne Petryshen is a reporter for the Grand Forks Gazette.