Taking Care of Business: iPods, Razrs, and Blackberrys
I give up. I surrender. Technology has beaten me down. I am coming out of my Baby Boomer closet and admitting that I cannot keep up with the tech wars.
I attended a seminar recently where a young lady was talking about the latest gadgetry on the market. I had expected to hear about the little gizmos that impact the field service business, but I got an earful about all of the little gadgets (and some bigger ones) that everyone uses today, not just the HVAC trade.
What I found out is that I really knew very little at all. Now to be fair, some of the talk was about the video game industry, which I voluntarily chose not to be a part of many years ago. My idea of video gaming was playing Pong on the old Atari system. I just have never got into the video game mentality and it’s a good thing, too. I probably would have wasted too much time and money on learning how to destroy megamonsters and shoot up urban gangstas. Heck, I’ve never played one nanosecond of Madden Football.
But that should come as no surprise to the people who know me. I have never been one to follow the pack. I don’t even watch popular TV shows. I’ve never watched one episode of “Friends,” “Seinfeld,” or “Cheers” - including any of the millions of reruns shown nightly. Now, “Andy Griffith” or “Green Acres” - I’m a walking encyclopedia on those shows. I don’t own an MP3 player or iPod because listening to music or talking books just doesn’t do it for me.
But I digress.
The speaker made a point of polling the audience on what types of cell phones each used and what functions they liked the best. I was grateful to note that some of the audience members used their cell phone to make and receive phone calls only. What a concept. There are still people in this world who can live without having to stay connected to the Internet while they travel. I’ll check my e-mails on my laptop when it is convenient but otherwise, I don’t want to be bothered. There is something about solitude that is so appealing to me.
And don’t get me started on Bluetooth technology. People who stick that thing in their ear and converse out loud (so everyone within two blocks of their voice can learn about the talker’s personal and professional life) should be banished to the same place that we banish smokers - far away from people like me.
OK, so many of you prefer to stay connected with your notebook laptops and entertained with your high definition (HD) 100-inch flat screen TV, more power to you. Give me my simple flip phone and 27 inch (non-HD) TV and I can function fine.
Just check back with me in a few years when the prices come down on all of these gadgets.
I attended a seminar recently where a young lady was talking about the latest gadgetry on the market. I had expected to hear about the little gizmos that impact the field service business, but I got an earful about all of the little gadgets (and some bigger ones) that everyone uses today, not just the HVAC trade.
What I found out is that I really knew very little at all. Now to be fair, some of the talk was about the video game industry, which I voluntarily chose not to be a part of many years ago. My idea of video gaming was playing Pong on the old Atari system. I just have never got into the video game mentality and it’s a good thing, too. I probably would have wasted too much time and money on learning how to destroy megamonsters and shoot up urban gangstas. Heck, I’ve never played one nanosecond of Madden Football.
But that should come as no surprise to the people who know me. I have never been one to follow the pack. I don’t even watch popular TV shows. I’ve never watched one episode of “Friends,” “Seinfeld,” or “Cheers” - including any of the millions of reruns shown nightly. Now, “Andy Griffith” or “Green Acres” - I’m a walking encyclopedia on those shows. I don’t own an MP3 player or iPod because listening to music or talking books just doesn’t do it for me.
But I digress.
The speaker made a point of polling the audience on what types of cell phones each used and what functions they liked the best. I was grateful to note that some of the audience members used their cell phone to make and receive phone calls only. What a concept. There are still people in this world who can live without having to stay connected to the Internet while they travel. I’ll check my e-mails on my laptop when it is convenient but otherwise, I don’t want to be bothered. There is something about solitude that is so appealing to me.
And don’t get me started on Bluetooth technology. People who stick that thing in their ear and converse out loud (so everyone within two blocks of their voice can learn about the talker’s personal and professional life) should be banished to the same place that we banish smokers - far away from people like me.
OK, so many of you prefer to stay connected with your notebook laptops and entertained with your high definition (HD) 100-inch flat screen TV, more power to you. Give me my simple flip phone and 27 inch (non-HD) TV and I can function fine.
Just check back with me in a few years when the prices come down on all of these gadgets.