Sunday, June 5, 2011

Smart Phones, Dumb Users

I think I revered technology a lot more when it was priced out of reach.
That way, only smart people who earned enough money were able to manage it properly.
Today, I see the most sophisticated technology being utilized by the least important people.
I'm pretty much on call 24 hours a day in my line of work.  However, do I have a bluetooth hanging out of my head or my iPhone 4 growing out of my ear?  Absolutely not. 
I'm one of the few people left that still has a landline phone.  Anyone who needs to get in touch with me can call that number first.  Then call the cell as a backup.
My iPhone was a gift from my wife, who bought it for me to use for work.  Because it can record audio and video, as well as take pictures and text, we're able to deduct a portion of its cost at tax time, since much of its use is for professional, rather than personal use. 
Outside of my profession, I wouldn't have much use for it.  Even I'm not 100 percent sure of its features.  Just this past week, one of my colleagues from KDKA-TV was in town for a news story big enough to invite the local TV stations.  She was trying to figure hers out, and I could only suggest, having no idea of how to deal with the problem myself.
Yet I see people who look like the Smart Phones they possess is probably the most valuable piece of personal property they own.  While at the store, I saw a guy in the parking lot chatting away on his own iPhone while behind the wheel of an early 90s model Ford Escort. 
Hey pal, how 'bout takin' that $650 you spent for the phone and buying a better set of wheels?
They're the same people who have bluetooths and other devices. 
However, common sense tells me not to rush to judgement.  With today's lax dress codes, the guy could be an eccentric software engineer pulling down half a million a year.
Nah.

NEXT WEEK:   Vacationland

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