Technophobic at last

For years I've been on the cutting edge of this thing called technology. Every time there's some new fangled gadget or gizmo, I'm there within a month or so, snatching it up with eager hands. And over the years, I've noticed that the pace at which these little wonders are unleashed on the world is accelerating. Not to mention the fact that once you own one of them, the newer, better one isn't far behind. It's a pace that shows no sign of slowing. In fact, it seems that the whole approach to modern life these days is about the next thing being better than what you just bought. The endless void of the "ownership society".

I've recently had a first hand encounter with the annoying reality that technology, nay, tech companies, over-promise what they can do to simplify my life. In their world, I (the consumer), buy their product and happily accept whatever mishaps go along with buying something so new that their own engineers probably just finished testing it the day before it was released. But in my world, I have to spend all of my time, and a great deal of money, trying to keep said product from deleting all of my settings and info at slightest hint of a solar flare.

What's even better is that some products offer ways for you to "backup" your data on one of their servers so that when your device inevitably fails, you will be able to reset it with your data, safe and sound. What's not said though is how all of your data is ripe for the picking of any industrious hacker with a grudge and a whole lot of spare time. Take the recent ChoicePoint unpleasantness, or how about the Paris Hilton snafu? Do these things inspire confidence in consumers everywhere?

But for some reason we just keep buying. Even as the quality and service of the products we purchase goes into the crapper, we don't seem to mind. Even as we are increasingly restricted on how we are allowed to use things we bought with our hard earned money, we keep downloading.

As with may things in this country I ask "Where's the outrage?". You'd figure if people in the US are stereotyped as mindless consumers that don't care for politics because they're too busy buying stuff, they might finally revolt if the stuff they buy is nothing but half-baked shit, right? Where are the boycotts? Where are the slews of class action lawsuits meant to keep corporations in line? If lawmakers have their way, we will all be enslaved to corporate copyright laws, with no legal recourse if any version of "tort reform" passes or mandatory digital rights management goes into effect.

These wondrous gizmos are supposed to help capture and enrich our lives, not steal away our time and money, while leaving us open to theft from others. I love the idea of technology, I just don't care for the current implementation, in any form.

On a personal note, I have to single these folks out and say, don't buy the palmOne Treo 650 unless you want to receive the free ulcer that comes with it.