Technological headaches

I have been doing a lot of reading at work about technological stuff, and it's kind of made me rethink my whole take on technology. I have never really been much of a techie, but for the most part I believed that technology's main job, up until about 10 years ago, was to make your life easier.

I'm not so sure about that anymore. Recently I bought myself a 4th generation iPod Touch as a reward for getting a job. My brother covets it and is constantly trying to download useless apps on it (when am I ever going to need a light saber sound effect?) My favorite part about my new iPod, though, is that I can finally fit all of my music on it--no more screening through my playlists whenever I add a new album. I could care less about apps and wi-fi.

But unfortunately, the trend these days seems to be that everything should come in one package, that everything you own should be able to do everything your heart desires. Using my iPod example again, I can use it to access the internet, take pictures and video, play games, read e-books, take notes, measure my walking speed, calendar events, keep track of contacts, use it as an alarm clock, and--oh yeah--listen to music. And that's not counting all of the functions I haven't figured out yet.

So while it is cool to be able to take my iPod to institute so that I don't have to bring my scriptures, I see several major problems with keeping up with the latest technology: (1) the "best" technology changes every second, so while you may have just bought the world's coolest toy yesterday, there will be something better tomorrow, (2) it requires constant research to keep up with the new technology releases, and (3) what will I do if I lose my toy?

And that's just the beginning. I am one of those old-fashioned people who has a camera, an iPod, a cell phone, and a laptop all in SEPARATE devices. And I have hundreds of physical books that you can hold, smell, and touch. Many people today would either raise their eyebrows at me and think to themselves, "Someone's sure making her life a lot harder than it needs to be," or they will look at me pityingly and start informing me on all the great things I am missing out on.

And, I have to throw one more thing out there--I like my privacy. I am a bit notorious for never answering or returning phone calls (unless an immediate family member is calling me). I don't want people to be able to contact me whenever they freakin' want. True, I love email and the fact that it saves me from actually talking to people, but with all of the technological "conveniences" of our day, it's hard to take a break from life. Constant interuptions aren't making my life better, and sometimes I just don't feel like multitasking.

I have always been a proponent of quick and easy solutions, and I think the old-fashioned options of 2 years ago suit me just fine. I don't have the energy, or the brains, to keep up with all of the latest trends.

I used to think it was pretty funny that my grandpa doesn't know how to work a computer, but I think I'm starting to understand him a little bit better. Some things are better left untouched.