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June 26, 2007
How Technology is Taking Over My Life (and How I'm Fighting Back)
There are four devices next to me on my sofa and one in my lap. It's like a game of "Go Fish!"--I have two pairs and another card I'm ready to match...
Pair number one: cell phones. I have my personal phone, which serves as my main point of contact. Additionally, I have my new Blackberry. Just got it for work. I like it so far (especially because I can use the web anywhere I have a signal, which seems to be quite literally anywhere), but the device itself is incredible.
I hope not to develop the "crackberry" syndrome... That may be a challenge, however, since it's going to be part of my work days regardless of whether I want it to be or not (unlike most other forms of technology that I can choose to avoid if I need some asylum). I'm glad to have a work phone number, though, so I don't run up the minutes on my personal phone. More challenging than preventing crackberry syndrome, however, will be the task of juggling two phones. (At least I'm not juggling two Blackberries like my boss has to... yikes! I can't imagine how difficult that'd be.)
Pair number two: television remote controls. One is used strictly for operating the actual television device--turning it on/off, using the DVD player, and adjusting the volume. The other only operates the cable box--changing channels, using the channel guide, and operating the DVR. I hate that they can't be combined because it just seems ridiculous to have two controllers... The cable guy had tried to get my TV to respond to the "universal" remote, but it didn't. So does that mean my television isn't from this universe?
Let's get this straight--I have a 13" television set and over 500 channels. I might be the only person that finds this bizarre. I don't mind having endless movies, Law & Order marathons, music stations, weather updates, work-out channels, and educational channels like the History Channel, Animal Planet, and the Discovery Channel (three of my favorites) at my fingertips, but I suppose that when a person has such a selection of channels she might want a larger television set with which to view them. But I don't. Somehow it almost feels like a requirement of having such an upscale selection. But perhaps that's just what society whispers in advertisements.
The match I'm still fishing to make is for my iBook. I'll be getting a Macbook for work, but that'll probably arrive before mid-July. Life may improve significantly when this addition arrives. Life may also be generally the same, but with the addition of a glossy screen.
I feel like I need to develop a plan to keep myself from becoming too "wired" (read: chained) to my plethora of devices. With so many batteries to charge, I'm also juggling chargers and a twelve pack of Duracells. With so many things to "sync," I have USB cords to manage and Bluetooth to connect. I have countless buttons to push. I have screens to watch and information to digest and respond to... I just don't want to let buttons and screens and batteries and signals and lights to control me. They already have enough presence in my life without my becoming obsessed or shamefacedly addicted.
If I remember who people are without needing an email address or IM screen name to cue me, if I don't take breathing for granted as something expected like the little blinking status light on my Blackberry, if I make time to actually connect with people beyond email and phone calls and IMing (and blogging, for that matter), I will remain human and humanly connected.
Suggestions/comiserations welcome.
Posted by KarissaKilgore at June 26, 2007 11:39 PM
Comments
Maybe your vacuum needs a Roomba friend.
Posted by: Dennis G. Jerz 
at June 27, 2007 7:55 AM
Haha, that thing would drive my dog berserk! I considered getting one (since we have something similar to sweep the bottom of my family's swimming pool), but it would probably get clogged up with Trixie's puppy hair rather quickly.
Hey, wait a minute... are you encouraging this Go Fish-style electronics pairing??? That was sneaky. My house is like Noah's ark at Best Buy or something...
Posted by: Karissa at June 27, 2007 8:44 AM