Sunday, April 19, 2009

Technology from the Crypt

Ah!!! Spring is back. I guess its time for a little spring-cleaning. So… a few days ago I started sorting through my basement closet; the dumping ground. Along the way, I came across a peculiar item; an Olympus Digital Voice Recorder. A what, you are asking? Long before the Blackberry hit the scene, digital recorders were the latest fad for about 5 minutes. However, much like the floppy disk, e Mate, Zip Drive, analog video recorders, and other past technologies; its usefulness is… well almost non-existent. To be certain, some of these devices still enjoy limited popularity; a niche audience if you well. In fact, the Olympus Digital recorder is still very popular with Japanese college students as it is a convenient way to take notes.

With this in mind, I try to be careful with my technology purchases and with the technological advise I dispense. Gone are the days in which I rush to install the latest greatest operating system or purchase yet another untested technology toy. After all, who wants to buy a technological dud or a technology that becomes fossilized before the box is even opened? This is why I am a big supporter of testing technologies before bringing it to the classroom or workplace. Having said that, I still watch with interest to see which technology trends will transform how we use technology and who will be visiting the technology morgue next.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Interesting... I am curious about the other artifacts in your closet. After you write about them, you could open an exhibit or sell them on E-Bay.

Jacob Gutnicki said...

My collection is mostly old software. Although I do have an extensive collection of external hard drives.