Which is more important: the gadget, or the software and apps that runs it?

[superboyac]

... And Brave New World!! Don't forget about Brave New World!! 

-Edvard (May 31, 2011, 03:46 PM)

Oh yeah!  Of course!

[Edvard]

Wow, did this thread ever go off topic!! 

[40hz]

Wow, did this thread ever go off topic!! 

-Edvard (May 31, 2011, 07:05 PM)

More like it expanded to embrace a larger, more important topic. 

But that's what makes the occasional DC discussion so worthwhile.  People here aren't afraid to pause for reflection and tackle some of the more difficult issues surrounding our technologies. 

 

[zridling]

...the plutocracy will grow even more, then.... in our lifetime is the continual erosion of the middle class.... There aren't going to be many opportunities for the non-wealthy to go to good colleges, or even medium-grade colleges.  Education as a whole (elementary, high school) will become poorer in quality and will feel like spinning wheels.  The true, good education will not be available if you don't have a lot of money.  It will really be a plutocracy.  A gradual disappearance of the middle class.

-superboyac (May 31, 2011, 11:36 AM)

I think we've been there for quite some time. I asked the most respected businessperson in our town (a self-made multi-millionaire and overall good person) what commencement address she'd give to Seniors graduating into this world, this economy. She replied:

-- Don't be afraid to start at the very bottom and work your way up (unless Dad owns the company).
-- Take any job to get started.
-- All work is honorable.
-- It's going to take decades to move up, not years anymore.
-- And by the time you finally make it, be ready to lose your job and start a new career all over because a middle manager who's never met you will want to fire you because you make too much money.
-- Don't be afraid to start at the very bottom....
_____________________
How f*cking depressing. In other words, get used to substandard everything.

[Renegade]

...
-- Don't be afraid to start at the very bottom....[/i]
_____________________
How f*cking depressing. In other words, get used to substandard everything.

-zridling (June 01, 2011, 01:41 AM)

Well, there's always crime. It's not really much different than many other professions out there. You screw people to get money. I don't see the difference...

And retirement is only a phone call away~! The sucky part there is the corn-holing... but I suppose all careers have minuses.

[Stoic Joker]

You people are making it really hard to curtail my cynicism.

 

[elvisbrown]

For a few years I ran a photographic gallery and had to put up with gadget geeks going an about how good the Nikon (insert your number here) was compared to the whatever. In extreme cases I would walk them to the walls and point to a photo and ask "what camera was this image taken with". They would then shut the fuck up.

It's about what you do with it or what it does to the world.

Guns are a good example, it is the gun? or the bullet? or what happens when you point it at your head and pull the trigger?

[Target]

Guns are a good example, it is the gun? or the bullet? or what happens when you point it at your head and pull the trigger?

-elvisbrown (June 13, 2011, 06:56 AM)

a canon?

[Edvard]

Guns are a good example, it is the gun? or the bullet? or what happens when you point it at your head and pull the trigger?

-elvisbrown (June 13, 2011, 06:56 AM)

a canon?

-Target (June 15, 2011, 06:59 PM)

Gives me the shutters!

[Target]

Guns are a good example, it is the gun? or the bullet? or what happens when you point it at your head and pull the trigger?

-elvisbrown (June 13, 2011, 06:56 AM)

a canon?

-Target (June 15, 2011, 06:59 PM)

Gives me the shutters!

-Edvard (June 15, 2011, 10:00 PM)

SNAP!

[cranioscopical]

Guns are a good example, it is the gun? or the bullet? or what happens when you point it at your head and pull the trigger?

-elvisbrown (June 13, 2011, 06:56 AM)

a canon?

-Target (June 15, 2011, 06:59 PM)

Gives me the shutters!

-Edvard (June 15, 2011, 10:00 PM)

Don't be so negative!

[zridling]

A friend of mine got a shiny new sales job and was able to bring home both a new Motorola Xoom and iPad2. Couldn't believe how much each of them weighed, and was very surprised how responsive and quick the Xoom was. The iPad was impressive in a Apple way, but its basic apps were pretty basic (calendar, notes, etc.). On the iPad2, I had to touch the screen several times to get an app to close or to get one to open. And sometimes when I scrolled a page in Safari, the iPad would grab the entire browser and move it. I'm sure it was my fat fingers, though the Xoom didn't do the same thing.

If I were to further pare back my computer use, I could really -- REALLY -- go for a tablet. Both wanted at least $20/month for a minimal wireless contract. But since they only take Wi-fi and not a wired cable connection, I'm not buying a gadget that only allows one type of connection access. Oh well, I don't have the money anyway.