It’s a hi-tech world out there

Hope A. Smith
Published: November 14, 2008

One of the greatest inventions of our time is the Internet — it can also be a dangerous thing, but that’s an entirely different topic.

You know, the older that kids get nowadays, the more expensive their Christmas lists become. From the $30 Speak & Spell (my age is showing) to a $200 iPod is quite a leap.

Last year, my husband wanted an iPhone. He asked me if I wanted one as well, because we could get a good deal on them if we purchased two. Don’t get me wrong — Lord knows we are not wealthy people. These phones were to be our “birthday and Christmas gifts combined” to each other.

I wasn’t sure I would actually utilize all the features of this fabulous piece of technology. But we got such a deal! So, I caved.

Folks, I could sit here all day long and sing the praises of this thing! Not only can I place phone calls (isn’t that the purpose of a phone anyway?), I can listen to all 500 songs on my iPod, surf the Internet, check both my home and work e-mail, and take fantastic pictures!

There had been one feature I hadn’t used until I found myself sitting in traffic, not moving because of an accident ahead.

Ding! A light went off in my head — I have GPS on this phone! While sitting, I hit the “current location” button, then my destination address, and, Ta-da! – there was my alternate route. Aside from the usual texting and game applications, now I can find my way out of a paper bag.

Thanks to technology, some cars come with remote start capabilities. You can sit inside your house, hit a button, and your car starts. Some are even smart enough to automatically turn the heat and seat warmers on when it’s cold out; or turn the air-conditioning on when it’s hot outside. We’ve really come a long way from the crank starts of the past.

My mom recently got a new vehicle. When we were driving back from Charlottesville in the rain, the windshield wipers automatically came on. I was in disbelief, and she had to convince me that, yes, this was normal ... along with a heated steering wheel.

We had a friend years ago who refused to purchase a car with electric windows. His theory was, “If the electric windows fail, you can’t roll the window down or up, that’s just more stuff to break.”

Sorry, but cool gadgets win with me every time. If the remote start breaks, you just have to deal with the heat or cold and start your car the old-fashioned way — still not a crank, be thankful.

Remember when microwave ovens were still a little sketchy? You know, what with the radiation and all? There were tests you could purchase to measure the amount of radiation your microwave was leaking! Wonder whatever happened to that.

In the early ’80s, microwaves were very expensive, as well as big and quite heavy. Now you can pick up a lighter, more compact microwave for about $50.

That amazes me — the fact that new technology gets cheaper and cheaper. When CD players were introduced, they cost thousands of dollars. Within about 10 years, they’d fallen to $100 apiece. Now they’re nearly obsolete, with the advent of MP3s, iPods and the Internet.

This old gal still buys CD players, albeit more infrequently, mostly because I still have dial-up! That’s a different story altogether, and the only thing I don’t like about living in the country.

When VCRs were becoming popular and Erol’s had the stranglehold on the rental business, there were theories that movie theaters were done for. Oddly enough, the theater experience is still very much alive and well, even with the DVD revolution and — once again — Internet.

The impact technology has had on kids’ Christmas lists is nauseating, though. The top of the technology list is the great video game. From Xbox to Nintendo Wii, some can only wish for the long-gone days of Atari 2600. But I’d still take the iPhone over the Walkman.

Hope A. Smith is a
community columnist and
resident of Orange County.
Her column appears Fridays.
E-mail