I am an extremely online guy, in a somewhat different way than most younger people think about being online.
I have spent decades playing online games, frequenting message boards, communicating. When I stop and think about it I have spent substantially more time with my wife ONLINE, than I have in person. I met her online, I…
I am an extremely online guy, in a somewhat different way than most younger people think about being online.
I have spent decades playing online games, frequenting message boards, communicating. When I stop and think about it I have spent substantially more time with my wife ONLINE, than I have in person. I met her online, I proposed to her online, we live separated for most of the year (and all of the last couple pandemic years) because she lives in Edmonton and I live near Las Vegas. I spend summers and holidays (in normal tears) with her.
I avoid social media like it will transmit a plague to me (because it will). No Facebook, no Twitter, no TikTok, etc.
I did not carry/own a smartphone until I needed one to play music in my new car. I barely use it. The screen and control scheme are too small and too irritating to me and I have ALWAYS hated talking on the phone--I think because my mother was ALWAYS on the phone.
And I am not a tech illiterate. I was playing with computers back in the 70s, learned how to program mainframes (and then PCs) used to teach Cisco Networking, Novell, and A+ Digital graphic design.
I don't suffer from FOMO, for the most part.
I have never been interested in virtual reality as it currently exists--as pointed out, it is actually inconvenient (and expensive). I doubt that VR will ever be good enough in my lifetime for me to be interested.
Well said. I've always been a fan of "relevant technology", which for me means technology that enhances the quality of my life, and very seldom means added complexity.
Technology enhancing quality of life without adding unnecessary complexity. Exactly. And, I might add, UNNECESSARY COST.
I'm not 'technology averse'. (Or cheap.) But I'm sure as hell not 'tech simply for the sake of tech' either. That's why I refuse to purchase a smart phone. Don't need all that 'tech' just to make or receive a call now and then, which is all I 'need' to do. And I have no interest in the other things a smart phone can do. Have this little gizmo sitting in my lap for that!
I was forced to purchase a smart phone as the "dumb" phone I got was too dumb to allow me to put more than one phone number for my contacts, or include addresses, etc. All they had to do was upgrade my prior dumb phone, which was great and didn't have 56 apps attached to it that I had to disable, to 4G! But no-o-o. The tech boys put all kinds bells and whistles I did not want and dumbed down their smart phone (I can't even transfer photos to the computer!). When it comes to new tech, they seem determined to give people things they don't need/want, and make it harder to give them things they do want/need!
WRT Metaverse:
I am an extremely online guy, in a somewhat different way than most younger people think about being online.
I have spent decades playing online games, frequenting message boards, communicating. When I stop and think about it I have spent substantially more time with my wife ONLINE, than I have in person. I met her online, I proposed to her online, we live separated for most of the year (and all of the last couple pandemic years) because she lives in Edmonton and I live near Las Vegas. I spend summers and holidays (in normal tears) with her.
I avoid social media like it will transmit a plague to me (because it will). No Facebook, no Twitter, no TikTok, etc.
I did not carry/own a smartphone until I needed one to play music in my new car. I barely use it. The screen and control scheme are too small and too irritating to me and I have ALWAYS hated talking on the phone--I think because my mother was ALWAYS on the phone.
And I am not a tech illiterate. I was playing with computers back in the 70s, learned how to program mainframes (and then PCs) used to teach Cisco Networking, Novell, and A+ Digital graphic design.
I don't suffer from FOMO, for the most part.
I have never been interested in virtual reality as it currently exists--as pointed out, it is actually inconvenient (and expensive). I doubt that VR will ever be good enough in my lifetime for me to be interested.
Well said. I've always been a fan of "relevant technology", which for me means technology that enhances the quality of my life, and very seldom means added complexity.
Technology enhancing quality of life without adding unnecessary complexity. Exactly. And, I might add, UNNECESSARY COST.
I'm not 'technology averse'. (Or cheap.) But I'm sure as hell not 'tech simply for the sake of tech' either. That's why I refuse to purchase a smart phone. Don't need all that 'tech' just to make or receive a call now and then, which is all I 'need' to do. And I have no interest in the other things a smart phone can do. Have this little gizmo sitting in my lap for that!
I was forced to purchase a smart phone as the "dumb" phone I got was too dumb to allow me to put more than one phone number for my contacts, or include addresses, etc. All they had to do was upgrade my prior dumb phone, which was great and didn't have 56 apps attached to it that I had to disable, to 4G! But no-o-o. The tech boys put all kinds bells and whistles I did not want and dumbed down their smart phone (I can't even transfer photos to the computer!). When it comes to new tech, they seem determined to give people things they don't need/want, and make it harder to give them things they do want/need!