Becoming Obsolete and the X-Box
Following the Directions on This Box is a Bit More Complicated than That Duncan Hines Cake
At my Italy cooking class, I learned far more than just cooking. I was in class with 22 other Americans – we spanned in age from 30 to 70. About 1/3 of us had some type of PDA – be it an Iphone or a blackberry. The rest had regular cell phones. Some people were openly technologically phobic making jokes about how they would rather get s$** faced than do facebook. It was clear that the folks without the PDA’s were not quite sure just why they would want one – some people were openly hostile about the technology saying they have envisioned running over their spouses blackberries.
It got me thinking about my own technological phobias – the X-Box. To my kids, I am like the 1950’s housewife who never wanted to learn how to drive when it comes to the X-Box and the WII. Actually anything related to home entertainment – I am a total techno tard.
I got reminded of this when studying home entertainment systems related to my Thanksgiving day bash. Okay so who has to figure out their home entertainment system, pick out a trim package for their house remodel project, revise tile and carpet decisions just to put a turkey on the table? If you’re a Project Management crack pot who installed an artificial deadline to complete a long lingering project, this is what you do in the spirit of the holidays. And I don’t think I’m the only nut job on the planet that has used some arbitrary deadline to finish up some type of home improvement project – look at all the crazy stuff people do to get their house ready for the “baby.” I mean that little blob of loveliness is not going to notice that ducky boarder in their nursery for quite some time when it would rather be sleeping with Mom and Dad anyhow.
So I digress, but the X-Box had kicked my technological prowess to the curb – NO MORE. Yes last night, I conquered my fear of the X-Box. Pink controller in hand, I managed to set up my X-Box to watch Netflix on the TV. I had purchased my first X-Box two years ago – just to prove to the kids that no, Mom was not a total techno tard. I even got my own pink controller and learned how to play golf on the thing (which I found extremely boring – I would much rather be out playing the real thing). But for some reason that little black box sitting next to my TV just really confused the living heck out of me – what was the total craze over this device? Last night though, I learned that the X-Box could download Netflix when I was studying home entertainment systems for the Thanksgiving day bash. WOW.
NOW – I have to do more remodeling of my remodel – it seems that NONE of the people working on my house over the past two years realized that it was important to have an Ethernet cable in the Entertainment center. I guess they were all techno tards as well. They certainly were all over 30. This also points out the importance of having a multi-generational team involved in the project. Had any of the contractors had younger folks on their team, I’m sure I would’ve had an Ethernet plug put into the entertainment center – they are damn near everywhere else in the house – including under the kitchen counter (but that was by special request for people wanting a faster internet connection working in the kitchen). Okay okay, yes that would be me.
Anyhow, as I get older, digital hearing aids optimized to my hearing loss – no I don’t worry so much about failing eyesight as I get concerned about falling behind on the technological band wagon. And what I know about learning – the more you learn, the more you are capable of learning. So bring it on – X-Box and Google wave – I’m not going to age my way out of the game. I say this as I get ready to launch my first Iphone App (more to come on that – it’s in the final stages of testing…..) When I’m 80 – in addition to finally making the A level on the community tennis team, I plan on being one of the oldest people creating an application for whatever is the latest buzz at the time. NO WAY am I going to out age the technology.
