A Year in Technology
Getting older does have a few benefits. One of them, if you are fortunate enough to embrace the concept, is a degree of self awareness and the ability to be honest with yourself. Over the years I have tried to adjust my technological habits but ultimately I am a creature of habit. My use of technology and consumption of content has been determined by the decades I grew up in. Therefore, I am a PC user and prefer to sit in my office where I write, play games and peruse the internet. I have my desk set up in a way that suits my needs and I can go about my business in comfort. When away from my office, I rely heavily on my phone as an alternative platform. In some instances phone based apps offer a superior experience to the desktop or browser based PC alternatives. Banking being one example. For better or for worse this is how I do things and I am comfortable with these choices.
Getting older does have a few benefits. One of them, if you are fortunate enough to embrace the concept, is a degree of self awareness and the ability to be honest with yourself. Over the years I have tried to adjust my technological habits but ultimately I am a creature of habit. My use of technology and consumption of content has been determined by the decades I grew up in. Therefore, I am a PC user and prefer to sit in my office where I write, play games and peruse the internet. I have my desk set up in a way that suits my needs and I can go about my business in comfort. When away from my office, I rely heavily on my phone as an alternative platform. In some instances phone based apps offer a superior experience to the desktop or browser based PC alternatives. Banking being one example. For better or for worse this is how I do things and I am comfortable with these choices.
At present, possibly the most redundant piece of tech hardware I own is my Amazon Fire HD 10. It’s a nice size tablet and the specs were fairly robust back in Autumn 2018 when I bought it. But on a day to day basis I simply don’t use it. The Kindle book function was its main selling point but Audible has lured me into the world of audiobooks which I prefer. I would hazard a guess that I’ve probably only turned on this device 3 times during the course of 2021. I suspect I may sell this device in 2022, not because I’m averse to mobile “culture” per se but because my phone already meets all my needs in this respect. My Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, which I had since December 2019, is the most robust handset I’ve owned. It has a large screen and a powerful processor and outperforms the tablet in every respect.
Looking back over the last twelve months most of my technology based purchases have been either replacements or upgrades to existing items. I’ve written previously about how I seem to kill PC peripherals and 2021 was no exception. I had to replace an Xbox controller and a USB microphone this year. Sadly the latter still hasn’t been used in conjunction with the Bluetooth Earbuds. However, I am very pleased with the Soundbar I bought in the Summer and am impressed by the quality of the audio. It has certainly improved the cable management of my office desk. My recent acquisition of a laptop has also proven beneficial as I have had to spend an increasing amount of time at my parent house this year. I must reiterate my surprise at how much laptops have improved in recent years with regard to specifications, performance and weight.
As I write this post, the elephant in the room actually resides on the left hand side of my desk. The jury is still out as to whether the Nintendo Switch was a good purchase or not. It gets used for social gameplay, when we have guests (usually my granddaughters). I relocate the device to the lounge and connect it to the TV. However, I seldom use it for handheld gaming and I’m not even sure if this is down to not finding the right game. Fundamentally, I think that playing video games in this way just isn’t for me. Furthermore, if I were to obtain any other form of console, I suspect that I wouldn’t really get on with them either. For me gaming is done on the PC, predominantly with a keyboard and mouse. Anything else just doesn’t feel “right”. However, I shall keep the Switch and possibly buy a few more social games in 2022. Although I don’t use it that often it is very well received by my grandchildren.
At present, I have no immediate plans to buy any more tech in the New Year. A new television may well be required at some point in the next twelve months as the current one is reaching the end of its lifespan. There is also the possibility of our existing Internet Service Provider offering Fibre to the Premises in April. My dreams of a 100Mbps connection could become a reality. Apparently, I’m eligible for a mobile phone handset upgrade in February. A decade ago this would have thrilled me and I would have spent hours pawing over reviews and comparisons websites. At present the prospect elicits no more than a roll of the eyes. All of which is indicative of a shift in my relationship with technology. A relationship which I am now truly comfortable with. After all “the tail doesn’t wag the dog”.
A Year in Technology
In my lifetime technology has always been promoted as something that improves our lives, especially at a domestic level. The VCR in the eighties is a prime example of this. It liberated us from having to watch TV at a specific time and place. Then there the personal computer, which brought into our own homes tools, that until that point, had been exclusive to the office. And for all the ill that it brings, the internet has certainly made the world demonstrably smaller. It’s revolutionised shopping and has improved the administration of services. So overall, I still feel that technology is a force for good. However there have been changes. In recent years technology on a domestic level has ceased to be quite as transformative and become more of a disposable commodity. Tech is now a fashion accessory, with a distinct lifecycle and upgrade treadmill. It is fast becoming just another form of superfluous crap to fill your home with.
In my lifetime technology has always been promoted as something that improves our lives, especially at a domestic level. The VCR in the eighties is a prime example of this. It liberated us from having to watch TV at a specific time and place. Then there the personal computer, which brought into our own homes tools, that until that point, had been exclusive to the office. And for all the ill that it brings, the internet has certainly made the world demonstrably smaller. It’s revolutionised shopping and has improved the administration of services. So overall, I still feel that technology is a force for good. However there have been changes. In recent years technology on a domestic level has ceased to be quite as transformative and become more of a disposable commodity. Tech is now a fashion accessory, with a distinct lifecycle and upgrade treadmill. It is fast becoming just another form of superfluous crap to fill your home with.
Take for example the Amazon Echo. Despite the myriad of functionality it offers and which I constantly extol, if you look at my Alexa app on my phone you’ll see I basically use the device as a fancy timer and alarm clock. Do I subscribe to Amazon Music? Yes. Do I use the Echo to play stuff? No. Because it’s bloody inconsistent. I’ll request a tune such as Hangin’ Around by The Stranglers and the standard studio version will be played. I’ll ask again the following day and a live version will be trotted out instead. Requesting more specific permutations just compounds the confusion and leads to a third version being played. Personally I prefer the live recording from the album Live (X-Cert) but that’s not the point. This service should not be inconsistent but more specific. But I digress. My point is I don’t use this device for half of the tasks it’s intended for because it hasn’t quite become the computer in Star Trek yet.
“Hello computer”
Despite having more disposable income this year to potentially spend on fun and larks, to invoke Dickensian parlance, I have broadly avoided buying anything shiny and unnecessary. Instead I’ve just bought what I need. I replaced my keyboard, mouse, headset as they were worn out and I upgraded the SSD and HDD in my PC because I needed more storage space. My XBox controller broke and I tried to fix it but that wasn’t successful, so I got a generic replacement, rather than a Microsoft branded replacement. The only new tech I bought were my and Mrs P’s smart bands and a webcam for Zoom calls, despite Amazon regularly tempting me with numerous promotions. Over the last twelve months I’ve declined to buy an Nintendo Switch, a drone, an Android TV box, a VR headset and many other superfluous items that won’t enrich my life or provide any spiritual enlightenment. Boring old me was content to stick with my Samsung Galaxy S10 5G and my Fire HD 10 tablet.
However, there is one future technological purchase that is currently being expedited due to real world factors. The TV in our lounge is coming to the end of its lifespan and we’ve been planning to replace it for quite a while. It is likely that we will be upgrading to a 43 inch 4K smart TV. As of the 1st of January 2021 the UK will no longer be subject to the EU transition period and instead will be trading on the terms set within the recent Brexit deal. Simply put most consumer electronics are imported in this country or assembled from parts that are sourced elsewhere. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to speculate upon potential delays of new stock entering the country and prices to rise. It seems sensible to purchase a new TV now so it can be sourced from stock currently held within the UK.
For me personally, 2020 has not proven to be a technological nirvana. However, it has certainly played an important part in the UK lockdown. Working from home, remote networks, video conferencing, cloud storage and the like have all meant that businesses and essential services have continued ticking over. Internet access has finally proven that it is as essential as any other home utility service such as water, gas and electricity. Many UK ISPs have now stress tested their infrastructure and found that they can successfully sustain a high user capacity. I’m sure these services will prove equally as important in 2021. But for me, the PC remains the focal point of both my leisure and working endeavours and it’s ever evolving capacity to undertake new tasks is both fascinating and practical. It is the most important technological item in my home and I suspect it will remain so next year and beyond.
A Year in Technology
My relationship with technology has changed over the years and my enthusiasm has tempered greatly. Having worked in the IT field for 25 years (up until 2016), I have been immersed in technological advancement and due to my age have seen a great deal change. I was at one time an early adopter of anything I considered to be potentially beneficial to me and at times have been guilty of acquiring something “new and shiny” simply for its own sake. I have even flirted with that dubious notion of tech as a fashion accessory. But sometimes age does bring wisdom, so nowadays, I’m a firm believer in finding the sweet spot between “the right tool for the job” and “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it”. Subsequently, 2018 has not seem me acquire a great deal of new technology. However, what I have bought this year or started using has been well received and useful.
My relationship with technology has changed over the years and my enthusiasm has tempered greatly. Having worked in the IT field for 25 years (up until 2016), I have been immersed in technological advancement and due to my age have seen a great deal change. I was at one time an early adopter of anything I considered to be potentially beneficial to me and at times have been guilty of acquiring something “new and shiny” simply for its own sake. I have even flirted with that dubious notion of tech as a fashion accessory. But sometimes age does bring wisdom, so nowadays, I’m a firm believer in finding the sweet spot between “the right tool for the job” and “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it”. Subsequently, 2018 has not seem me acquire a great deal of new technology. However, what I have bought this year or started using has been well received and useful.
I managed to keep my ageing PC adequately performing for another 12 months, although I’m pretty sure that everything that can be improved, has been. This year I finally added an SSD as the existing hybrid drive just wasn’t cutting it. Naturally Windows 10 is now performing significantly better and has a much-improved boot up time. The clean installation I carried out has meant that a lot of games are no longer installed and those that are benefit from being on the SSD. At present this is just limited to LOTRO and STO. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, which I recently bought in a sale, has been placed on a secondary traditional hard drive due to its large size. This new game performs well but I cannot max out the settings, as I did with titles three or four years ago. I think 2019 will see me purchase a new PC but for the present my four-year-old system continues to serve well. However, that is mainly due to a memory upgrade, replacement graphics card and now solid-state drive.
I don’t know about you, but I get through a lot of keyboards and mice. I replace them both at least once a year and sometimes even twice. Keys tend to lose their markings and those that are used the most IE vowels, spacebar and backspace will become less responsive as their mechanism wears out. Similarly, I find that mice lose their left click quickly and that the perspiration from my hands eats through the plastic case. Both of these issues can be remedied by purchasing high quality replacements, but I tend to just buy a standard Microsoft keyboard from the supermarket along with whatever gaming mouse is being discounted. I bought a Trust CXT 105 mouse earlier this year which has the “added novelty” of changing colour. It does however have a fabric covered cable to prevent tangles which does appear to work quite well.
I recently wrote about buying a new tablet and how I eventually opted for the Fire HD 10. Some people don’t care for the device due to the pervasive way the Amazon ecosystem is integrated into the GUI. However, it has zero impact upon the consumption of content and I can read books, comics and watch videos in comfort and on a surprisingly good quality full HD 10-inch screen. 2018 also saw further improvements upon that other Amazon flagship products, the Echo. I originally purchased the first generation “smart speaker” back in November 2016. It continues to be regularly used in our household for news, music and internet enquiries as well as timers and alarms. This is also the third year I have been an Amazon Prime customer and once again, I have reaped the benefits of the subscription. I purchase not only for myself but for other members of my family. Subsequently I have a very eclectic purchasing history that often leads to some curious suggestions.
I acquired a new phone late in 2017 so have now had my Samsung Galaxy S8 over a year. I recently noticed some burn in on the screen so have moved icons and changed background to try and minimise any further problems of this kind. I have endeavoured to not be one of those people who is continuously on my smartphone and I’ve successfully imposed a set of rules to ensure that it is not used all the time, especially in social situations. I have removed a lot of superfluous apps this year focusing on those that seem to access my contacts and location for no valid reason. I have managed to not use Uber Eats excessively although it does make ordering unhealthy food on a whim and having it delivered to your door worryingly too easy. If they ever bring out a similar app for gin, then I may be doomed. The Taxi Card service that allows me to reliably book black cabs at a discounted rate for my disabled parents has been invaluable.
Technology is everywhere and permeates so many aspects of our lives. I order medical supplies for my father online and have an app on my phone that shows me what carers have visited him in the morning and evening and what actions they have taken with regard to his wellbeing. I can email my local pharmacist with prescription requests and have them delivered if required. The internet age certainly has benefits when managing my parents’ affairs. However, as a household we still choose to grocery shop at the actual supermarket, rather than shop exclusively online. And although apps, hardware and web-based services bring a great deal of convenience, they do not provide the social element that traditional face to face transactions bring. Therefore, I continue to try and maintain a healthy balance between the two. I also remain sceptical of so called “free” services that continue to harvest our personal data. Overall, I still think that my life has benefitted by the technology and services that it provides. It remains to be seen whether this equitable balance continues into 2019.
A Year in Technology
As technology has such an impact upon so much of our lives I thought I’d take some time to reflect upon how I have personally used it over the last twelve months. Having worked in the IT industry for twenty years my relationship with technology has constantly evolved over time. As I’ve stated before both on the blog and podcast I no longer feel compelled to be an early adopter or at thecutting edge of technological change. The hardware and apps that I use from day to day are tools and I now treat them as such, rather than as fashion accessories. Practicality and functionality are the things I look for the most in the products that I use and if there are no immediate benefits to be gained then it doesn’t get purchased and installed. It would seem the reality and personal maturity has finally trumped the “wow” factor.
As technology has such an impact upon so much of our lives I thought I’d take some time to reflect upon how I have personally used it over the last twelve months. Having worked in the IT industry for twenty years my relationship with technology has constantly evolved over time. As I’ve stated before both on the blog and podcast I no longer feel compelled to be an early adopter or at thecutting edge of technological change. The hardware and apps that I use from day to day are tools and I now treat them as such, rather than as fashion accessories. Practicality and functionality are the things I look for the most in the products that I use and if there are no immediate benefits to be gained then it doesn’t get purchased and installed. It would seem the reality and personal maturity has finally trumped the “wow” factor.
First off, the only major change I made to my PC this year has been an upgrade in operating system. Like 110 million other people I opted to install Windows 10 and have been broadly pleased with the results. It corrected a lot of the issues associated with Windows 8 and even produced a performance increase from my year old computer. Beyond this all other tinkering with my computer has been very low key. In July I bought a new steel series mouse which has proven to be good choice. Then in October I changed web browsers, moving from Chrome back to Firefox. If anything 2016 was more of note for the amount of software I uninstalled from my PC. The rule of thumb has been if it’s not being actively used then it goes. As a result many games and productivity tools have been removed.
Another major technological shift for me this year has been the way I use my smartphone. As with my PC I have been very particular about what apps I’ve installed but I’ve also broadened my usage. I do an increasing amount of personal banking via my phone as both the domestic banks I use have well written and secure apps, offering a broad range of services. Whilst travelling in May, I used my phone to successfully navigate from London to Liverpool, book accommodation and find a suitable restaurant. Both my smartphone and tablet are my main communications hubs, with access to all my email and social media accounts. It would appear that there is now a distinct delineation of services between my PC and phone; the former being a tool for content creation and the latter my own personal switchboard.
With regard to blogging and podcasting 2015 has been the year I finally stopped using WordPress. Although a very flexible platform, maintaining a self-hosted site becomes increasing involved the more it grows and expands. My move to Squarespace has proven to be hassle free and a sound choice. It is also a far more financially viable option; an important factor as both blogging and podcasting are ongoing financial black holes. Zencastr has proven to be a most effective means of recording the Burton & Scrooge podcast and has helped streamline the production process. It records from Skype, using the individual sound card of all those participating in the call. It then stores them as separate but synchronised tracks via Dropbox. The only improvement left for me to carry out in 2016 is the purchase a new microphone.
2015 was also the year my DVR became redundant. My set top box still has programmes recorded from the previous Christmas which have still not been watched. I simply don’t view live TV content anymore as on demand players have eliminated the need for me to record content. Binge viewing popular shows has proven far more satisfactory than the traditional approach of one episode per week. Even my consumption of news and current affairs has moved from TV to online. Radio has also become a medium that I increasingly use, mainly through a phone or a tablet. Furthermore when radio cannot provide the entertainment I’m looking for then podcasts will often suffice. Podcast and Radio Addict is my app of choice for both these mediums.
It would appear that technological downsizing and using new mediums for traditional content have been the major themes in my use of technology over the last year. I think the defetishising of gadgets and hardware has been for me a positive step. The pace of change once again has proven to be both surprising and exhilarating. I have also noted that a healthy dose of scepticism has been beneficial. My first forays into the use of contactless payments were problematic as I expected they would be. 4G coverage is also a term I continue to be wary of. However overall I have felt that my use of technology has been positive over the last twelve months and I look forward to seeing what changes 2016 will bring.