So in this crazy world of constantly updating technology, constantly evaporating employment opportunities, and inflation, how exactly is one supposed to keep up with current trends? You can read about them.
Guy 1: “Hey, I was just reading about the new Chromebook, it looks pretty cool.”
Guy 2: “I’ve had one since the pre-release dude, they’re alright…”
But that doesn’t work out too well, does it… Well, you could go into debt trying to keep up with owning the latest e-reader, tablet, laptop, ipod, smartphone, hybrid car, laser watch, Internet tv… But then you’ll wind up homeless and talking to tin cans your best friend about how cool that “new-fangled” Android tablet is… Of course, you could always steal it all… *ahem* ANYWAY!
So how do you keep up? Well, a combination of reading about it and purchasing it is your best bet. Obviously that’s a bit extreme in some situations, so what’s your second option? Demo it. That’s right, go to Best Buy and hop up to the display model and play with it for half an hour. Unless there is a line of people just itching to play with the new iPad2 (ha) I doubt they’ll kick you out. So just go nuts. Make it run benchmarking software, look up youtube videos of cats, listen to music, update your blog, watch porn… This way you know what you’re interested in. What you think will be the best suited “new toy” for you. This is how I found out I hate tablets. I can’t stand the full touchscreen input model. Don’t even like it on phones. I have a snap out keyboard for a reason… But that’s just me. Some people love them.
Some of you are probably thinking the obvious question (if you’re even still reading) though… Why bother at all? It’s all going to change in three months. The next laptop that reads your mind for input and has a holographic display instead of a lcd monitor is just around the corner, so why bother?
Because it’s fun. Why not? If you have some free time go play with a new toy. Maybe you’ll fall in love. Maybe you’ll find out you can’t stand laptops with no optical drive. Maybe you’ll find something else interesting in the store you didn’t even go to look at. “Hey, the new Red Hot Chili Peppers CD is out… I should pick that up.” But that’s not the only reason. It’s a good idea to keep abreast of new technology. No one wants to be the old man shaking his cane from his porch. “Darn kids and your long hair and rolling rock music… back in my day…” No… you want to know what’s going on. What’s new? What’s innovative? What can I rack up more debt buying…
And please stop talking to be about your "tube."
So ultimately it comes down to you. What do you care about? What do you want to keep abreast of? My friend Brandon takes random trips to his local Guitar Center just to play with new guitars, fx pedals, etc. Just because he can, and he likes to keep up with what companies are trying that’s new… or just seeing what he likes that is already on the market. It’s a good idea and never hurts. But do yourself a favor and research it for yourself too. Especially if you want to make a purchase. You never want to head to the store and find out you paid twice as much for a knock off of an awesome product… Or got fooled by a store display into buying a crap item…
Bottom line? If you care about innovative technology… read up on it, and try it out where you can. it never hurts to keep up with the changes, and hey, who knows… it could land you a job too…
Aberro Specus 