It is no secret that I have a love/hate relationship with technology. I enjoy hardware, immerse myself in the use of computers and now tablets, and do my best to integrate any bit of applied science into my life where it is feasible, whether it is purchased technology, or something I have created. I suppose you could call me a "gearpunk". Where the hate part comes in is dealing, mostly, with "planned obsolescence" and the overall human quality of wanting to fix things that aren't broken. I try to live as sustainable a life as possible; keeping things fixed and working as long as possible is my mantra. Anyone who has been around me when I had to upgrade to a new laptop knows how curmudgeonly I can become. I hate giving up on things. Landfills are full of horrifyingly large piles of technology that people just gave up on.
This all being said, I just about threw my formerly faithful tablet into the closest suitable hole I could find, recently, but I should start at the beginning. Two years ago, I broke down and purchased a tablet. I figured that it would be handy for the craft side of our business, as well as keeping track of invoices and the like while I was out on the road for whichever job called at the time. I was slow to adapt to it. In fact, after bringing it home and charging it for the first time, it sat on my nightstand for several days, ignored, long enough to require another charge before I finally picked it up to begin using. I finally acquiesced, though, and began using it, not just for work, but for personal entertainment as well.
Things hummed along smoothly, and I had developed a rhythm with it, turning it on in the morning and letting it "sleep" during the day, so it could dutifully gather my email and messages while I was away from it. Then, one day last week, I came home and woke it up to find a little window that said it had downloaded an OS update. There was one button: Install. That's it. Nothing else. I had one choice, and that was no choice.
What followed was several days' worth of frustrating swearing and restarting and attempts to back up my most recent files before the thing caught fire. The new, "faster, smoother" operating system wouldn't even open itself without freezing or crashing completely; never mind any other aps. Again, I had one choice: No choice. After spending several minutes speaking to a company rep by chat window, the best the tech had to offer me after all their attempts at debugging the problem had left my tablet totally blank and unresponsive was, "maybe it's just time to upgrade".
I was nice. I didn't stick around for the customer service survey.
Isn't that about the way things go, nowadays? Cell phone contracts are generally two years long. Extended warranties on technology purchases are usually two years, unless you spring for a longer term for a much higher price. Some companies aren't so bad, but the place I bought my tablet from wanted just at half the purchase price just for a two year extension (which wouldn't have helped, since it would have expired days before this debacle occurred). Either way, though, technology is designed to last around two years, at which time it is pitched out and replaced by the newest piece of future landfill ornamentation to hit the market. Arguably, you can still fix televisions and cell phones and computers, but it's gotten to the point where the cost of parts is prohibitive in the face of total replacement. Not to mention the fact that many humans, being a product of our "instant gratification" society, would rather not waste the time waiting for a repair. Many, but thankfully, not all.
I did, however, solve my problem. The little tablet that I have used so well for so long is breathing again and, thanks to my experiences with 1980s style computer systems, I had backups of my files with which to restart. I even think I patched a few holes in the OS. Yes, I use technology quite frequently, but days like today are the reason I still use notepads for writing and planning. If a pencil gets dull, you can use a bit of old-school technology to resharpen it in a few seconds, then get on with your damned life. What I had to do today sucked several hours from other projects that I should be finishing right now, rather than ranting about it.
Meh. There's always tomorrow for that.
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Thursday, January 01, 2015
Out With the Old. . .
And so, again, we find ourselves at the threshold of a new year. Tomorrow, the sun will rise on that brand-spanking new, 365 day-long chunk of temporal canvas and we will be forced to ask the all-important question, "Why the hell did I get up, again?"
Seriously, though, through all the haze and headaches of partying in the new year, most people will look down at their traditional list of New Year's Resolutions and probably just end up doing the same things they did the year before. Those who know me already understand my feeling on resolutions. They rarely ever stick, because we wait so long to implement them (i.e. January 1st), that we have learned quite well how to get along without doing any of these new, self-helpy things in the first place.
Please do not misunderstand my intent; I am all for anyone wishing to improve themselves. I got into personal training for just that reason, to help people achieve goals. I teach people how to fix things and try to help them see things in a different light, when I can, all in the name of helping them better themselves. I, in turn, am constantly learning new and exciting things in the process. No one person knows everything, but every person knows something. We teach, we learn, we grow.
Back to the subject at hand, though. How do we, say, take up a fitness routine in such a manner that your treadmill does not become an unrecognizable pile of clothes and other detritus at the end of January and your dreams of a six pack that doesn't hold adult beverages becomes another "what I'm going to do next year" dream? The answer is simple: Don't wait to start!
We, as humans, tend to like starting points and boundaries. Why do you think there are so many parks near seashores and rivers and canyons? I can say from experience that it isn't always for the scenery, because I've seen some pretty horrendous riverside parks. It is because we love boundaries. We are drawn to them. They resemble the unknown; Shakespear's "Undiscovered Country". Even though a thousand-thousand people have gone beyond that point before, it is still a new and fascinating starting point for our own journey. The start of a great adventure. The same holds true for the passage of time. We become fascinated by the fact that an entire year has passed us by and that another one lays before us, new and unspoiled as a new-fallen snow. We look upon its blank canvas and think, "I've got to do something special with this," when, in truth, we don't. Time will march on, relentlessly, whether we do something meaningful with it or not.
So what DO we do, anyway? Have you heard the mantra, Live, Laugh, Love? Do your best to enjoy life. Read new books, take on a fitness program, find a volunteer program to help others or the community; enjoy what you do. If you feel the need to make out a list of things you want to accomplish, by all means, do it. The thing is, you should actually try to accomplish some of those things. Don't put it off, don't think, "I'll start next month," just do it. Everyone has probably heard that it takes thirty days to make something a habit. There have been several studies that have shown humans develop actions into habits anywhere from as little as 18 days to as many as 254. The difference is willpower and determination.
For all of you, my friends, family, and followers, I wish you success in everything you do this new year. If I can help, I will certainly try. I am going to be starting my own business and attempting to live a more sustainable life. May 2015 bring you joy and success, but if you fail at something, may you learn and grow from the experience. Look to your neighbors and accept them for who they are, and respect their right to be themselves. Look to yourself and see your faults, and realize that yours may not be the only point of view. Live fully and laugh often, and love always.
Happy New Year, my friends.
Seriously, though, through all the haze and headaches of partying in the new year, most people will look down at their traditional list of New Year's Resolutions and probably just end up doing the same things they did the year before. Those who know me already understand my feeling on resolutions. They rarely ever stick, because we wait so long to implement them (i.e. January 1st), that we have learned quite well how to get along without doing any of these new, self-helpy things in the first place.
Please do not misunderstand my intent; I am all for anyone wishing to improve themselves. I got into personal training for just that reason, to help people achieve goals. I teach people how to fix things and try to help them see things in a different light, when I can, all in the name of helping them better themselves. I, in turn, am constantly learning new and exciting things in the process. No one person knows everything, but every person knows something. We teach, we learn, we grow.
Back to the subject at hand, though. How do we, say, take up a fitness routine in such a manner that your treadmill does not become an unrecognizable pile of clothes and other detritus at the end of January and your dreams of a six pack that doesn't hold adult beverages becomes another "what I'm going to do next year" dream? The answer is simple: Don't wait to start!
We, as humans, tend to like starting points and boundaries. Why do you think there are so many parks near seashores and rivers and canyons? I can say from experience that it isn't always for the scenery, because I've seen some pretty horrendous riverside parks. It is because we love boundaries. We are drawn to them. They resemble the unknown; Shakespear's "Undiscovered Country". Even though a thousand-thousand people have gone beyond that point before, it is still a new and fascinating starting point for our own journey. The start of a great adventure. The same holds true for the passage of time. We become fascinated by the fact that an entire year has passed us by and that another one lays before us, new and unspoiled as a new-fallen snow. We look upon its blank canvas and think, "I've got to do something special with this," when, in truth, we don't. Time will march on, relentlessly, whether we do something meaningful with it or not.
So what DO we do, anyway? Have you heard the mantra, Live, Laugh, Love? Do your best to enjoy life. Read new books, take on a fitness program, find a volunteer program to help others or the community; enjoy what you do. If you feel the need to make out a list of things you want to accomplish, by all means, do it. The thing is, you should actually try to accomplish some of those things. Don't put it off, don't think, "I'll start next month," just do it. Everyone has probably heard that it takes thirty days to make something a habit. There have been several studies that have shown humans develop actions into habits anywhere from as little as 18 days to as many as 254. The difference is willpower and determination.
For all of you, my friends, family, and followers, I wish you success in everything you do this new year. If I can help, I will certainly try. I am going to be starting my own business and attempting to live a more sustainable life. May 2015 bring you joy and success, but if you fail at something, may you learn and grow from the experience. Look to your neighbors and accept them for who they are, and respect their right to be themselves. Look to yourself and see your faults, and realize that yours may not be the only point of view. Live fully and laugh often, and love always.
Happy New Year, my friends.
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