The Lessons of 10 Years of Talking Tech

Some days ago, the technological Colum at the New York Times webpage celebrated its 10th anniversary. David Pogue, shared with us its learning during this 10 years of journey with the article “The Lessons of 10 Years of Talking Tech”, which in resume says that:

  1. Things don’t replace things; they just splinter. You want to know what the future holds? O.K., here you go: there will be both iPhones and Android phones. There will be both satellite radio and AM/ There FM. will be both printed books and e-books. Things don’t replace things; they just add on.
  2. Sooner or later, everything goes on-demand. The last 10 years have brought a sweeping switch from tape and paper storage to digital downloads. Music, TV shows, movies, photos and now books and newspapers. We want instant access. We want it easy. Our grandchildren will find it hilarious that people, when they wanted to watch a movie at home, used to get in a “car” and drive to a “building” to rent a plastic “disc” that had to be “returned”.
  3. Some people’s gadgets determine their self-esteem. Today’s gadgets are intensely personal. Your phone or camera or music player makes a statement, reflects your style and character. No wonder some people interpret criticisms of a product as a criticism of their choices. By extension, it’s a critique of them.
  4. Everybody reads with a lens. My point was that you could view this machine very differently depending on your technical background.
  5. It’s not that hard to tell the winners from the losers. But the truth is, telling the winners from the losers usually isn’t very difficult. Anyone could do it. And some of the flops were colossal.
  6. Some concepts’ time may never come. The same “breakthrough” ideas keep surfacing — and bombing, year after year.
  7. Forget about forever — nothing lasts a year. Everybody knows that’s the way tech goes. The trick is to accept your gadget’s obsolescence at the time you buy it, so you feel no sense of loss when it’s discontinued next fall.
  8. Nobody can keep up. There’s too much stuff coming too fast. It’s impossible to keep up with trends, to know what to buy, to avoid feeling left behind. In other words, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, you’re not alone, and it’s O.K. to let yourself off the hook.

I find it a bit difficult to agree with the first lesson. I have the idea that some things will for sure replace others things, I guess it is just a matter of time for this to happen! And he basically gives an example with the second lesson, “our way of storage data”. By the way the last lesson makes me feel better now, to know that I am not the only one that feels out of fashion on the tech issues!

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2 Responses to The Lessons of 10 Years of Talking Tech

  1. Maria Hägglöf says:

    I agree with most of it. But just as you I don’t agree with the first lesson. And as you say number one and number two are contradictory. The CD is replaced, the vinyl record was replaced before that and so on.

  2. Marianne Loor says:

    I have to be the one to disagree and comment on the first two lessons which I find to be very true. Things are not replaced, the demand exits in another context or by those who liked the older format for other qualities rather than the new. But I guess this is a lesson you learn with time… And that is why lesson number eight is so frustrating, there are new things all the time.

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