The Future - everything electronic, nothing tangible

[morris]

On the site I found the link about CDs soon to be discontinued, someone posted this little rant

This makes me really sad. We're sucking the meaning out of everything "special".

Kids born in a few years will never experience the same childhood I did. I mean, my childhood was different from my parent's, but only in little ways. The next generation will grow up completely differently.

They won't experience saving up a few dollars here and there from allowances and odd jobs and nice old ladies, etc. Hell, before long paper money will be a thing of the past and everything will be electronic transactions etc.

They'll never experience riding to the store and going through the aisles, holding each individual CD in their hands and feeling it. They won't pick up a CD just because it has an awesome cover without knowing anything about the artist.

They won't open it up on the ride home and put their nose in the spine of the booklet, breathing in that ~new~ smell.

They won't kneel down in front of their CD players and wait for the lid to slowly rise up so they can slide the CD inside and watch it start to spin.

They'll click their mouse. For everything. To buy it, to listen to it, to read about it. Click click click.

The digital age sucks shit.

It's worthy of discussion, as this could be the not too far off future. How do you feel about it, everything electronic and nothing you can hold in your hand?

Kindles are massively popular and Amazon has started quiet negotiations with some popular authors to buy their work from them direct and sell it onsite, thus negating the need for publishing houses. Publishers are fighting this, but can they win against the never ending onslaught of so-called progress?

There is talk that magazines, (like Total Film) will eventually go completely digital. You won't walk to the corner store to pick up your copy or have it fall through the letterbox. You'll download it, the way you do everything else.

To which someone replied: "That can't work. What about doctor's waiting rooms?" and someone else ventured: "Communal iPads/Kindles? Covered in snot and fingerprints, and most likely busted or with a cracked screen because of unruly hellion kids fucking around with it. Joy."

A horrible picture, to me, but is it far fetched? I can imagine a time when instead of magazines you're offered iPads attached to wires like the phones in mobile phone shops. You can look, but you can't move it very far and there's no page to turn. I find it...depressing.

What kind of future will your grandchildren have? Where will their culture come from and who will be controlling it? Discuss?

[Jonesy]

It terrifies me, not because of lack of understanding of new technology, but because sometimes advancement doesn't necessarily mean improvement. I've got a cracking sound system at home, and the thought that there'll one day be no more CDs to play on it, makes me very sad.

Originally Posted by morris

There is talk that magazines, (like Total Film) will eventually go completely digital. You won't walk to the corner store to pick up your copy or have it fall through the letterbox. You'll download it, the way you do everything else.

I'm not taking my PC into the toilet to read whilst having a dump. TF have got to continue making paper copies, otherwise I'll be left at staring at the wall for fifteen minutes, rather than enjoying my private time with mag in hand.

[morris]

thanks for your post, Jay I enjoyed reading it. Being of a similar age to you, it strikes memories for me. Coming home to a new colour telly. Our first VCR (which was actually a Betamax). First CD. First DVD. So many sweet memories and how much has changed since we were kids.

I'm not anti-technology, I like new technology (though some of it is intrusive and annoying, mobile phones misused) and I love how relatively affordable it's become to most of us... but like you I'd never want to see the end of magazines or books. There is something reassuring and old-fashioned about them and what they give us. I like collecting things.

The end of the CD may be a premature alarm/ false panic but since CD singles became obsolete I feel sure it's coming. The thing that bothers me about some of our new technology is that there seems to be a narrowing of choice and options and it sometimes feels like we're being dictated to. Will the music industry get rid of CDs because they were too slow off the mark to adapt to the public demand for cheap tunes on download? Would they punish us like that? I think so.
I like to have things I can hold in my paw. I like packages and liner notes and even slipcases. I don't want my entire life to be on my computer, much as I love my computer and the Internet.

[morris]

Originally Posted by jaykays hat

My house has two surround sound systems, 2 ipods, an iphone, 4 flat screen TV's, 3 laptops, 2 PS3's, a PSP, Ninteno Wii, 2 Nintendo DS's, two compact digital camera's and a semi pro Digital SLR with various Lenses, 3 Virgin media HD boxes, a Sony blu-ray player, 2 stereo systems and a samsung MP3 player.

No wonder you like staying home when the wife and kids go out.
Party at your place? I'll bring the Doritos

[Zippykins1]

I'm not an early adopter of new technology but I do embrace things that make life easier. And I'm glad that I grew up when everything wasn't computerised and you had to get up to change the channel on the TV, so I can tell tales of what it was like "in my day".

The things I tend to covet and enjoy shopping for are clothes, makeup and pretty trinkets. I hope we never end up in a situation where everything is bought online and the thrill of trying things on and handling them first is lost.

[jaykays hat]

Originally Posted by Zippykins1

I hope we never end up in a situation where everything is bought online and the thrill of trying things on and handling them first is lost.

I remember the good old days when we used to actually go to Tesco to buy food, now someone turns up at the door with a van load of the stuff.

[morris]

Originally Posted by Zippykins1

The things I tend to covet and enjoy shopping for are clothes, makeup and pretty trinkets. I hope we never end up in a situation where everything is bought online and the thrill of trying things on and handling them first is lost.

Good point, Zippy. Mrs Cat has taken to buying jewellery and clothes on ebay, but still likes to shop for things in person. She's had to learn which label sizes run big or small, to avoid the wrong size being sent.

Jay, there are times when I'm glad we live in the times we do. The arrival of the monthly Tesco shop is one of them and I don't miss the tedium of going around to get it myself. Still have to shop fruit and vege because that needs to be fresh but it's better to try to buy local when possible.

Originally Posted by Zippykins1

I'm not an early adopter of new technology but I do embrace things that make life easier.

Don't we all though. We're becoming so butt lazy it's unbelievable. One day we'll end up like those guys on the big spaceship in Wall-E.

[jaykays hat]

Originally Posted by morris

Don't we all though. We're becoming so butt lazy it's unbelievable. One day we'll end up like those guys on the big spaceship in Wall-E.

I was thinking that too

[morris]

You can see it now, kids going: "Wha..? You used to have to walk, to...a store to buy food? It didn't just come to the door?"

[jaykays hat]

My kids find it hard to believe that we used to have to get up and walk over to the TV to change the channel.

One over aspect of technology that I particularly like is the treadmill, no more running on uneven paving slabs and treading in dog shit. I can even watch an LCD TV on the new ones in my gym.