Ok, so I don’t know any more whether to consider myself old fashioned of just outdated. Or maybe I just can’t keep up with the times.
It’s been coming up more and more lately. A few weeks ago I was out with some friends and decided to pose the Big Question; How does and I-Pod work?
They told me a bunch of stuff I don’t really get. And they laughed at me. I get that a lot. My daughter, for her sixth bithday a few weeks back got an I-Pod-like thing and told me about it. I said a was happy for her. She said I should get one. I said I don’t need one because I have a walkman.
She asked me what that was and I said it’s like an I-Pod but I also get radio. I’ve had it for fifteen years, and so long as it’s got batteries it works just fine.
I don’t have GPS. I don’t have HD TV. In fact, the only TV I have is the one my roomate gave me. It took me a year to figure out the multiple slots in the “send” option of my fancy new cellular phone meant differtent people I could send the same message to. And I still don’t know how to use the damn text thing right.
I’ve never shared torrents … I’ve been scared. I’ve never downloaded shows. I’ve never downloaded music. Not once.
I don’t really play video games. I only have a few games for my computer and the only console I own is a SuperNintendo. With six games.
My friends always laugh at me because I’m so outdated. I don’t understand half of what they’re talking about when it comes to games and technology.
I guess I’m just happy where I am and as I don’t have the cash to really do otherwise, so I’m wanting to stick with it. But I am worried that I’ll get lost in the modern work environment. So far I’m OK, but who known if and when I decide to step up.
And I’m only 30. Am I completely out of touch, or can I live like this for some time?
These things just don’t captivate your interest, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I’m sure there are things you’re really into and knowledgeable about in which your friends wouldn’t have the slightest idea about. The problem though, is if it’s not the latest techno-gadget, the latest car, the latest in fashion, or what was on Access Hollywood last night, you’d be a dork to try and bring up your interests to them. Sound about right?
Are iPods and video games necessary to live a full life? Not really. We don’t have a TV, which seems to send some people into spasms. We’re quite happy, though, really.
If you are getting along happily with your Walkman, you enjoy yourself and don’t worry about the technogeeks.
You don’t have to HAVE any of those things if they don’t pique your interest…but it does get sort of annoying when people shun technology to the point where they walk around and talk about how they shun technology.
It wouldn’t hurt for you to at least read about these “new fangled” technologies every so often, just so you don’t get all confused when your friends talk about games and whatnot. But there’s no reason for you to feel pressured in to buying stuff you’re not interested in because everyone else has it.
For the record, I’m 28 and:
Don’t have an HDTV, and I just got a free used regular TV.
Don’t have a GPS
Have an iPod Mini I bought several years ago, filled once and use sparingly.
Just recently realized I could text more than 1 person at a time (and my phone doesn’t do MP3 or Internet)
Don’t have any PC games, or anything more than a SNES with 5 games.
Carry around a transistor radio to listen to the ball games
Am one of the few people I know that can figure out how to torrent.
I’m sure you’ll get a lot of similar answers.
I do, however, know a lot about most of this stuff, because I read. Mostly Wired magazine, and threads here. Wired is full of stuff I could never afford to think about, but it gets explained to me nonetheless.
Ooh, I want to work in the People’s Love Village (mid-70’s). Can I get a dialect coach? (“No, it’s ‘man,’ not ‘dude’!”)
I have an iPod mini, which I loaded with 840 hours of music from CDs and have little interest in updating because, well, I have 840 hours of music on it. I can’t understand why anyone would want to watch a video on an iPod screen about the size of Dick Tracy’s watch. I have never played a home video game. The last arcade game I played was Pong. I do not have a Blu-Ray, a DVR, Tivo, or extended cable services. No HD, no GPS. The windows on my truck must be rolled down by hand. I have never sent a text message. I do not want to download songs onto my phone. I want it to ring like a phone when it rings. I don’t have a particular stance on these things (other than the ring tone). I’m just not sufficiently interested, and I’d rather read.
I’m 62, and I’ve got a 60G iPod (which is almost filled), HDTV, Tivo, a Mac with two 500G hard drives, and a bunch of other things. I can listen to music and watch TV and use a computer in ways that I never could before. That being said, there’s a whole lot of today’s technology that I have no use for.
Your life is yours to live and enjoy. Only you can decide what you need to do that.
Santa’s about to bring the wife her first iPod. I’ve never had a Walkman or cellphone (she’s had both, though). We’ve had our current TV, a Sony Trinitron, for 13 1/2 years now. And the last car that I ever owned was a 1978 Chevrolet Chevette, which I bought new.
I used to program computers in the 70’s.
I’m quite happy playing modern computer games, but only turn-based ones.
(I don’t download music, but I could work out how to do it.)
I bought a mobile phone many years ago, but only used it a few times a year. So when I lost it recently, I didn’t bother to replace it.
The pupils at school tell me you can take photos and access the Internet with the latest models.
I have a Walkman, which I use once or twice a year to drown out the drill when I visit the dentist.
I don’t have an Ipod.
I don’t have GPS, because I don’t have a car :eek: , because I don’t know how to drive. :smack:
I will listen to friends who want to tell me about such things, but my friends don’t laugh at me.
There’s nothing wrong with not being “Up with” the latest technology- but please, if you do want to get acquainted with it, do your homework on the internet/ask knowledgable friends first.
Don’t just walk into an Electronics Store and ask the staff to explain it all to you. We can give you a basic rundown, but if you keep saying “What’s an MP3?” or “What do you mean the ‘red, white, and yellow plugs’ on the back of the DVD player?” you’re just going to frustrate the staff. They don’t get paid enough to teach you everything you want to know about 21st century technology, especially if you’re not actually planning on buying anything.
If you don’t need or want the new fangled gagets then don’t sweat it. There are lots of things I don’t own because I am not interested in them.
I do not have an HDTV and have no desire to get one. I am going to have to go digital next year or get a converter but if was up to me I would keep my old TV sets until they died.
I don’t have an MP3 player. I don’t listen to music other than in the car and on the weekend in the summer months when we sit on the deck in the evening. I can’t stand anything near my ears anyway.
I have a crappy cell phone that the BF and I share. Other than getting calls or making calls I don’t use it for anything else. I know it has other features and has a camera but I don’t use them.
I got a digital camera last year and other than taking pictures and video I know none of its other “cool” features other than how to turn the flash on and off, review and delete pictures and get them from the camera to the computer.
My boyfriend touched his first computer two years ago. He checks his email and surfs a bit but still does not understand the vast knowledge available on the internet. I have his “favorites” saved and that is basically were he goes. He is still learning to google. I can’t count the times he wonders about something or some subject and I have to remind him he can “Google it”
I don’t consider him old fashion or behind the times.
I don’t think there is anything wrong about lacking knowledge of something you have no interest in.
[QUOTE=Martini Enfield]
There’s nothing wrong with not being “Up with” the latest technology- but please, if you do want to get acquainted with it, do your homework on the internet/ask knowledgable friends first.
Don’t just walk into an Electronics Store and ask the staff to explain it all to you. We can give you a basic rundown, but if you keep saying “What’s an MP3?” or “What do you mean the ‘red, white, and yellow plugs’ on the back of the DVD player?” you’re just going to frustrate the staff. They don’t get paid enough to teach you everything you want to know about 21st century technology, especially if you’re not actually planning on buying anything.[/QUOTE
You what!? You mean the place that sells the gizmos is annoyed if I walk in and ask about the gizmos? Seriously that has confirmed my fear! Gizmo selling people are intimidating, condescending and not very useful.
For the record I’m fairly computer savvy because that interests me but I have no interest in music other then what comes out of my car radio so I don’t even own a CD player let alone an IPOD.
They can be, yes. It’s a very demanding industry with a spectacularly high turnover and burn-out rate. Very few people can do it for any serious length of time and not become cynical, condescending, or irritable, IME. We’ve lost a lot of good staff this year to burn-out, and it only gets worse at Christmas…
Yea, I agree. It’s like that Onion article about the guy who works not having a television into every conversation. I’m not saying the OP is like that, but people who are proud of not knowing things are annoying.
Surely friends should be able to engage in good natured ribbing.
Gorgon Heap, don’t feel bad for not caring about the latest technology. You’re spending your money on things that mean more to you.
FTR, there are Walkman CD players now that play regular audio CDs, MP3 CDs (so you can burn a whole bunch of music on a data CD from your computer), FM radio, and weather band. I just got one–it’s pretty nice, and the reception is better than the old Walkman players.
:smack: