Do you find electronic gear intuitive? Is it fun to figure out how to fully use all the features on a new appliance? Or are you frustrated that there is not more standardization, and do you use only a fraction of the capability of your various toys? If you are at the low-tech end of the continuum, do you feel this is a problem and do you have any intention of changing?
I do not find a lot of electronic gadgets intuitive, and when I do learn how to use something, I tend not to retain it. With respect to just about every electronic appliance I can think of, my usage is at the lowest level.
In college 25 years ago I used to be quite into stereo, and I could find my way around just about any stereo I encountered. But things have taken a drastic change in the past 2 decades far beyond “red is hot.”
For example, TVs. The idea of setting up and programming a new TV is to me a nightmare. And I have no idea what the majority of the buttons on the remotes are for. I don’t carry a cellphone, and on occasions when I borrow one I often have to ask how to make a call on it. We just got a new set of wireless phones for the house, and the other day my wife was calling when I was on the phone and I did not know how to use the call-waiting. Of course, getting call-waiting was not my decision in the first place. I’ve used computers at work for over 15 years now, and am pretty good at basic word-processing, but that’s about it.
I’m not proud of my incompetence. And I feel that as every day passes I will become more and more out of touch with how the majority of folk do even everyday things. But I’m simply not interested in so many things electronics do. I don’t care to talk on the phone. And other than watching TV, I can’t think of any other leisure, recreational activities I engage in that involve cutting edge electronics. I surf the net at work because the computer is in front of me and on, and I’m bored. When I’m anywhere else, I rarely have the desire to turn on a computer for entertainment.
Wondering exactly how out-of-the-loop I am.