As a counterpoint to this thread, what current technology have you embraced in your day-to-day life?
As a couple of examples:
A couple of weeks ago I downloaded an e-book from my local library onto my smartphone and read it instead of driving to the library and checking out an actual hard copy book.
And today I received a check in the mail. I deposited it from my home by taking a couple of pictures of the front and back using my phone’s camera and uploading them to my bank.
All I need is a holodeck and I’ll never have to leave the house again!
I recently discovered the magic that is Google Calendar. Way, way late in the game, I know, but it has revolutionized my professional life. I have access to my boss’ calendar now so I always know what he’s up to. Imagine.
And e-books… you know, I was a purist, ‘‘Oh, it’s not a real book unless you can crack the binding and smell the pages’’ kind of person. And then I got a Kindle and my brain exploded. When you move a lot, you get tired of owning shit. The only reason I will ever purchase another physical book is if it’s not available or practical in e-reader format.
I haven’t had a watch since the day I was given a pager at work (the watch band broke that day and I never fixed it…), haven’t used an address book to keep track of phone numbers since I got a cell phone.
E-books. I don’t have to go the library or remember to return books. I can choose a book at any time and start reading immediately, and I can carry dozens at a time. Love it.
Online billpay instead of mail. Email instead of mail. An adjustable bed instead of pillows. DVR instead of VCR or watching things as they air.
Now my partner and I always have the grocery (and other) lists with us, wherever we go. We both use the “Our Groceries” app on our smart phones, and the household lists are updated and shared automatically. Incredibly handy.
My iPod beats CDs, especially compared to my old “anti-skip” portable CD player. :rolleyes: An entire music library balanced on one finger and fitting in my shirt pocket. All my old CDs are now on my iPod, though I still have the CDs stored away.
My smartphone has replaced my watch – I haven’t worn a wristwatch for years – calendar, address book, alarm clock, and a pocket full of Metra timetables I used to carry around. I still have a land-line phone at home, though I rarely use it.
I use online bill-pay for all the accounts that accept it. Most months, the only check I write is for my condo assessment.
On-line bill paying is the big one for me. Every once in a while I have to actually mail something, and have a major problem finding the stamps and looking up what first class mail costs these days.
My smartphone doubles as my calendar, address book, and shopping list, plus the e-reader and music player. It even supplies maps and navigation (although I frequently have to ignore its obsession with making me get on the freeway).
Second online bill payments and the DVR, plus streaming video sites.
My smartphone could supplant nearly everything in my life, honestly. I regularly use it to pay bills, read books, browse the internet, read and send emails, make grocery lists, play mp3s… The list goes on and on.
And come to think of it, I only have two bills I have to write checks for anymore: rent and water. Everything else is paid electronically.
I now travel around town in a self-propelling carriage. I haven’t needed a horse for many years.
In my apartment, I can have illumination by simply flipping a little lever mounted in the wall. And I got rid of my old wood-burning Personal Computers a long time ago, too. (Well, except for one that I still use to run an old app that isn’t compatible with the new electric models.
Oh, and did I mention that my apartment has INDOOR PLUMBING?
I don’t know how I used to live without all this neat stuff.
Repeating what others have said, mostly:
Bill paying (I get annoyed when I have to actually mail something now).
Ereader: not as much of a revolution for me, though I do love my Nook. The ebook selection at the library is pretty abysmal though.
Music: not that we listen to it all that much (except when driving), but I love having virtually everything at hand in something that fits in my purse. Plus, I sleep with my iPod - the sound of a podcast or something really really helps with some insomnia issues.
I do have a smartphone - and play with it etc. quite a lot - but I don’t find it quite as life-changing as some of the stuff above.
I used to watch football on live TV. Now, I record about an hour of the game before beginning to watch and skip through an hours worth of Madison Avenue B/S. Usually, by the time the game is concluding, I’ve caught up to real time viewing. My favorite part of the game is the 10 second half time show!
The devices: iPad and Kindle Fire HD. The uses: e-reader and streaming movies. Very cool to have access to all this content anywhere, and not having to store it. That said, I still like and own books, but I’m more selective about what’s in the permanent collection. Mostly stuff that is incompatible with e-reading (my art and automotible books) or are unavailable because they’re too old.
I use a calculator instead of pen and paper for math - yes, I am old enough to remember a time before hand held calculators were common.
I get the time from my phone instead instead of a watch
I keep all my phone numbers on my phone instead of a paper name/phone/address book
I am now loading names/addresses/phone/other contact information onto my Kindle instead of using a paper book for that.
I use my phone to tell me what the month/day is instead of a wall calendar.
(all that and it’s not even a smart phone)
On line bill paying instead of paper check and stamp.
E-reading on the kindle (though I still have many treebooks and still use the library for them occasionally)
Streaming movies to my TV instead of going to theaters or renting them from a store.
On-line shopping (although I still have problems getting stuff sent to my PO Box, which is safe, secure, and reliable, instead of my street address which is not secure and problematic)
In the home shop, we have a computer-controlled lathe and router instead of having to do everything by hand on them. (My sewing machine, however, is still treadle-powered)
I have the world’s worst sense of direction. I use a GPS every time I get into the car, whether I know where I’m going or not. This is because I take wrong turns all the time and have gotten lost on routes I’ve traveled before (not to mention my iPhone App ‘‘Waze’’ automatically routes me around traffic problems.) GPS has made this problem I have much less of a liability. I really do not think I could function without one.
And I’ve barely started getting familiar with it. I’m realizing it will replace both my phone (I only use it to text, phone function broken!), and my ereader. I mean, it can Skype, it can talk to me, a ton of things I don’t even begin to know how to use.
I’m going out this weekend to get a book to learn some tips and tricks. (I know I’m a luddite, but I loath on line/on screen manuals and instructions. I spend all my time just going from screen to screen, till I’m ready to scream! I don’t mind paying for a hard copy manual.)
As a slight hijack: I’m taking a French course at the community college. When looking at the required textbook online, the school bookstore listed several other recommended items, including a book of verb conjugations and a French-English/English-French dictionary.
I thought those would be great to have on Nook.
But there IS NO F-E/E-F DICTIONARY AVAILABLE. And I looked both at Amazon and B&N.
