Gadget Lust

Ah gadgets! Men love them almost as much as boobies.

It is hard to explain their allure in words. You must simply exist side by side in time with them. But today I am going to announce the unthinkable. I am not going to buy a single solitary gadget until June! Even when the end of June comes I am only lifting the ban to perhaps purchase a new phone since my HTC 8125 will probably not live to celebrate its third birthday. Great little phone it was though.

I make these little resolutions to myself and then I tend to break them when a nicely timed excuse finds me. That's where you come in dear readers! I will keep faithful to my resolutions because I know that you will tease, berate, and harangue me into the shame that is my failure of discipline.


You see all these pictures? Well, apparently some people only look at my pictures and then leave so I was hoping to entertain them a little bit more than usual (I realize I am very long winded). But anyway, these are all things that I contemplated buying at some point in the last year (maybe only for a few minutes). I'll admit that I'm not nearly as bad as some people think I am. I own relatively few gadgets. I hear a few snickers from the peanut gallery so I guess I'll have to start a new paragraph!

Track record: I'm a tech guy right? Most of you that know me fairly well can tell that I know my stuff when it comes to the recording arts, computers, and the like. BUT what most people don't know is that I am EXTREMELY picky and downright miserly and conservative when it comes to purchasing new gadgets. Examples? OK. This may shock you though. Put on your Depends and sit down.

• I haven't purchased a Mac since September of 2004
• I haven't purchased a PC since June of 2001
  
• I have owned exactly one cellphone in my entire life
• Even though I'm an avid photographer I've only owned two small digital cameras (not DSLRs)
  
• Even though I have a degree in Music (emphasis in Recording Technology) I only own two microphones and a ProTools 002 rack that only seems to work in Panther (that's 10.3 for you kids)
  
• I've never bought a TV of any size or shape
• I've never owned a DVD player or HD anything
  
• My last gaming console was a Super Nintendo I got for Christmas in 1991
  

BUT all the above doesn't mean that I haven't ALMOST bought gadgets. In the last few weeks I've been seriously considering getting an inexpensive 720p recorder like this little Kodak Zi6 to the left. Mostly it was for unselfish reasons. I find myself being an unofficial wedding videographer quite a lot and wanted something better than the 640x480 video mode on my tiny little Canon SD870 IS. I also need something to shoot footage for my tea business. This little guy only costs $159 at Best Buy right now. Why not get it?

Well, this really is no time to be throwing cash around on gadgets. After getting a protection plan, perhaps a travel case (more on this later), batteries, and an SDHC card....sigh..that $159 turns into $259 or more real quick. What I really need to do is payoff my student loans, save for a possible move sometime in the future, and to someday get a Baritone sax (which is not a gadget ;-). I also don't actually NEED any of this stuff at all. It tends to eat up a lot of my time to learn how to put it to use properly (I do read manuals), organize/edit/store/backup the byproduct, etc. I don't know if I've mentioned this in my blog yet or not but I am extremely happy with my life and buying consumer electronics couldn't possibly make my life any better (with the possible exception of a future released 15" aluminum solid body Macbook Pro with Nehalem microarchitecture...with MATTE screen! Just kidding. I'd much rather live in Istanbul for six months instead).
None of this even touches on philosophy yet either. All of the above reasons are fairly pragmatic. This insatiable lust for technology/gadgetry has helped get us into the mess we are in today. It is fairly cliche to talk about "this economy right now" so I'm going to skip it and move directly to the marketing lie that is "earth friendly" electronics. Let me lay it out real simple:

No matter what the gadget, it is more "earth friendly" NOT TO BUY IT!

Perceived and planned obsolescence are destroying communities and the planet. If you don't know those terms spend a few minutes looking them up. We consume twice as much stuff as people did fifty years ago. Sadly it seems that our primary self worth comes from the things we own and show off. This marketing sham from the 1950s needs to end now. Here's THE theory from the post war economy model:

-Victor LeBow, 1955

If you haven't already seen it, hop on over to The Story of Stuff. It has some very interesting things to think about. I will note that Annie Leonard's understanding and presentation of computer technology in the "Consumption" section is downright ignorant (she thinks the processor is the only thing that changes on desktops every year) but it does slightly illuminate the industry's cold consumerist underbelly. I won't go into it anymore here for brevity's sake. (*cough*)

Anyway, what can each of us do? The ongoing theme of this blog is turning out to be "the everyday." What can we all do in everyday life to make it fuller and more vibrant? Well, we are focused on gadgets today so here is a short list I came up with:

• Wait (for the next version). What is better than the gadget you are totally lusting for right now? The one that will replace it next year or the year after. Make sure you do a ton of research on something before you buy it and don't be afraid to be PATIENT! Perhaps if you've waited long enough you'll realize that you don't even need the thing. No? OK. Wait for the next version then. Trust me, it'll be way cooler and have higher numbers.
  
• Consolidate gadgets if you insist on buying them. That Canon 5DMkII you see at the top right of this post is a good example. Not only is it a phenomenal DSLR camera but it also shoots 1080p video which eliminates the need for a separate stand alone video camera (I've read there are a few bugs to work out though. See the first item in this list for advice on what to do). The iPhone is another good example although I don't own one of those either. Instead of owning a Palm Pilot (Pre? haha), an iPod, a 3G phone, a PSP or Gameboy, a GPS unit, a Koi pond, etc. you have it all in one device (that is moderately environmentally friendly. Remember what I said earlier though!). Eventually though we will all have ONE gadget that does everything and it will be call a TRICORDER!
  
• Buy high quality. A laptop that lasts 6 years is better than two laptops that last 3 years each. No brainer. It is probably cheaper to do things this way as well (although perhaps not in the short run). Most people spend more time with their computers than their loved ones. You think spending an extra $300 isn't worth it?? Divide the price difference by the amount of time you spend with the thing. It'll probably work out to be negligible in a monthly budget.
  
• Buy things you can service yourself. Does it have a replaceable battery? Does the hard drive come out easily? Can you upgrade it in the future? Investing in your existing gadgets is better than buying a new one every single time. Can't service your own stuff because you don't know how?? Find a nerd to help you and take them out for a drink, dinner, or treat them to a graphic novel or sexual favor to compensate them for their time.
  
• Take care of your gadgets. I'll be the first to admit that the special bags-and-cases-and-padded-crap industry is getting kind of ridiculous these days. You don't have to buy any of that stuff if you are a careful person. If you are a klutz perhaps you might want to spend the $19.95 on a hard plastic case with Hello Kitty on it. My phone, work laptop, and iPod all do not have protective casings and have lasted just fine (I do have several padded cases for travel though. Have you seen those guys at LAX throw bags?). Part of this step is taken care of by the "Buying Quality" advice I gave above. If you drop it from 4 inches off the ground and it explodes...never buy anything from that company again!
  
• Wait (for the why). That patience thing I mentioned earlier...use it to explore WHY you want the gadget. I realized that I am not responsible for filming other people's weddings in HD (640x480 is more than enough to get the point and for the web) and the old camera I have is probably adequate for shooting my business footage. Even if I had the dire NEED for a nice video camera I have friends in town that have WAY nicer cameras than I could afford right now (or even later). Which leads me to my next point...
• Your friends have cool gadgets. Nothing makes someone with gadgets happier than if they get to show it off and/or use it in a real life setting that will help justify the purchase. Want to play a Nintendo Wii?? One of your friends has one and they are getting bored with it right now. Ask if you can come over and play one weekend. You'll be happy you didn't buy 12 different plastic holder things, an HD TV, surround sound, and the next iteration of Zelda. They'll be happy because you are so damn impressed with their setup, brought beer, and are reigniting their gadget lust for something they already own! Need a photo shoot done? Talk to local professional photographers or photography majors. They are better at what they do than you are and it'll cost less than buying your own equipment (in the short term anyway). Plus, you make new friends and support local businesses. Not every man has to be a Gadget Lord on his own Gadget Island!

So with all that said hold me to it my friends! For the Earth, my bank account, and Kate I start this heroic journey of non-action. If I succeed I will replace my dying phone that has lasted me almost three years now. If I succeed after that I might get myself a treat in December. I realize that rewarding "gadget-abstinence" with gadgets is fairly ironic but if any of you have owned only one cell phone and made it last three years or longer I will allow you to cast the first stone!