BKToolz

I am not a Microsoft fan..really not even close.  But, I can’t help myself from trying each and every version of Windows as they come out.  I have been on a quest for over 20 years for an operating system that finally makes computing fun and productive and reliable.  And, with almost every release, without fail, I was disappointed.   Only a brief stint with Windows NT 3.51 gave me any hope at all that the future could be brighter.  And, don’t get me started on the promise of OS/2 which was originally part of the Windows family tree as well!

It's hard to believe that this evolved into Windows 7!

The problem has been that each new release brings with it some technical promise, some UI enhancements, and of course new issues with compatibility.  The technical promises over the years have led me from the simplest forms of task switching to true multi tasking, from basic file systems to full text search and limitless storage, and from crude memory management to dynamic caching on removable flash memory.  It’s been a long, arduous journey, but the technology available today finally delivers a robust, useful operating environment that does just about everything I need.

And, the UI journey has been a long one as well.  From the earliest days when arranging and resizing window on the desktop was a chore to the world of transparent windows, desktop widgets, and smooth, sweeping animations.  The UI in Windows 7 today again does just about everything I need and looks good doing it.

And, so, after many fits and stops along the way, with countless hours of tweaking, 3rd party tools, registry hacks, and agonizing incompatibilities, I find myself both satisfied and bored with Windows 7.  Of course there are improvements to be made (why can’t I see the size of a folder directly in the main view in Windows Explorer?), but we are at a point of diminishing returns.  It simply no longer takes much skill to make things work well and look good.  So, like a soldier returning home after battle, I find myself wondering what to do with myself now that Windows finally works.

Fortunately, there are more battles to fight.  Mobile computing offers a new frontier.  So, for now, it’s time to get my smartphone talking to my TV and my cloud storage while making VOIP phonecalls over wifi.  That should keep me busy for a few years.

I remember my first time like it was yesterday. I remember where I was, who I was with, and even what I had for lunch that day. It was 1979, I was alone that day, and I had a tuna fish sandwich for lunch.  This was the day I walked into Computer Mart on Pearl Street in Essex Junction, Vermont and walked up to my first computer keyboard.  I had heard about the store from a teacher and I couldn’t wait to see it for myself.

This was not my actual t-shirt, but I wish it were!

As I approached the computer, I was already anticipating the magic.   My teacher told me the computer would learn my name.  Could you imagine…a machine that can learn?  My eyes were glued to the white on black letters on the CRT.

WHAT IS YOUR NAME?

I answered the question with skepticism. Would it really learn my name?  How would it do that?

BRET

When I hit the RETURN key, I really wasn’t sure what would really happen next.  But, as quickly as I could hit the key, the computer responded with this short, powerful message.

HELLO, BRET

And, just like that I was hooked.  I had to know how to make a machine do that.  And, I had to know what else it could do.   I had taken the red pill and there was no turning back.

Do you remember your first time?

We all know how popular texting is.  There is a whole generation of people now who consider email to be something only old people use.  They live in the world of SMS, Twitter, instant messaging, and social networks.  They switch between these seamlessly, and they assume that their peers are equally adept at moving between formats as well.  They are hyper connected to the people who matter to them.  And, their social network is an order of magnitude broader than it was for those of use who grew up with rotary phones!What effect will that have on us all?  Are we really replacing the human voice with LOL, FTW, BRB, and <3 messages?  I thinkwe are, and I think its irreversible.  The issue is not that we want to use cryptic messages and impersonal technology.  We can’t help it because using these technologies is just so much more productive than ever before.  Instead of being stuck in a 1 hour phone call with our best friend, we can text our best friend, IM our mom, and post our latest meal to our Facebook page so quickly that we still have 45 minutes left over to watch American Idol and live chat about it with our college roommate at the same time.

I think the real question we should ask is how far will this go?  How much better will the technology get?  The future is certainly going to be a chatty place.

I like to think of myself as a true geek….I’ve soldered, I’ve programmed and I waited in line for 2 hours to see the original Star Wars.  I’ve also owned a Linux based PDA, I wore corduroy pants long after they went out of style, and I still love legos!  But, it appears that I am missing an important accomplishment in my geek resume.  I have never understood the fascination with Dr. Who.On one level, the show has all the elements I love….time travel, aliens, robots, and alternate dimensions.  I also have no issue with low budget special effects given my past TV infatuations with Star Lost, Space 1999, and of course Land of the Lost (Enoch rules!).  But, for some reason, Dr. Who just bores me.

Now, some might say that I have issues with all things “english”.  But, I would again point out my appreciation for Benny Hill, Big Ben, english muffins, the Harry Potter movies, and of course, Elizabeth Hurley!

So, I have concluded that either I have some sort of birth defect which prevents me from enjoingy this show…. or…..Dr. Who is a giant hoax which was created to test to see if we geeks have the balls to declare that the emperor has no clothes.  Well, I for one am convinced that the emperor is naked and Dr. Who is not worth watching.

There was a time, not that long ago, when television shows only played once a week, and for every 30 minute show, there were 10 minutes of commercials.  And, to find those shows, you needed a little book that cost $2.00 a week.  And, to watch those shows, you had to get up and turn a dial and then adjust two long metal rods until the picture was clear.  These were the golden days of television and I remember them like they were yesterday.

Since that time, cable television came, satellite TV came, Tivo came, and of course the internet came.  TV’s got bigger and flatter.  Remote controls lost the clicking sound and gained touch screens.  And, content went from the unreal shows like the Munsters with 6 strange people living together in a big house to reality television with even stranger people living in even bigger houses.

But, the biggest transition for me has occurred over the last few years as technology has become universally connected and flexible.  For the last 3 years, I have not watched a single show at its regularly scheduled time.  And, I don’t even have cable television (or satellite or any other subscription service).  And, I have lost touch with commercials altogether.  I simply stream or download television and watch it wherever and whenever I feel like it.  I watch it on an iPod, a Blackberry, a laptop and a flat screen TV.  I watch it in high definition, without commercial interruption.  I paused it and ‘rewind it’ at will.   I can bring it with me as I walk to the bathroom or even ride on the subway.

If the 1960′s, 70′s and 80′s were the golden age of television, then right now is the silicon age of television.   And, to quote a commercial I still remember from the good ole days, I can finally have it my way.

We all know it’s coming.  Someday soon, we will each remember the first time we took a business trip or vacation and left our laptop at home.  Of course, that was always an option, but only if you didn’t want to actually work, email, watch movies, and surf the web.  But, now you can do all of those things (and more) without carrying that 4 lb chunk of plastic, titantium and LCD along with the 20 lbs of wires, batteries, chargers, and accessories.  The mobile office is finally really mobile.

Over the last year, I have ventured from the office on extended business trips 3 times without my laptop.  Was I nervous?  Yes!  What if I needed to edit a powerpoint document or if I needed a key work file.  But, as I found, you can adapt your work style to the devices you have.  In this case, I carried nothing more than a Blackberry Bold, a USB cable, and a 16GB memory stick for crucial files.

Making It Work

I know that in 12 months, my current approach will feel archaic.  But, it works and I saved so much time and energy by not having to carry the extra bag and weight.  And, I gained some respect in meetings as well as others were glued to their laptops, locking them to the table when they went for food and borrowing electrical outlets to charge up and I appeared very comfortable and efficient.

For me, I decided that I would keep up with my email and my web addiction solely with my Blackberry.  I used free wifi in several cities and my office wifi to get the performance I wanted.  This also helped me avoid data roaming charges!  My USB cable was in my pocket for emergency power if I overindulged on my web surfing.  And, my memory stick gave me piece of mind if there was data I needed.  I did need to edit a powerpoint while traveling, but I found that I could just forward it to my web mail, download it on a PC, edit it, and mail it back to myself when done.   In the end, I didn’t miss my laptop at all.  In addition, I had GPS, chat services, and everything else I needed to travel without another bag to search at security points.

What’s Next

Smarter phones and more cloud services are going to make this even easier and more effective.  With more of your data in the cloud, carrying memory sticks becomes less important.  And, with cloud services, accessing powerpoint documents and other applications won’t require a host computer.  Of course, battery life will likely still be an issue, but fortunately, there are a lot of places to charge a phone!

I love all things digital, from the first tacky red and gold LED watches to the latest streaming video app on an iPod.  But, a big part of me misses the simplicity, the reliability, the speed, and the character associated with the analog technologies that came before.  We all know that some people prefer the sound of an LP over a DVD.  But, what about the satisfying hum of an old TV set as the CRT comes into focus?  And, the immediate response of an old cell phone when you turn it on compared to waiting for your smartphone to boot?  And, speaking of phones, who doesn’t miss the sheer presence of a classic, black AT&T rotary phone from 1972?

Some of these devices surprisingly still work today , and others will never work again as we discontinue analog services and signals.  But, the world is moving on and there is nothing we can do about it.  I will never again get to turn a rotary dial to change channels on a TV, or push a button hard to eject a tape, or even have to hit play and record together to record a sound.  And, my kids will never know joy of typing on a real typewriter, turning the crank on a mimeograph copier, or having to put a coin in a pay phone to call home.

I can’t help but feel that we are losing something very special in this transition.  And, while most people will simply embrace the high resolution, 3D displays and customizable wall paper of the digital world, I will miss the days when we didn’t need to upgrade the the firmware on our phone.

Bret was on his way home from Shanghai and wanted to a new camera.  His new Panasonic DMC-FZ35 arrived, and it’s a beauty. With an 18x zoom, AVCHD recording, and a 27mm wide-angle lens it’s a winner.

An unusual pair photographed at a safe distance

UPDATE: Took about 1800 photos so far and they look fantastic.  It powers up fast, so I caught a lot more spontaneous photos than usual.  And with the massive zoom, I was able to capture a few strange and interesting people without being noticed.  Good thing I am not much of a stalker.