The long break since you last saw Domain content may have had you wondering if we would ever return. But it takes more than a month’s rest to shake off the shackles of technology. Can you hear it bleeping around you as we speak? Is that your cellphone beeping an SMS through, the power-supply fan on your PC making that whirring noise? And did your fridge really just order takeout?
If you’ve ever been in an office when there is a municipal black-out or power outage, you will have noticed how deathly quiet it gets. The pulsing stops, as does the beeping, the buzzing and the gentle whooshing noises. Was it not Dilbert who brought the reality of white noise to us?
Well, during the break a few seeds have been planted in my brain. Is there a waterproof PC? And if there is (which there probably is) — would you work in the bath? I have watched how the cellphone has become one of the most intrusive devices in our daily lives, and I have seen how this selfsame intrusiveness has become acceptable. Do you recall how you used to scoff at people taking calls in a restaurant? Now, how many calls do you take over your favourite steak?
And yet, have we really got to the point in our rushed lives where we would entertain the idea of working in the bath? Personally, I save Terry Pratchett for the tub, but sometimes I have been torn.
Are we being led by technology or is technology leading us? I would hate to believe the latter, but the signs are all there. Businesses may have matured to the point where they are now able to tell the technology vendors what their real needs are, but how much influence do we ordinary people have over the technology that touches our personal lives — our cellphones, our personal digital assistants, our home PCs and even our television sets?
Enter choice. While we might not be able to dictate exactly how these devices are built, we do have the ability to choose what we want. There is more choice today in an electronics store than there is in a packet of Liquorice Allsorts. Admittedly, often the “choice” is in the cover of your cellphone, the aesthetic value of your PC, the curves on your mouse and the size of your camera.
Gone are the days where everyone had the same brand of cellphone. Gone are the days when we had one choice of PC. Gone are the days when you had to choose between a 35mm camera or — oooh, let’s see — a 35mm camera. And yet, though we are spoilt for choice in colours, shapes, gizmos and gadgets, the technology race is won — and you are the winner. So, while the idea of a waterproof PC still sounds kind of cool, wouldn’t you rather just soak in the bath?