Rebooting is Digital, Analog Rebuilds
Call it what you will, but I've been thinking of making something of a fresh start on here for a while now. There's something fundamentally flawed about a blog that doesn't like blogs ... imagine the absurdity of a newspaper about the worthlessness of newspapers. What strains the existence of this blog more is the premise that digital technology shouldn't be wholeheartedly trusted when the only way to view it is through digital technology. The only people who truly buy in to my skepticism are people like my father, who won't even touch a computer mouse. The inability to reach my target audience through a medium I chose to criticize is just goofy.
Since I first started Analog, I've only been able to develop a few ideas. I like to thoroughly research my topics, even though footnotes aren't the norm in the "blogosphere." Because I was writing papers for classes that required research, my blog ideas often got pushed aside until they almost weren't current. During the years since I began this blog, I became familiar with the latest Windows and Mac operating systems as well as many of the digital photo editors, video/sound editors, and podcast production. So while I complained about digital technology, I was becoming more fluent in its use than most people I know. While the ability of my VCR to record live TV was being pushed aside by the switch to digital over-the-air signals, I was learning how to download podcasts of some of those same programs to watch them either on my iPod or through my TV. Though loathing the "electronic leash" that a cellphone is, I've learned to use it in tandem with my e-mail and my Facebook account.
In a way, these changes aren't really anything new. The switch to digital has been a long time coming in everyday life. I remember the thrill of having my first digital watch. In junior high, I even had a novelty watch that had digital LCD hands that mimicked the look of a traditional, analog watch. It was 1995 when I decided CDs were winning the battle with cassette tapes to replace my LP collection; that's when I bought my first CD player (pictured above). I still prefer to have CD backups for my digital music downloads from iTunes, Amazon, and Lala. It was also in 1995 that I was first required to print all of my homework on the college laser printers, so the transition away from my Royal brand typewriter from 1940 wasn't that painful. The final nail in this blog's coffin would have to be the recent purchase of my new camera.
In late 1996, I was put on a wait-list for the last fully manual 35mm camera on the market. I got that camera, a telephoto lens, a wide-angle lens, and an amusing squeeze bulb to allow me to be included in group pictures. In 2007, that camera accompanied me to Europe and back. Then, later that year, in the middle of a family vacation, it just locked up. The indicator signal said it was fully wound but wouldn't release the shutter. I wasn't sure if I wanted to send it off or replace it: parts were getting hard to find, and the accessories were never exactly what I'd wanted. It was time to move on.
I've only had my new camera for a couple of weeks, but it probably marks the beginning of a new era of creativity for me. This era definitely includes digital technology and media: my camera, my computer, Picasa, Facebook, YouTube, and this blog. I'm not ashamed of the stance I took on digital technology; I'm just growing and adapting.
I still feel like not enough is being done to stay ahead of the new problems that come with heavy reliance on digital technology. There's issues of lost data, privacy, and death. If you don't believe me about the death, just ask Toyota victims how they feel about the faulty programming that doesn't allow the brakes to override the accelerator. When our financial records, personal lives, and medical records are increasingly accessible online, what precautions are companies and governments taking to protect this information? Sites like pleaserobme.com exposed how many people announce when they're not home. How many of us regularly restart our computers, update our virus protection, change our passwords, and back up our information? I've only learned to be good at two of those.
With that, I'll let the focus of this blog slip into something more normal. I'll start blogging from my phone about work and family life. I'll have a wider range of topics in the future, and I think that will not only allow me to be more creative but more satisfied with my embrace of this medium. I hope those few of you who enjoyed my blogging will find it more enjoyable in the future.
Thanks for reading.
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| My old TV and VCR were built in 1984 and 1985, when the only digital thing about them was the clock. These days, I often download the evening news to my iPod. (Click on image to enlarge.) |
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| The idea of "portable music" has really changed. Featured here, my LP, CD, and digital versions of The Best of the Guess Who. (Click on image to enlarge.) |
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| SYMBOLIC TRANSITION. My Pentax K1000 was the last fully manual 35mm camera on the market. My new Canon Rebel T1i can take 3 pictures a second and record HD-quality video. (Click on image to enlarge.) |
I've only had my new camera for a couple of weeks, but it probably marks the beginning of a new era of creativity for me. This era definitely includes digital technology and media: my camera, my computer, Picasa, Facebook, YouTube, and this blog. I'm not ashamed of the stance I took on digital technology; I'm just growing and adapting.
I still feel like not enough is being done to stay ahead of the new problems that come with heavy reliance on digital technology. There's issues of lost data, privacy, and death. If you don't believe me about the death, just ask Toyota victims how they feel about the faulty programming that doesn't allow the brakes to override the accelerator. When our financial records, personal lives, and medical records are increasingly accessible online, what precautions are companies and governments taking to protect this information? Sites like pleaserobme.com exposed how many people announce when they're not home. How many of us regularly restart our computers, update our virus protection, change our passwords, and back up our information? I've only learned to be good at two of those.
With that, I'll let the focus of this blog slip into something more normal. I'll start blogging from my phone about work and family life. I'll have a wider range of topics in the future, and I think that will not only allow me to be more creative but more satisfied with my embrace of this medium. I hope those few of you who enjoyed my blogging will find it more enjoyable in the future.
Thanks for reading.
NPR's three-part series on cyber security by Tom Gjelten:
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