Electronic Devices

While I am far from a gadget freak, I love the modern electronic devices that I do have.

I have two PCs that I use every day.  One PC is in my front room by the picture window that I use for standard PC fare including email, writing documents and web surfing.  The other PC is my Home Theater PC (HTPC) that I use for watching videos and reading RSS news feeds.  They both have large flat panel monitors. One monitor is actually a large LCD TV that is used as a monitor more than 99% of the time.

I use the TV remote to turn the HTPC monitor on and off.  A trackball takes care of the mouse-work.  A TV without a remote is the functional equivalent of broken for me.

My DSL modem and cordless phones are staples of daily use in my life.  I could get by without the cordless phones.  It would be a different life to live without high-speed internet access and certainly much less rich in information about the world around me.

I had my teeth cleaned at the UW dental school today by a dental student.  He tried to get my blood pressure using a battery operated blood cuff from the 20^th century.  That never even got a reading—much less an accurate one.  He then used a portable wrist-cuff like a giant watch from 10 years ago.  It provided 5 different blood pressure readings on 5 tries ranging from 145 to 225.  After that, I went to my family doctor where I got an accurate reading of 120/90.  I choose to go with the latter reading as being accurate since the former would have meant I was in the middle of a stroke.

A microwave oven is near the top of the list that is by far and away my most used cooking appliance.  There is nothing like it when it comes to instant gratification with refrigerated leftovers or frozen food.

I have a smart phone, cheap digital watch and digital clocks.  The cell phone is darned handy.   With 3G speed, it is not the device of choice for web access and is only used in a short pinch.  I could easily get by with mechanical watch and clocks.

I have had a digital camera for years.  I wish I was a more avid photographer (just for the sake of having a hobby if nothing else).  It is handy when I use take pictures.  I don’t really care if I have lots of pictures, I do wish I had more hobbies that I enjoyed and participated in regularly.

I was thinking that was about it for my e-devices.  Further reflection shows I have a printer, Sonicare toothbrush and electric shaver.  Even my 18 year old car has some sort of chip(s) in it.

I am grateful for the vastly increased quality of life I get from all these devices.  They improve my health, literacy and help me stay in touch with others.  At 2 AM, I replied to a friend’s email to arrange to meet on Sunday.  I could not do that with an analog landline without her thinking I was high!