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Technology you thought you didn't need

Joe Hutch

Mate of the bloke
In my case, there are two:

1) A smartphone. I held out against getting one for ages, partly through natural conservatism/curmudgeon-ness. Since I got one, I've found it extremely useful for taking photos, planning routes as well as the internet and phone functions.

2) A Kindle. For years I thought these were the work of the Devil, it was paper books and nothing else. Since I got one, I've read dozens of books for free, don't need to lug books around when going out, or going away on holiday. It's brill!

I'm less sure about:

3) A streamer. I got one ex-demo a year or so back, have burned a few CDs to it, but have hardly used it. For Spotify I just tend to use the Macbook Pro, and otherwise just play CDs or LPs.
 
Definitely the smartphone. I held out for a few years but now it's indispensable - so many uses.

I still don't have a smart watch - I'm much less convinced of that, though almost all of my cycling / running / swimming friends seem to record details of every workout. (I do think a heart rate monitor can occasionally be useful if you exercise, but definitely not indispensable).

For work - slack (not used teams). Email seems so 20th century now. ;)
 
The pad. No, not the ones for incontinence, though there’ll surely come a day. Mine is an iPad.

It’s a Goldilocks thing. Smart phones are too small. Laptops promote bad posture. Desktops are too tethered. iPads are…..just right (for 90% of my computer needs).
 
I still don't have a smart watch - I'm much less convinced of that, though almost all of my cycling / running / swimming friends seem to record details of every workout. (I do think a heart rate monitor can occasionally be useful if you exercise, but definitely not indispensable).
;)

To me, all that tech for cycling spoils the beauty of a good ride, it all just becomes about the data and trying to ‘do better next time.’ No thanks. Tried it, hated it.
 
..........as you get older and your eyesight weakens and the screen is no longer clear plus arthritis in hands so cannot easily use the touch screen.........

I had to buy an iPad just to control my music server! Reference material is much better and quicker to access in book form. I am buying even more now I'm older. I can put markers in sections that I am referencing and quickly flip backwards and forwards often showing both sections at once and the text is a lot easier to read than on a computer screen especially when there is sunlight about.

DV
 
Definitely the smartphone. I held out for a few years but now it's indispensable - so many uses.

I still don't have a smart watch - I'm much less convinced of that, though almost all of my cycling / running / swimming friends seem to record details of every workout. (I do think a heart rate monitor can occasionally be useful if you exercise, but definitely not indispensable).

For work - slack (not used teams). Email seems so 20th century now. ;)


You could bin the kindle and download books to the phone - assuming you find the screen large enough. I'm in agreement with you though - same deal for me with the phone.

Streamers? Do it... Each to their own , but what I actually want to do is sit and listen to music. No faff, easiest way to make choices, no storing of physical media. Minimum kit, maximum pleasure.
 
I have a drawer full of dead Kindles, a streamer gizmo, and a couple of DACs. On the other hand I'm really enjoying my new espresso coffee makers.
 
I love technology and am I am an early adopter (that in itself has probably cost me a fortune). I am tracked, filmed, streamed and talk to a thing called Alexa.....love it all, want it all.....
 
Some of the other scullers at my club put their boat on the water and then "ship" (I think that's the nautical term) a little box that reads and records speed, time, stroke rate. They also wear a halter that records heart beat and probably a few other things. When they come back they announce that they did 1000 metres at 28 SPM, 500 at 32 SPM, 2000 at 24, and so on and so forth. I prefer to just paddle along and stop to look at the egrets and herons along the bank.
 
I remember predicting that iPads would be a disaster - 'who would want a machine that is more limited than a laptop and heavier than an iPhone' I said :oops:

I was initially sceptical when I heard that some were using a child's toy as a HiFi music player - now I can't move here for the various RPi set ups I have dotted around the place :D
 
iPad here too. It still feels like Star Trek technology to me and has revolutionised the way I live and work. I can’t imagine ever needing a desktop computer ever again, though it is not quite powerful enough to get away without owning a laptop.

PS It is the iPad operating system that is the limiting factor, the hardware is astonishingly powerful.
 
Cruise control in the car.

Electronic timers - I have several about the house to remind me of things that I would otherwise forget about. I still forget, or ignore the timer alarm, but they have improved my life no end.

DAB radio’s.

Simple, cheap, hand held blender. We have a multi function blender with this, that and the other, but it never gets used. The Wife will not let me get rid of it, but it just sits there taking up workspace.
 
Necessary: WhatsApp groups. A blessing or a curse, depending on the people you invite and how you manage the rights. Communicating intelligently (ie reduce to the max) also helps. In our case it definitely was a blessing when it came to solve family matters with my four siblings.

unnecessary, for the time being anyway: electric bikes, especially cross country bikes. How anyone can justify the sale of these root-killing machines for couch potatoes is beyond me. If you are overweight, start with cycling around the block and later set the bar higher. Climbing a mountain on an electric bike ? Take your car, it’s safer.

Apple Airtags. I lost my wallet recently and could find it again that way. And countless times I could make it beep when I’d misplaced it at home.
 
unnecessary, for the time being anyway: electric bikes, especially mountain bikes. How anyone can justify the sale of these root-killing machines for couch potatoes is beyond me. If you are overweight, start with cycling around the block and later set the bar higher. Climbing a mountain on an electric bike ? Take your car, it’s safer.

For me they represent a future where I can still get about if my physical health ever becomes insufficient for the conventional cycling that has been my primary form of transport for a lifetime (I don’t drive). Hopefully a very long way off, but I’m pleased they exist.

Same thing with streaming. I don’t need or use it at all now, but the idea I need never be disconnected from the music I love is a huge comfort. I could access a world of music with just an iPad and headphones in a nursing home or whatever. Without that I would go insane in such a setting within about 48 seconds of entering the place as it represents my exact idea of hell.
 
In my case, there are two:

1) A smartphone. I held out against getting one for ages, partly through natural conservatism/curmudgeon-ness. Since I got one, I've found it extremely useful for taking photos, planning routes as well as the internet and phone functions.

2) A Kindle. For years I thought these were the work of the Devil, it was paper books and nothing else. Since I got one, I've read dozens of books for free, don't need to lug books around when going out, or going away on holiday. It's brill!

I'm less sure about:

3) A streamer. I got one ex-demo a year or so back, have burned a few CDs to it, but have hardly used it. For Spotify I just tend to use the Macbook Pro, and otherwise just play CDs or LPs.

I still don't have any of those things.

The phone is going to be the most difficult one to hold off much longer, especially with two-factor authentication becoming increasingly necessary.
 
I’ve had a few iPads, the addition of the Magic keyboard to the Pro 11 makes it much more accessible and easy to use.
 
Another indispensable - Roku / FireStick / Smart TV. On demand TV with no adverts is so much better than scheduled TV.
 


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