Blogging costs and getting older
Let’s face it. Most of us do not make money on the internet. Maybe a bit of pocket money. So why do we blog and design websites and learn photoshop, paintshop pro, css, java, xhtml? In my case, it’s an intellectual exercise for my retirement years. I love learning about computers and web design. However, I have never done a course in computers or IT. There are big gaps in my knowledge and sometimes you discover a really simple function that everyone else has learned years ago.
Not working in the IT industry has its drawbacks too. You can’t keep up, despite all the reading one might do of the daily papers and the IT blogs around.
Well, I found out about utorrent and bittorrent last month. My son had had bittorrent on my computer for years and I never knew what it was. I’d ask and get a rather vague response. Aren’t they little buggers?
So I had a look. I didn’t want music though. I wanted software. I tried it out I must admit, but the time it took to download was too long and wasted pretty well all of my broadband allocation for the month. I can’t afford unlimited broadband. So much for that idea. Maybe I should go for DSL. One of the results was that I didn’t want to write too many posts here.
Last month too my monitor expired. My so called new computer was now becoming obsolete. I bought a new one and this month my mouse died too. It was impossible to use. So I got another one and at least they don’t cost as much as the monitors do. My digital camera too is completely obsolete. Why did I get the first ones that came out at astronomical prices? Now you can buy mobile phones which have a higher pixel count than the camera I have.
I was needing some ink too for the printer. Guess what? For this printer which had one of the first photo printing capabilities and which cost a lot, the ink is becoming more and more difficult to source.
I feel left behind. I feel obsolete. I feel annoyed. No longer can I afford such things as Ipods, mobiles, Xboxes, laptops. And now I need an ipod. I see them all the time at my local gym, which I joined last month. At least I’m getting a bit fitter while my blogging has suffered.
And you don’t know how to plan for the future either. Especially during this economic depression. I dare not look at my superannuation account. But one can’t plan for the future technologically either. I hear vague mutterings about the desktop computer being a thing of the past. Is everyone designing for mobiles alone and blackberries (or whatever they are)
Perhaps it’s time to go on ebay and sell all my heirlooms so I can get that plasma TV. But even then, my generation doesn’t really have them. I use my mobile as an alarm clock and for emergencies. We really don’t want or need plasma TVs. We will have to go digital TV shortly however. God, I hope the local nursing home has computers. I couldn’t go back to cards and knitting now.
Hopefully, now that my mouse works I’ll have some more tutorials soon. It was impossible to use photoshop with such a dud mouse.
Computers, gadgets, cameras, printers? How capitalists make millions building in obsolescence.
July 5th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
I’ll be playing the old school video games in the nursing home….far in the future though!
July 9th, 2008 at 8:22 am
It is amazing to think about what technology was like when I was a kid and what it will be like when I am at the end - that’s not that long of time historically speaking but what a difference!