Computers - feeling bullied by the culture

[Gardenarian]

First, congratulations to your daughter! (And you; behind every great student is a great parent.)

Second, I can really relate to your computer frustrations. I bought a refurbished laptop from Dell about a year ago ($150 on sale) and it's doing the job for me - but that's luck. Apple products are far more reliable.

My 4 year old smartphone is no longer supported. It texts, makes calls, and the email works, so I'll hold onto it as long as I can.

Maybe we should budget a certain amount each year for tech stuff? How much would be reasonable for the average user?

[Zoe Girl]

Maybe we should budget a certain amount each year for tech stuff? How much would be reasonable for the average user?

I think that is a good idea, and discussion for here. I know that rather than thinking of my lap top purchase as a one time big expense that will cover me for many years that I am looking at less expensive tech knowing that even if it works the surrounding tech may change so much that it is not useful.

[Williamsmith]

Technology is outpacing personal economics. I view technology as growing exponentially which means each advancement is not linear but built upon the most recent technology and so by virtue of its essence, our ability to financially keep pace is limited.....especially if you have simplified your life to ever decreasing incomes. Notwithstanding the fact that as technology changes, old tech becomes cheaper. New tech is constantly demanding to be possessed.

This has always caused me to view technology.....like this iPad that I am typing on as very ephemeral because as I strive for simplicity I try to reduce my exposure to upgrading technology.

There is a time when I will want to abandon all this technology for increased self sufficiency and simplicity. I view the technology treadmill as counterproductive. After all, some of my most admired people lived a simple life without staring into a glowing screen all day long. Technology is going in the opposite direction I want to go.

I would prefer to pay my bills by check either hand delivered or by mail. I would prefer to get my information from a library. I would prefer to get a hand delivered news paper brought to my door by a young entrepreneur. I would prefer to work crossword puzzles, draw wildlife scenes, listen to the radio, go for walks, be mesmerized by a big screen movie once a month and reclaim my cooking skills.

But technology seductively sings to me and draws me away.

[jp1]

Williamsmith is totally correct about the speed of technology. And the fact that it all builds on itself. I have, starting about 12 years ago, owned 4 i-products. First an ipod that just played music that I had uploaded to it. Second was an early i-pod touch. It plays music, but also does podcasts, basic web browsing via wifi and email. No camera and no speaker. Then I got an iphone 4s. Wow! What an improvement. In addition to everything the ipod touch did it's a phone and also has cellular data. Plus more ram and more storage and a GPS and a camera and a speaker. Most recently an iphone 6. It does everything a little faster than the 4s, has a bigger screen that I can actually read easily, better battery life, higher definition camera. Thumbprint recognition to unlock it. All of these devices cost roughly $300 new but obviously I got far more 'value' with each new device, so SO kept buying them for me every few years. I'm at the point now where I'm very satisfied and don't see myself getting an iphone 7 unless they come up with some truly remarkable improvements. I suppose if I keep it long enough the iphone 6 will be as outdated as my old nokia flipphone was by the time I got the iphone 4s, but the iphone 6 is awesome enough that I may be fine with being that 'out of date technology guy'.

And at some point I too want to simplify away from the tech treadmill. Not now though. I actually like my job and am not really in a hurry to retire. (I'm also only 48 and hope to have a lot more life left...) And as long as I live in San Francisco with my tech adjacent career and hang out with the friends we have, all of whom use mobile technology like this as their way of remaining in touch and managing their social lives, I need to remain at least somewhat current with technology. The roughly $100/year that has been spent on these devices is just a part of my current life's expenses (or more accurately SO's christmas budget...).

And he's also right about the ephimeralness of technology. The first ipod is no longer functional although a new battery would revive it. The ipod touch is now used as a Pandora device when I'm cooking dinner. The iphone 4S is a pandora device at my office. THose last two still have the ability to do more but since I have the current iphone 6 with me at all times there's no point in using the older devices for anything beyond the very basic function of streaming music over wifi.

Lastly, in case anyone was curious, I took the photo with the work supplied ipad that I am expected to use regularly during presentations that I give as part of my job.

[SteveinMN]

Tech and simplicity are not necessarily incompatible. Any current smartphone with a data plan can be one's telephone, address book, camera, photo album, music player and storage unit, atlas, notepad, calendar, ... Granted, that's a lot of functionality in one device. But competent smartphones are getting less expensive all the time.

I'm not trying to dissuade anyone from whichever technical direction they wish. Just pointing out that tech and living more minimally do not have to be at odds.

[Tammy]

Considering that my iPhone has replaced an entire home office of supplies and machines, I'd say it's a quite affordable alternative to the way things used to be.