I Love Technology.

I've always been somewhat resistant to any new technology. Whenever I hear about some new, wonderful, convenient (and always expensive) device designed to make me crave it even when I don't quite know why, I just cringe inside. Maybe I take after my Dad, he's always been the same way. He won't buy hardly anything brand new and he fixes things he's owned for years when they break. He has a radio that looks like it's from another time dimension because, literally, it is.

I noticed that the cringing trend began somewhere around the time that DVDs starting getting really popular. I had just recently gotten a 4 head VCR and just thought that was the shit. "Why do I need a DVD player? I own this awesome 4 head, did you hear me? 4 head VCR!" Plus, every movie I owned was already VHS, did I really need to buy DVDs, too?. I knew how to work the remote and I knew how to set the time and make it record shows. I felt complete. **Side note, it amazes me that some people refuse to master some of these skills even today when it comes to those old VCR's they still use for their kid's Barney tapes. Come on, people!

Eventually, we all know we moved to DVDs. How could we not? DVD players were $30 during the holidays, Netflix got popular while Blockbuster and Hollywood Video began removing all of the VHS tapes until only DVDs remained. You had no choice but to get with the new way things worked.

I've seen this automatic resistance happen again and again with me whether it's Internet speed ("I'm happy with my 56K, why would I need something that goes faster?") to TiVo ("I can just use my magnificent 4 head VCR to record!") to iPods ("Really, I don't mind carrying around 500 cds with me every where I go!") to just about anything that has come out new, different or improved.

I start out resisting almost every technological advance but sooner or later, I'll come across one of these new devices and inventions through friends, family or even strangers and get a chance to really see what it can do and maybe play with a few of the buttons myself. This seems to ALWAYS turn my frown upside down. Then within a few days, I have to get one of whatever it is for myself.

And we come to the whole point of this... I had always thought navigation systems were just, I don't know, dumb. Extra that just wasn't really necessary. Sure, for people who really needed to use them like truck drivers, etc., that was fine. For regular people like myself "Why not just get directions off the internet? Or read a map?" Until tonight when I had one in my vehicle trying it out. I have driven past the same streets every day for two years since I moved to this new city. The only time I ever saw or noticed any of the street names was tonight when the navigation system told me they were there. It showed me how to get home step by step. Not that I didn't already know, but you know what I mean. It demonstrated that if I was in some huge, big complicated city driving around with no idea where I was going that I could find my way by hearing "In 250 feet, right turn. Right turn in 250 feet. Gas station up ahead!" So, now that I've had the navigation system in the car for about an hour and now it's gone, something seems like it's missing. Guess I'll be at Best Buy within the next couple of days picking out my new, wonderful, convenient (and expensive) navigation device. I promise I won't play with it while I'm driving.