A Year in Technology
In my lifetime technology has always been promoted as something that improves our lives, especially at a domestic level. The VCR in the eighties is a prime example of this. It liberated us from having to watch TV at a specific time and place. Then there the personal computer, which brought into our own homes tools, that until that point, had been exclusive to the office. And for all the ill that it brings, the internet has certainly made the world demonstrably smaller. It’s revolutionised shopping and has improved the administration of services. So overall, I still feel that technology is a force for good. However there have been changes. In recent years technology on a domestic level has ceased to be quite as transformative and become more of a disposable commodity. Tech is now a fashion accessory, with a distinct lifecycle and upgrade treadmill. It is fast becoming just another form of superfluous crap to fill your home with.
Take for example the Amazon Echo. Despite the myriad of functionality it offers and which I constantly extol, if you look at my Alexa app on my phone you’ll see I basically use the device as a fancy timer and alarm clock. Do I subscribe to Amazon Music? Yes. Do I use the Echo to play stuff? No. Because it’s bloody inconsistent. I’ll request a tune such as Hangin’ Around by The Stranglers and the standard studio version will be played. I’ll ask again the following day and a live version will be trotted out instead. Requesting more specific permutations just compounds the confusion and leads to a third version being played. Personally I prefer the live recording from the album Live (X-Cert) but that’s not the point. This service should not be inconsistent but more specific. But I digress. My point is I don’t use this device for half of the tasks it’s intended for because it hasn’t quite become the computer in Star Trek yet.
“Hello computer”
Despite having more disposable income this year to potentially spend on fun and larks, to invoke Dickensian parlance, I have broadly avoided buying anything shiny and unnecessary. Instead I’ve just bought what I need. I replaced my keyboard, mouse, headset as they were worn out and I upgraded the SSD and HDD in my PC because I needed more storage space. My XBox controller broke and I tried to fix it but that wasn’t successful, so I got a generic replacement, rather than a Microsoft branded replacement. The only new tech I bought were my and Mrs P’s smart bands and a webcam for Zoom calls, despite Amazon regularly tempting me with numerous promotions. Over the last twelve months I’ve declined to buy an Nintendo Switch, a drone, an Android TV box, a VR headset and many other superfluous items that won’t enrich my life or provide any spiritual enlightenment. Boring old me was content to stick with my Samsung Galaxy S10 5G and my Fire HD 10 tablet.
However, there is one future technological purchase that is currently being expedited due to real world factors. The TV in our lounge is coming to the end of its lifespan and we’ve been planning to replace it for quite a while. It is likely that we will be upgrading to a 43 inch 4K smart TV. As of the 1st of January 2021 the UK will no longer be subject to the EU transition period and instead will be trading on the terms set within the recent Brexit deal. Simply put most consumer electronics are imported in this country or assembled from parts that are sourced elsewhere. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to speculate upon potential delays of new stock entering the country and prices to rise. It seems sensible to purchase a new TV now so it can be sourced from stock currently held within the UK.
For me personally, 2020 has not proven to be a technological nirvana. However, it has certainly played an important part in the UK lockdown. Working from home, remote networks, video conferencing, cloud storage and the like have all meant that businesses and essential services have continued ticking over. Internet access has finally proven that it is as essential as any other home utility service such as water, gas and electricity. Many UK ISPs have now stress tested their infrastructure and found that they can successfully sustain a high user capacity. I’m sure these services will prove equally as important in 2021. But for me, the PC remains the focal point of both my leisure and working endeavours and it’s ever evolving capacity to undertake new tasks is both fascinating and practical. It is the most important technological item in my home and I suspect it will remain so next year and beyond.
