Tag Archives: technology

Do You Really Need That?

useless invention
There is a story that says that during the space race in the 1960’s, when NASA realized
that regular pens would not work in zero gravity, they spent millions of dollars to develop a high-tech pen which would work in outer space. The story goes on to say that the Soviets encountered a similar problem. Their solution was to use a pencil instead. This is a fun story, but it turns out that it is not entirely true. While it is not entirely true, there is still a lesson to be learned from the story: we sometimes spend a lot of time and money on high-tech gadgets to solve problems when a perfectly cheap and simple solution is readily available.

A co-worker of mine had a similar story. She told me that her daughter, who had a newborn child, was freaking out because the bottle warmer wasn’t working. My co-worker said she rolled her eyes and told her that back in the days, they would just boil some water to warm the bottle. Problem solved.

There seem to be tons of products marketed to us consumers as a necessity but are far from it. Sure, a lot of these products do probably provide some sort of convenience but at what cost? This seems especially true with many baby products like the one mentioned above. There’s also the Diaper Genie which requires that you purchase expensive refills after you buy the Diaper Genie garbage can. To avoid the smell of dirty diapers, why not just take the trash out a little more often? Problem solved. And then there are wipe warmers…I can’t even… Another place you see products that apparently fill a need we consumers have are the As Seen on TV products. We can make the perfect quesadilla with a quesadilla maker, make ramen faster with the rapid ramen noodle cooker, save time slicing an apple with an apple slicer. Oftentimes, it seems like a solution searching for a problem to fix. Then there are the latest and greatest tech inventions. Is the iPhone 6s really that big of an upgrade over your iPhone 5? Do you need a computer strapped to your face like the Google Glass?
Are the fancy new features on a newer car really something that you’ll be using all that often?

I’ve fallen into this trap of thinking I would find enjoyment in a new tech gadget when I really didn’t have much use for it. This may not apply to those who are really into photography, but I bought a fancier camera right before my son was born. I figured it could take better action shots and that it would have clearer pictures. It is much more bulky than my iPhone so it turns out that it was rarely used and the pictures my iPhone camera took turn out just fine. I bought a Nexus tablet during the whole craze when everyone and their mother bought a tablet. My Google Nexus was deeply discounted and it was much cheaper than an iPad so I rationalized the purchase as a win win. It turns out that I rarely used the tablet and it just sat there collecting dust. For my computing needs, my laptop worked just fine. And if I just wanted to search for something quick online or use an app, I just used my iPhone. Even after so little use, the tablet died on me, so it really was a waste of money.

New technology and gadgets are exciting. Not only are they exciting, they often make life a little easier, although sometimes there are consequences as well. So when you see that next cool gadget being advertised, ask yourself if it really is something you’d use or that would make life easier, or if you already have something that fulfills that purpose.

What other unnecessary gadgets have you seen that are utterly useless?

Our “Throw it Away” Society

credit: freedigitalphotos.net by Jeroen van Oostrom

credit: freedigitalphotos.net by Jeroen van Oostrom


I was having dinner with my family at a restaurant last week when I saw a couple sitting next to us who were almost finished with their meal. After the couple asked for the check, the waitress asked if they wanted to take their meal to go (there was a good amount of food left), and the couple said “no.” What?! I thought to myself! The food was perfectly good, and they could have brought it for lunch the next day or had it for dinner. I wanted to ask them if they knew there were starving children who would love to eat that food (sounding like a mother scolding her child for not finishing all the food on the plate).

It’s not just food that we throw away though, it’s pretty much everything. This seems to be the societal norm here. Lap top is a few years old, throw it away and get a new one! Tired of driving the same car for the last three years, trade it in for a newer model! It seems like we’re always getting tired of what we already have, and searching for something new to buy. This is especially true with technology. There’s always a new model every year with a few new “must-have” features encouraging consumers to throw away their old outdated products to upgrade to a new one.

Having grown up in a family that despised wasting anything, this is one of my pet peeves. We always brought home leftovers and we eat leftovers that we make at home. We were always told to turn off the light when we left a room. My parents don’t throw much away and use things until they’re unusable. I think I’m pretty good about not wasting things and not always upgrading immediately, but they put me to shame. They had the same tube television for well over a decade, only replacing it when there were red streaks on the images. As a matter of fact, I bought them a flat screen television last year because we often visit on Sundays and I couldn’t bare to watch football on that tiny 25 inch television. Yes, I am spoiled =) They have furniture and appliances in the house that pre-date me and I’m 34 years old. Now that my parents have a grandchild (Baby LRC), I’ve seen my mom take out my old toys for him to play with. Yes, I kept my toys in great condition and they are still working fine!

While it does seem as if the quality of the products that we use nowadays is poorer and does not last as long as the ones we had the previous generation, I do think that this generation just likes throwing away the old stuff and upgrading to new stuff. The media’s exaggerated portrayal of what a “rich life” looks like and all the ads encouraging us to BUY, BUY, BUY has wired many to think that we constantly need new things to be happy. We have an expectation that life is how it appears on the television we watch, in the magazines we read, and on the Facebook posts of our FB friends. Oh you know those Facebook posts where your “FB friends” upload pictures of the exciting and exotic vacations they just went on, the new car that they just bought, or the newest iPhone which they had to wait many hours to be the first one to get.

So what should you do the next time you get that itch to throw something away or to buy something new?

Think about the financial costs
It’s pretty obvious that you can save a lot of money by not constantly buying new things!

Think about the environmental costs
The production of goods and the need to deal with discarded waste puts a strain on the environment. This is especially true with electronic waste since many of those components contain contaminants which are difficult to dispose of safely.

credit: freedigitalphotos.net by anankkml

credit: freedigitalphotos.net by anankkml

Think of the clutter you create
Clutter bothers me, especially since we have such limited space. Buying more stuff inevitably leads to more clutter, which leads to the need to declutter at some point in the future.

And, the next time you decide to buy something new or throw something old away, ask yourself do you really need it and if the newest features are really something you can’t live without? With regard to the old stuff, ask yourself whether it still works and if not whether you can repair it?

Are You Suffering From Technology Overload?

credit: freedigitalphotos.net by bplanet

credit: freedigitalphotos.net by bplanet


Gather around boys and girls. I’m going to tell you about a time when there was no…gasp…internet. Many of you may be too young to remember not having the internet at your fingertips. No, you couldn’t just use a “google” search to find a nearby Italian restaurant, you looked it up in the yellowpages. You didn’t use mapquest or GPS to get the directions to that restaurant, you looked at a map or asked someone who knew how to get there. Sometimes you would follow the car of someone who knew how to get there (this was tough when there was more than 1 car!). Now you can search the web and download books with your e-reader. If you wanted information before the information superhighway or wanted to borrow a book, you’d go to the library. I may be a nerd, but I remember really enjoying going to the library. It was very similar to me surfing the web nowadays, as there were so many books and magazines with information you were looking for.

In the days of yesteryear, we had a thing called a Map. There were times growing up when our family would go on a road trip and my father would designate me as the “navigator.” I took this job seriously, trying to pay attention to the signs and the routes we took so that we wouldn’t get lost. At times when we knew where we were going, my sister and I would chat or play games…or maybe we’d just look out at the scenery. Nowadays, it seems most kids watch movies on their personal tablet and once in awhile ask “Are we there yet?”

Sure, I look back fondly at memories of days gone past with nostalgia, but I would be lying if I said that it was always better. Getting lost and not knowing where you’re going while driving is stressful and frustrating. I think that much of the technology we have now is very useful, and I don’t know if I can go back to the way things were. Before the internet, what would you do if the library was closed and you needed to do research on a topic. Before cellphones, it would be difficult to contact someone if they weren’t at home or at work. I’ve wasted a lot time waiting for people who were en route to meeting me but were running late.

Your Brain on Technology

Like I mentioned above, getting lost is no fun and while maps are great, sometimes it’s not as easy when you’re on the road. GPS is a great product, but there is an over reliance on it. Even when I’m using GPS, I’ll often map out the route I plan on taking and I also don’t follow the GPS blindly. According to an NBC article entitled GPS Addict? It May Be Eroding Your Brain, studies by McGill University researchers found that “the way we navigate the world today may indeed affect just how well our brains function as we age — particularly the hippocampus, which is linked to memory.” When we use a map or use landmarks as visual cues to find our destination, fMRI images showed increased activity in the hippocampus, an area of the brain believed to be involved in memory and navigation and play a role in finding shortcuts and new routes. The findings suggest that the use of spatial memory may increase the function of the hippocampus and improve our quality of life as we get older.

Screen Time

Last weekend, while I was having dinner with my cousin’s family, I saw my cousin’s son reading a book to pass the time while we were waiting for our food. I thought this was so refreshing since in all the other adjacent tables, every child was playing with their individual iPad or video game. Now I’m not judging the parents who give their kids tech gadgets to distract them. There are times that the only thing that will calm Baby LRC, even at his young age, is my iPhone and sometimes I’ll let him play with it. But too much screen time for kids is not a good thing for their brains, as researchers have found that excessive screen-time appears to impair brain structure and function. Other side effects include sensory overload, lack of restorative sleep, and a hyper-aroused nervous system.

Age of Distraction

It’s not just the kids. All too often, whether at a restaurant or pretty much anywhere else, I’ll see a group of people with their heads down, looking at their smartphone. Isn’t the point of having a get together to spend time with those you’re with? I’m guilty of this myself. I saw no need for a smartphone, but when I finally relented and bought an iPhone over a year ago, I’m kinda addicted to it. I’m ashamed to say that sometimes, rather than play with my son or ask my wife how her day went, I find myself checking my Twitter account or looking at Facebook status updates. I’m trying to kick that habit.

In an NBC article, Tanya Schevitz of Reboot, the national nonprofit that launched NDU in 2010, had the following insightful comments:

“This is an age of wonder and amazement with technology. But many people have lost the balance in their use of technology – so they no longer are able to sit alone and be comfortable with their thoughts. Most people don’t know how to be bored anymore. They no longer strike up conversations with random people at a restaurant, bar or bus stop … They don’t notice the world around them.”

With each revolutionary innovation and new technology, we are granted more convenience than at anytime in our history. Yes the conveniences that come with technological advances can be great, but sometimes it’s a good idea to unplug and reconnect with real human interaction. Put down your phone and focus on the people around you. Turn off your GPS and take the scenic route. Get lost and explore a new neighborhood. It will probably be very beneficial to your mental and social health to disconnect from technology sometimes.

Update: Tonya from Budget and the Beach shared a link to a wonderful video entitled “Look Up” which encourages everyone to look up from their cellphones and to connect with others. My wife and I both watched this powerful video, so check it out!

I read in a recent article that future innovations may even including having computers embedding into the human body. Maybe a little more difficult to unplug and disconnect at that point! Are you addicted to technology? How do you balance use of technology with real human interaction?