Bits of Technology

I'm not what you'd call an "early-adopter" when it come to technology items. Generally I wait years after everyone else has bought into the newest "can't live without it" thing. That said, I've realized lately that my list of "toys" has rapidly lengthened.

For instance, here is a fairly typical photo of a conference. One attendee is using his laptop with a wireless modem, so that he can surf the Internet while the speaker at the front of the room is making a presentation. Gotta love the ability to look busy while goofing off. The lady on his right is no doubt making a note "Get the company to spring for a laptop before the next conference."

Another thing I put off buying for years is a cell phone. Over here it's called a mobile, pronounced "moh-byle", as opposed to "moh-beel" which is in Alabama. One thing that kept me from getting a cell phone for so long is that in the U.S. you are charged for any time spent on the phone regardless of whether you called someone or they called you.




I was delighted to find out that in Australia you only pay for the calls you make. Another benefit of the phones here is that you can get a pre-paid phone, meaning that you purchase a certain amount of minutes, and you don't have to pay anymore until those are used up. Also, the phone works anywhere in Australia, so no worry about roaming fees or phones that only work in one part of the country.




Another thing that I've become addicted to is my digital camera. I love being able to snap multiple pictures of whatever. The bad ones I can delete with no problem. Before my last trip back home I bought a memory card that will store up to 1400 photos.


There two drawbacks to digital pictures however. One is that the pictures are digital, so unless the person that you're sending the picture to has email, you're out of luck. I print some of my pictures up about once a year to send to my Mom, and although it's a pain, it is fun to pick out only the best pictures and print those.



The second problem is that digital cameras tear through regular batteries in a hurry. It's a necessity to have a battery charger, so here's another item for my list. My charger is a low-end model, and takes a long time (like overnight) to charge the batteries. It also has the unfortunate habit of cooking the batteries if you leave them in too long. Honestly, I burn EVERYTHING.