Top 5 Techs Adopted in 2008
There is a unique quality to the coming year not unlike that of a natural disaster, a unifying sense of shared situation despite social standing or personal opinion. In the midst of a power outage or sudden snowfall community ties bloom, people unite, and, mostly, the best in us shines. "We're all in this together!" is echoed on a city bus full of sodden commuters or the brave that trudge hip deep, flashlight in hand. New Years is a similar force of nature in its power of group reflection and collective ambition for the year ahead.
For a few days, at least.
As such I have looked back on my 2008 ventures in tech hoping not only to ensure continued improvement but to reflect on several adoptions that will propel me boldly through 2009. Some were long overdue, others a chance encounter whose advantages are now taken for granted, but all have greatly changed how I functioned daily through the last year.
Laptop as Sole Computer
The purchase of my first computer, with its liberating separation from the family machine, was a big step. The year was 2000, the place a college dorm, and nurturing CRT glow omnipresent. The next purchase was an Alienware 51-M several years later, my first foray in to laptop territory, but a hobbled one given the machine's 9lb heft and crippling battery life. It wasn't until early this year that I made the choice to go with the 13" MacBook and I'll never go back to what can now only be thought of as a stagnant computing lifestyle.
Second only to my adoption of that first bulky cell phone, the abandonment of a singular workspace marks the most influential change I've ever made in tech.
Spaces
Even taken completely out of context from its niche in the Mac operating system Spaces marks the most organic evolution in personal computing I've adopted since dual monitors. I don't know how long this function has been around nor do I care, I simply can't imagine efficient work flow, personal or otherwise, without it.
Quality Headphones
I am not an audiophile. While I respect the evangelical lust for the warmth of vinyl or the richness only tubes can offer it's pretty likely I'm tone deaf. Countless hours spent out of doors in the harsh Chicago winter and the subsequent hardening of my yellowing iPod headphones were the motivation behind the need for a new set, limited selection and a Target giftcard the enablers by which a decent pair of headphones became the new standard in day-to-day personal electronica.
Despite a lack of varied exposure I can not recommend enough the addition of at least second tier (>$90<$150) set of headphones if you spend any amount of time submerged in the world of your personal media player. Though in direct violation of my Ear Rule (nothing smaller than an elbow EVER) the set of earbuds I happened upon have remained a staple in personal gear.
Twitter
This service is many, many things, its communicative structure nestled between the casual text message and innocuous distribution list spread across a multitude of platforms. As a tool that harnesses the power of an IM with the archival advantage of an email Twitter has impressed upon its users the ability to simplify whether is be a quick message to an online acquaintance or an established social community. Even as a moderate user I remain continually impressed by this adaptable simplicity whether it has led to drinks with a pair of favored writers in East Berlin or the rapid transmission of reactions to an earthquake.
iPhone
I've always been a tech enthusiast but at the beginning of my IT career an oath was sworn to abstain from the ubiquitous personal data assistant and its distant cousin the dreaded Blackberry. The compulsion to draw a line and ensure separation of lifestyles felt necessary as my tech saturation couldn't possibly get much higher working 7 days a week for months on end spitting insulation and sucking solder fumes.
Then everything changed. Not only was I required to sport the dreaded belt-clipped leash but a new job placed me as the primary tester of all mobile devices to be adopted for use at my firm. At first the Blackberry was as a giant tick, a blood sucking parasite swollen and heavy with my life's blood. I'd hit it going through doorways or feel the ghost of its needling antics even when powered off. More devices came, my involvement in their release dates and technical specifications spiraling deep in to a realm of immersion I was doomed never to leave.
Then came the iPhone.
Within five minutes of unboxing I had a single device that did the job of three (cell, iPod, mobile email), a dreadnought of personal computing power previously missing from the myriad of devices I'd grudgingly sported at work and play. It's been 11 months now and while there are features still shockingly absent this device solidifies much of the functionality I associate with The Future, a tool whose edge will only sharpen as time passes and improvements are made.
The iPhone acts as my digital umbilicus enabling voice, data, and media in a mobile package, connectivity to the cloud ensured for the price of a data plan.
And I can never go back.
