Most of us love gadgets. Technological genious’s develop new ones for us on a regular basis. I find it interesting that unlike the old catchphrase “bigger is better”, when it comes to gadgets the opposite seems to be true. Popular gadgets seem to be getting smaller and at the same time more powerful. Consider the computer. When computers were first developed, they filled a large building and were mainly used by businesses that could afford them. Now you can buy a laptop for your personal use that has more power and memory than those building sized dinosaurs.
What is our fascination with miniaturizing things? Where does it stem from? I think a major part of the appeal of small over large is portability. Remember being on vacation with your family and trying to video tape the different sites with a VHS video camera? The camera was bulky and heavy to tote and so were the vhs tapes you needed to record on. Now, you can purchase a bullet camera, attach it to your hat and film your entire family vacation digitally and hands free. Avid booklovers used to have to carry a shopping bag full of their favorite paperbacks when they went out. Now, all they need is some form of electronic bookreader like an Ipod, Ipad, Kindle or Nook. They now have hundreds of books at their fingertips that they can easily slip into a pocket.
I wonder, however… could there be more than just a practical side to our love for smaller and smaller technology? Could part of our craving for tiny technology come from our childhood fantasies of becoming the next James Bond, Batman or Starship captain? I know that I was pretty impressed with the communication and computing devices used on Star Trek. I was also amazed by all the useful tools that James Bond and Batman could pull out of a belt or pocket. Many of those tools designed to make James Bond, Batman and Captain Kirk look incredibly cool are now common day appliances.
Whether we are reinventing and revisiting our childhood or just making our lives more convenient, smaller is better when it comes to gadgets.
Sat, Aug 7, 2010
Electronics