David,

You make some really good points about Mr. Chong's article. But I also agree
with Christopher when he says he did not find it nearly so objectionable.

There are plainly many folks who just have trouble with some of these
things, like the IPhone, and the Android phone.
I may or may not be one of them.

Personally, I am trying to be objective about this whole era we are finding
ourselves in, with the new technology as to the telephone. I am with my
first ever Android device about a month now. I do not have to be good all at
once with it, and am learning. And while there are amazing things about it,
as a phone, my old clamshell flip phone is hands down more convenient to
just pull out from my pocket and place my call. Trouble is the display is
completely inaccessible, but the voice dialing (described in an earlier post
I made) is not on any other phone yet.

A while back you were reminiscing about the old DOS computers, before
Windows and Macs took over. I sort of liken this revolution to that time. I
really got pretty confident using DOS. Then everything flipped into GUI
land, and we all had to get our mouse pointer cursors and what not.

But on another aspect, it is the social aspects of these things that bothers
me. No one is talking to one another anymore. People are on the street, just
about running me over as I am walking with a cane, sometimes I think they
are saying something to me, but no, they are walking right up to and around
me, preoccupied with themselves, talking on their phones. And for that
matter, the same bunch of folks might well be going to run one of us over as
they drive an automobile, or even a bicycle while being inattentive with the
vehicle they are supposed to be in control of.

I sort of really miss the phone booth.
I mean, now where do I have to go to change in to my Superman costume!
So yes, I just get cranky. Maybe it is being 61 years of age, and wondering
when the learning curve will start to straighten me out.

And when I am in a bit of a foul mood about the touch screen, I ask myself,
how can it be that the simple buttons such as we have on devices like the
Humanware Victor Stream or any number of other real hardware devices that
uses real buttons, really logically not be a better idea than this touch 
screen gesture
navigation, so called innovation? I want not to have to fight with a 
communication device.

Plus, have you read how much harm has come from the exploitation to acquire 
the rare elements to make touch screen technology? Somewhere in the Congo in 
Africa, I think, thousands of indigenous peoples moved or assailed to get 
this material. Makes me feel kind of guilty even holding the thing.

Sorry for such a long piece. But I really welcome the debate and the many 
points I get to be hearing through this discussion group.

This is probably some sort of transitional period.
I look for the joy, and I look for what I want. I guess we all do.
I hope that some of this makes some sense to someone.

Rik James 


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