Technology - YES

November 10, 2010

A Celebration of Technology Inventiveness (even if it doesn’t make sense)

This past week end a copy of the magazine “Men’s Health” was laying on the counter top at our home and I caught a headline on the front cover. IOO of the Latest Technology Toys for Men” I wasn’t exactly sure why these toys were being directed to the masculine gender, but given that it was a “Mens” magazine I guess that was appropriate. Being an absolute sucker for anything that is labeled “new technology” I decided to check it out.
After wading through a few dozen pages of advertisements I found the section. Now here is where I get intimidated and a little depressed. Of the 100 items, I think I actually had a understanding of the technology listed for only 50 % of the items highlighted. There were a number of new style computers and some adaptations for I PODs etc, An amazing looking surround sound home theater system for about $15,000. I did understand the price tags on all of them. As I said, the first glance was a blow to my techno savy ego, but once I got over that assault I took it as a dare to read futher and challenge myself to understand the actual utility of the technology being promoted.
It is in this position of technology exploration that I find myself entirely in awe of the world we live in. The development and the creative energy going into this new world of technology and information technology facilitated communication and productivity is beyond comprehension. I have been so giddy about the fact that I have a vascular scanner to get into my office and now that 2-3 year old technology is beginning to look rather mundane. Yes I need a new technology fix.
DSU was so excited this fall to discover the use of the QR bar codes. I had no knowledge of them and without hesitation hooked on to this as DSU’s “new thing”. We put them on lapel pins that could take the person scanning the barcode to a u tube video of me explaining the technology and the clear fact that DSU was the place to come if the person who was watching the U tube knew anything about our mission. We put a large one on the side of a building to take the scanner to the press release on DSU being named the highest ranked public college in the Midwest for the 5th straight year. I began wearing my lapel pin and at meeting after meeting was demonstrating this technology and reinforcing the fact that DSU was once again out in front!
Within a few weeks I have now seen a large billboard in the Denver Airport with three large barcodes that will allow the scanner to down load whole books – Treasure Island or Moby Dick. FAR OUT – okay that expression dated me just a bit. I saw one in an ad in a Time magazine and during my last journey to Best Buy find that they are all over most of the products in the store. YES – SO SO Cool I love this stuff and love that it spreads so fast. I want a droid now because it scans so much faster than my blackberry!
This morning I read an article on the “10 gadgets that take tech too far”. Can one really take tech too far – cmon? So first thing was an alarm clock that will roll away from you if you try and shut it off before you get out of bed. Sleepy college students chasing their alarm clocks down the hallway in the residence hall is an image I think clearly warrants some study. There is a toilet that that measures your blood pressure and your insulin level, among a variety of other health related items and reports them to your PC. Why not? A toilet just seems like an item that could be so much more. And lastly, my favorite, a toilet paper holder that has an I POD speaker system attached. Hey we are going to get rid of all this paper waste why not find something better than a magazine!

There are those that think I have gone off the deep end by my obsession with technology (including my wife) but could I be the president of a more perfect place. I am in technology nirvana at DSU and I belong here.