diving into the future...

I've just made two technological leaps, though both feel like unwilling concessions rather than great jumps forward.

First, I joined SecondLife, the online digital world. This makes me feel like an uber geek, and not entirely in a good way. I don't have the time or patience for really getting into it, or at least those time when I would, like when I'm out at sea, I won't have internet access. And I know this isn't a thing you tip-toe into. Dive in head first and mean it, or why bother? "Why bother?" indeed, but the answer to why I am bothering is as an attempt to feel out this digital world for a little bit as research for the story I am attempting rather than any desire to dive into another online social network thingy. I'm finding myself both amazed and frustrated with the technology of it. In my mind, the graphics were going to be crisper and the interface more fluid. I suppose for what it is, it is impressive, but at this point the bar is so high. I want the graphics to be as crisp as the newest video games, then maybe I might be in danger of succumbing to its charms, ceasing to be an impassive observer and becoming a fully invested denizen. It is a long way from that.

Second, I got an iphone. This feels too bandwagon for me to really be comfortable with it, but damn it is a pretty little piece of machinery. I had the AT&T tilt, which is hunk of junk. I mean complete crap, and crap that I payed too much for thinking I needed a fancy functional little gadget that would do everything when I was traveling. I read a glowing review on cnet and will never trust their opinion again. So I'm relieved to finally have a machine that works. The ubiquity of the iphone, especially here in New York, is a little bit nauseating, but I've never been one to refuse a pleasure simply because its popularity borders on vulgar.