Early adoption
So, a while ago I was discussing with a friend how unnecessary it is to have a camera in your cellphone. Here’s a (slightly tainted by memory and lying) transcript of what happened.
“It’s silly,” she proclaimed, “I don’t need a color screen or a camera in my cellphone.”
“Really,” I countered, “have you used the camera? I found at first that I didn’t use it, but then when I realized that I had a camera in my pocket all the time I started using it.”
“I tried using it a few times, but I don’t need it.”
Biting my tongue to keep from chastizing her for stating the conclusion as a premise in an argument, I pressed on. “It’s fine to say, ‘I don’t need it’ now, but what’s next? Are you going to say that about the next gadget? What about the cellphone winky that follows that? Not integrating new technology into your daily life is a slippery slope. You don’t need the phone-cam today, but in a few years you might find that you’re the future equivalent of the crazy guy who’s still watching his 13 inch black and white television. ‘I don’t need colour! I already know what colour everything is.’ You don’t need to be the first person to buy every new widget that hits the market, but be careful when you dismiss anything. You don’t want to be that guy, do you?”
I’m surprised that anyone will talk to me anymore too.