Some Knowledge

I really must say, that I don’t know what’s the latest buzz in technology.  Maybe somebody should invent a personal data assistant that fills in its own information.  Who wouldn’t want a personal assistant that tells them what to do?  I don’t know.  Maybe somebody has invented something that translates brainwaves directly into text so you can message on your cell phone by just thinking about something.  Seems pretty far fetched.  Maybe they are working on a coffee maker that is plumbed into the household plumbing and that makes coffee continuously from a pipeline of coffee grounds that runs directly from the mercantile exchange.  I really doubt it though.

There is always some kind of new gadget coming out on the market.  There are several blogs that do nothing but write about new gadgets.  This is the power of marketing.  When something new is developed, it has to be sold.  When you have a new product, you issue press releases and film to TV and people try to buy your product.  I watched the cycle spin itself out yesterday with the new Blackberry Bold.  It was on the news at least three times yesterday morning.  It was the top search on Google Trends all day.  They must have pre-sold more of those things yesterday than they will make in a month.

The bottom line is that there are a lot of places where you can find the latest gadget.  Mostly these days, when you hear the word gadget, you think of electronics.  I remember when I first became an electronic geek.  I was 12 years old.  My parents bought me some electronic kits for my birthday.  I learned how to solder putting together those kits.  I made an audio amplifier that never worked as promised.  It fed back a lot and ended up on a shelf.  Still, it was interesting.  I bought some books on electronics and got some parts at Radio Shack.  I became a hobbyist.  All through high school I worked on radio circuits.  It was self-education at its best.  Hands on experience in a hobby that provided not only fun, but the training for every decent job I’ve ever had.  Nevermind I went through college and got a degree in physics.  What paid off for me was electronics.

So, where did I lose track of what’s happening on the cutting edge in electronics?  I used to read journals about audio and video and radio.  I used to keep up with the latest in integrated circuits.  I had a Vic 20 computer that I wrote programs in BASIC for when I was in high school.  I took a couple classes in microprocessors and electronics design.  But it never went anywhere.  I stayed on the lowest strata of tech, the lowly repairman.  The guy who gets all the problems and all the complaints.  I probably should have gone into engineering.

None of this speaks to the question at hand.  What is the latest gadget?  It’s probably some electronic device that makes it easier to do business.  It’s probably some kind of telephone.  People all like to talk on the phone.  There is a big market for phones.  I don’t use the phone a lot.  Sometimes a friend will call.  I talk to family.  I do most of my communicating on the computer.  I think the Internet is the greatest invention of all time.  I have a huge book all about network architecture and equipment.  I could spend a week doing nothing but reading that book.  It’s interesting stuff.  I have a computer that lets me type up entries for my blog and play games.  I don’t really need a magical phone.  I don’t need a radio to communicate.  My computer hooks up over a radio link.  It’s all very complicated and interesting.

I just don’t keep on top of the latest gadgets.  I should look into what kind of electronics components are available in the new market.  For years, the only components I purchased or looked up were replacements.  I was stuck in the junk industry.  The bottom is falling out of the junk industry.  We live in a throw away culture where things are replaced and not repaired.  There is still some stuff that can be fixed, but it’s not really common.  I suppose there could be a market for refurbished electronics goods.  There is going to be a lot of junk going to the landfill and recyclers next year when analog TV phases out in broadcast band.  A whole era of technology made obsolete by legislation and improvements in technology.

Maybe I should turn this blog into yet another new gadget advertisement forum.  I could solicit press releases from manufacturers and just republish the information they give me as advertising for new stuff.  I would even sell advertisement to make money when millions of people start reading this blog.  For now, I don’t know what’s the latest stuff in technology.  It’s certain there is a market for stuff though, because companies make millions selling stuff.  Just think of all the profits lost by the CD manufacturers when the mp3 player went into mass production.  New stuff is always just around the corner.  Finding out about new stuff is as simple as having a venue where people visit.  Now, if I can just get a billion readers, my project in communications will pay off.