Gadgets are making my world go round

July 3, 2005

Spectrum\Sammye Pokryfki

It is sometimes hard to believe that I survived quite nicely only a few short years ago without a GPS, iPod, or cell-phone camera. Not to mention all the gadgetry associated with computers: things like digital cameras, e-mail, and the Internet.

What is extraordinary is that all of these things -- and more! -- have only become available within the last 20 years, roughly half my lifetime. The thing that really shocked my children is when I told them that I was in high school when the blow dryer became available.

My daughter shudders to think I once had to shampoo the night before to make sure my hair was dry in the morning. I like to think of myself as a "low-maintenance" person and perhaps in comparison to some, I still qualify.

Nevertheless, I used no fewer than six gadgets getting ready for work this morning. That's before I got into my car, which is essentially a bunch of gadgets on wheels.

And once I got to the office, forget about it, I lose count.

The latest gadget to catch my eye is this mosquito zapper thing that supposedly keeps mosquitoes at bay within an acre radius. I'm tempted to buy one just to see if it works, but they cost $400, which is the biggest problem with gadgets -- they are usually expensive and hard to justify since you can, after all, live without them.

You might think that living without gadgets is part of what is appealing about camping and hiking, that whole back-to-nature experience.

Get real. There are more gadgets being used in the woods than you can shake a stick at. The modern outdoor enthusiast has a handheld GPS to tell her where she is and where she has been. No more trail of breadcrumbs. She also has a satellite phone, lightweight cooking stove, water purifier, and for those touch-ups on the trail, a folding propane-powered curling iron.

Gadgets are great and convenient, and generally speaking they have the potential to make life easier and more enjoyable. I hate to be a wet blanket (there's a gadget for that, by the way) but I'm not convinced we are heading in the right direction by creating more of these things that we quickly believe we can't live without.

I think we might be losing something in the process. I have noticed, for example, that people in general seem to be losing patience. We want everything now and we don't want to wait and we have lots of gadgets that provide instant gratification. But the downfall is that there are some marvelous things that take a long time and a lot of patience to create and fully appreciate: artistic expression, good conversations, lasting and meaningful relationships, excellence at just about anything. I wonder if through gadgetry and technology, will we eventually forgo these things? Maybe they will be replaced by something even more wonderful, but it's hard to know for sure.

We have created so many gadgets to help us stay connected to each other that we are quite literally never alone. Considering that humans are pack animals by nature, perhaps the evasion of solitude is, from an evolutionary standpoint, an appropriate development.

But you miss out on something special when you are never alone with your thoughts. I look around me all the time and see people with cell phones and earphones stuck to their heads, in touch with someone somewhere else perhaps, but tuning out the part of the world that is right in front of them.

I was horrified this past winter to be skiing in Hatcher Pass, one of the most gorgeous days of the year, pristine snow and so quiet you could hear your heart beat, and along comes a guy yelling into his cell phone. He didn't acknowledge me, the person in his presence, and he certainly didn't pause to reflect on the spectacular scenery that was laid out before us. He did, however, confirm his dinner meeting and arrange his next day's schedule.

Maybe there's a happy medium. I hope we can enjoy our gadgets and get the most out of them without losing some of the best of our selves in the deal. As I sit here typing on my computer (the ultimate gadget), I have to admit that I don't want to go back in time and write all of this by longhand.

Nor do I want to give up the convenience of the Internet or go without my battery-powered lint shaver that removes all the fuzzballs from my sweaters. I just need to remember that the world will keep spinning without these wonderful gadgets, and they all come with an "off" button for a reason.

Sammye Pokryfki is a longtime Valley resident.