Confessions of a Tech Junkie's Wife

Alas, this is my last post. My last semester is nearing, and this is my final assignment of my undergraduate career.

This past week we did poster presentations. I presented on Monday, and my topic was about MIT's first robotic opera. Death and the Powers will premiere across the U.S. and Monaco during the 2010 - 2011 theater year. The plot line revolves around an inventor named Simon Powers who decides he wants to live forever. He "downloads" himself into a machine called The System so the essence of who he is can live on past his own human life. It is a topic that even came up during our own class; where is the line between human and machine?

My poster highlighted six main sections. One section covered the synopsis of the play, four sections discussed specific emerging technologies implemented in this opera, and the final section talked about the importance of this play for the performing arts community. I also attached two iPods on my poster that displayed the opera's trailer. Overall, I was really pleased with the outcome of my poster and presentation of it. Below is a description of one of the technologies I talked about during my project.



On Friday, I went to the other half of my class' poster presentation. I looked through their displays, asked questions, and then tweeted about them on my Twitter account. I enjoyed learning about my classmates' posters quite a bit. What I find most interesting is how each student is drawn to a certain type of emerging technology, and that is typically what they did for their poster.

Finally, COM 435 was definitely an experience. I have learned about technology through my jobs, husband, and friends, but I have never been a part of a class that's sole purpose was to encourage information sharing about emerging technologies. I already knew about several topics we discussed in class, but there was so much more that I had never even heard about before this semester. I hope I can use some elements in my future public relations career.

Farewell, Professor K and Prashant!

This week I spent a lot of time writing COM435's Critical Analysis Paper #2. The topic was to discuss cyborg ethics. What is a cyborg? Well, I'm glad you asked.

Recently in class, Professor K discussed how virtual gaming is actually a mode of communication. I never would have considered it until meeting my husband. Zach and I have a Wii, an Xbox, and a broken Xbox 360, but we are not constantly gaming. Usually we play video games as a social activity when others visit our apartment or if we are strapped for cash and don't want to spend money on a night out. Recently we sent the broken Xbox 360 to be fixed, and Microsoft sent us a refurbished one for free! Thanks Microsoft!

This man might destroy all that is sacred to tech junkies and their wives: Open access to news.

Rupert Murdoch is a media mogul. He controls The Sun, The Times, The New York Post, The Wall Street Journal, Fox, and Hulu--- just to name a few. He recently publicly denounced Google for making his newspapers' headlines and stories a part of Google search engine results. He has been at odds with Google for quite some time, but it actually seems like he is making serious threats this time. In another article, he is quote as saying:

"What's the point of having someone come occasionally who likes a headline they see in Google? The fact is there isn't enough advertising in the world to go around to make all the Web sites profitable. We'd rather have fewer people coming to our Web sites but paying. (The public) shouldn't have had it free. I think we've been asleep."

So basically Murdoch is saying he is going to remove his news conglomerate from Google's search engines. Everyone who will want online access to these sites will have to pay a fee. Through my researching, I never actually heard if it would be a monthly subscription fee or a pay as you click method. Regardless, it has created a huge stir in the technology community. Google is fighting back by saying the public should have free access to news and information in general. Google is a very financially successful company and believes there is still a way news companies can make money even if they are not charging fees to readers.

The Biz Stone, co-founder of Twitter, agrees with Google's approach of free access. In another article, Stone says:

"They [Murdoch] should be looking at this as an opportunity to try something radically different and find out a way to make a ton of money from being radically open rather than some money from being ridiculously closed."

***

I can't imagine a life without Google searching for news articles. And I don't want to pay for that service! It is a messy gray area, and I think it is going to get pretty ugly between these two mega entities. It is definitely a battle of old school versus new school. I hope Google wins because Twitter's co-founder is correct: free access does not mean no revenue.

I mean, don't they save news reels and databases at libraries? I don't have to pay to access those, but when they are posted online, that's when it is a problem. Murdoch is just being a selfish old man that refuses to accept the way information technology is evolving. He is a financial tycoon; I am pretty sure he could still figure out a way to make millions by letting his newspapers, television stations, and news websites give Google free reign on searching.

If not...it is going to be much more costly and difficult to find research articles for those upcoming term papers. Thumbs down. Good luck, Google.

Here's something I was reading about last week that I found interesting. A company in England has created a super simple computer marketed to older adults. Instead of having confusing sign in boxes and drop down menus, the computer shows one screen with a few buttons on the main screen. These buttons allow users to easily access e-mail, chat, the Internet, word processor, and a "My Documents" of sorts.

Zach is the complete opposite of me. He hates RSS feeds. He also has a set of websites he likes to read every day, but he enjoys seeing the design of the sight. That must be his computer graphics background. He doesn't mind the extra time with not using RSS feeds. Since he builds websites, he sees the value in accessing every website so he can see what works and doesn't work in these sites.

Zach’s friend turned his old XBOX into a media center; naturally, Zach had to figure out this technology for himself. I am IN LOVE with our XBOX media center! Seriously. Let me tell you what it does.

I turn on the XBOX and the television in our living room. The XBOX is hooked up to an old computer hard drive that is stored in our coat closet. This computer hard drive is the hub of the media center and stores all of our files. After I select the right input to display the XBOX media center on my TV screen, the fun begins. Stored on our XBOX, we have 19 television series and 51 movies. A lot of these movies and television shows are ones we bought, but we also copy our friends’ purchased movies and television shows sometimes (Hey, don’t judge. We’re poor college students). We also store both of our iTunes collections through the XBOX media center. So, we can watch television shows and movies or listen to music through our great television and sound system. Plus Zach just figured out a way to use this technology in our bedroom’s technology. I honestly have no idea how he pulled that off because we don’t have a XBOX in there. He said he figured out with some iPhone remote controller app. Who knows.

Anyways, it’s really convenient to access all of our media through this system. We don’t have to worry about DVD’s scratching as well. Living with a tech junkie definitely has its perks. It’s neat to see how tech junkies can turn their love into productive, helpful products/services for others. I've been learning a lot about it in COM 435, and it's even better to reap the benefits of it at home.

For now,

Dana

P.S. Enjoy our new favorite movie trailer.

I get stressed frequently and intensely. I thrive on to-do lists. Sometimes, I even write things that I do but forgot to put on a list just so I can cross it off. I love the satisfaction of crossing off an item because it makes me feel like I am being productive.

However, to-do lists don't take away my stress. They add to it.

I always feel like I'm forgetting something on my list. I make "sub lists" so I can feel organized for my day's goals (i.e. having a master to-do list and then smaller Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday lists with the master list's tasks). I wasted a lot of time making lists.

Zach finally intervened. He suggested buying smart phones. For months, I said no because I thought he had an ulterior motive of just wanting to buy a new toy. Eventually, I caved in.

And, wow. It has made a huge, positive difference.

We bought iPhones. I have an application loaded onto my phone called "To Do's." I type in what I need to do in there. What's great about it is that I don't have to worry about losing a piece of paper or always bringing it around with me. My phone is almost always right next to me so if I need to remember something, it is within close distance. I don't have to worry about remembering everything. I also am actually less likely to constantly look at the list because it is not staring me in the face all of the time (like a Post-It note would be by my desk). Yet, I get a lot done using this digital form of organization.

Thanks, tech junkie husband of mine.

For now,
Dana

Twitter. The world’s hottest new social networking website --- and Zach’s favorite thing to update. Are you unfamiliar with Twitter? PCMag.com defines Twitter as “a Web site and service that lets users send short text messages up to 140 characters in length from their cell phones to a group of people.” PCMag’s definition is a little narrow so let me expand on it.

People can post their thoughts (limited to 140 characters) on Twitter. These posts are called “tweets.” Twitter users can send tweets via cell phone, Twitter.com, or a Twitter third-party software application. A Twitter user subscribes to other users so they can read their tweets.
Even though Twitter only started in 2006, it has become a super popular website. For more terminology of Twitter, you should check out this website. It’s really hilarious and insightful on this online community.

Zach is a tweetaholic. Zach tweeted daily on our honeymoon. He posted pictures of the beach, wrote quirky messages about tourist traps we visited, and gave restaurant reviews. Most girls wouldn’t be pleased if their guys were doing this. A few of Zach’s more technologically inclined friends were forced to leave their cell phones at home on their honeymoons just because of Twitter. But I didn’t care. I actually helped him start thinking of funny things to write about on our trip. He wasn’t constantly on Twitter so it didn’t bother me. Whenever he was on Twitter, it gave me time to read Harry Potter by the pool. :)

Personally though, I don’t see the point of Twitter. Well, I do see the point of Twitter, but I guess I just don’t have any interest in it. I have a Facebook account and regularly update my status there. All of my friends are already on this website so it seems like I would be wasting time updating and reading both sites. Zach strongly disagrees with me. He thinks Twitter has an advantage because this website focuses solely on status updates whereas Facebook has strong emphasis on statuses, profile information, uploaded photographs, and third party applications (Farmville, anyone?). Also, he says the general public has access to businesses and celebrities Twitter accounts unlike their private Facebook information. I see his points...I guess.

It is funny to read what Ashton Kutcher has to say, of course. The phenomena surrounding Twitter amazes me as a communication student. It forms online communities in ways that Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIn, etc. have never even dreamed of doing. I get why Zach uses it so much. If I had a Twitter account, I would probably turn into an obsessed user him. But I don’t have time for that. I’ll stick to my Facebook statuses. At least I’m not limited to 140 characters on that website.

For now,
Dana

I liked staying organized by writing things down in my Mortar Board (a day planner book for those non-Boilermaker readers). My idea was to have a calendar printed on the refrigerator, and we would both write down our commitments on it. Zach went along with it for maybe two days before he said he couldn’t handle it. He hated writing things down. He also said that the calendar was worthless if we weren’t at home to look at it. So Zach decided we needed to go digital with our calendar. Of course.

He loves Google Calendar. He set up a calendar for his work appointments and band concerts. Then he showed me how to create calendars. I made two. I created one calendar that is for school and work commitments. My other calendar is more of a “social schedule” that contains dates to meet with people, have friends over for dinner, or go to Indianapolis to visit our families. Then Zach color coordinated all of our calendars. Finally, he made sure they were all synced to our Gmail accounts and iPhones.

At first, I hated it. I couldn’t remember to update it, and I kept writing things down instead. Eventually though, I saw the value of Google calendars. I always had our schedules at my fingertips, thanks to my iPhone. My phone also alerts me 15 minutes before an event happens. I probably would forget things if it didn’t do this!

It’s not fair to act like Zach is always easy to live with because frankly, he is not. Living with a tech junkie creates two main obstacles. Here they are:

1. He spends money. Remember the cash he saved us from being a tech junkie? Well, now he wants to spend all of that saved money on new technologies. Zach is never content because there is always something new being developed. Recently he bought a universal remote. In fairness to him it was a good deal, but I was frustrated --- why do we need to buy a remote to replace remotes we already have? Is it really that difficult to use three remotes instead of one? We didn’t argue about it; we just had a good laugh about our differences. However, sometimes I don’t see the point in some of the technologies that excite him so much, and that can create some tension between us.

2. He gets distracted. As a communication major, I talk a lot. Zach is a great listener --- as long as his iPhone isn’t nearby to distract him. And guess what? His iPhone is NEVER away from him. I caught him sleeping with it under his cheek the other day (which was hilarious; I wish I had gotten a picture of it). Zach is usually so attentive to my rants and raves, but every once in a while, I will catch him checking his e-mail, posting a Tweet, or playing a game on his phone while I’m talking. At that point, I always ask, “What did I just say?” He has become very good at somehow remembering the last 5 words I say even if he is not actually listening. Oh well. He knows it bugs me so he is better about listening now. But when there is a new technology in our apartment, I know he will be distracted. Take for instance the bless-ed new universal remote. He sat in silence for hours reading the manual and programming the remote so it could do all sorts of things. I did not attempt to talk with him then because I knew he was “in the zone.” Being with someone who loves technology means you have to change some of your communication techniques in certain circumstances. Marriage is hard work, but it’s worth it. :)

For now,
Dana

There are many advantages, but here are the biggies:

1. He can set up and fix anything! When Zach and I moved into our home, his first priority was the entertainment system. Several hours later, he had set up our television, DVD player, sound system, Wii game consule, XBOX game consule, and a computer hard drive he uses to store movies, television shows, and music. He also assembled a new piece of furniture for all of it. It is super convenient to know all of my technology will always be functioning because it drives him crazy otherwise.
2. He saves us money. Before our wedding, Zach told me he wanted to do as many tasks as possible to help me. Isn't he such a good guy? I wasn't sure how to respond to his request, but later he had the idea to design all of our wedding print materials. So he designed and printed our Save the Date announcements, formal invitations, ceremony programs, and favor labels (which were mixed CD's he made). What's more, Zach built an entire wedding website since that's a trendy thing to do. Not only was I blown away by his helpfulness, I was also thankful for the hundreds and hundreds of dollars he saved my family. Being tech saavy eliminates the need to buy overpriced products and services because you can do it yourself.
3. He has interesting knowledge. Zach is always telling me a random fact; these facts are usually about technology or were discovered because of technology. For example, my husband is the first to know about upcoming concert tours. We are both in love with music and concerts so it is great that he finds out when we will be driving to Indianapolis or Chicago. Other times, Zach will post links on his Twitter and Facebook accounts. I always enjoy reading what he posts because the topics range from universal health care to a hilarious movie trailer.

In short, technology can make being married to a tech junkier easier. Next week, you'll find out why it makes it harder.

Enjoy one of our favorite new trailers:

For now,

Dana