Man v Machines

[Redundant]

I'm big fan of Darwin, I especially liked his early albums but after that it all got a bit too "experimental" for me, but I digress.   As per Darwin it would be relatively safe to assume that human beings have risen to the top of the food chain, although we do make very good occasional snacks for bears and other carnivores.   My wife will often go to bed before I do, if I happen to be watching something on my computer [at the moment it's back to back episodes of the American TV series "The West Wing"] I will plug in a set of headphones so as not to disturb her with the noise.   Totally Darwinian at the moment, I know there's a problem and I find a solution.   Then the machine tells me, by way of a very techno looking message box, "You've just plugged in an audio device" and it will list a series of four such devices and very kindly indicate which one it thinks it was, and yes it's headphones.   At the same time a "pop up message" will also tell me...you get the gist.   So the machine clearly thinks I'm stupid, or I am doing my boy and the dyke routine [Frankie Howard we miss you].

I enjoy reading, and after the usual mutterings about tradition, the feel and smell of a real one etc, I gave up my book collection and switched to a Kindle [love it].   Now occasionally I fail to charge the Kindle and it very kindly pops up a little message telling me "Your Kindle battery is low, you need to recharge" or some such drivel.   At that point it is just being useful, and I appreciate it dearly, my Darwinian mindset tells me to remember to do so and every thing is all things bright and beautiful.   Then "you're stupid" kicks in and every five minutes or so the Kindle tells me again and again the same message so it clearly thinks I'm too stupid to remember.

My favourite though, and this reclaims Darwinian domination to humans, is the start up screen of my computer; for some reason [perhaps a Windows * thing] I had to provide a password to progress to the next round of the start up, the really useful part where all my software and files are.   If I make a mistake in the password the machine tells me "You have entered the wrong password, for help to recover your password go to http://blah.blah.blah" at which point I go "HA!", sneer condescendingly and mutter 'How the f... to I do that when you won't let me in without a bl.... password.'

I rest my case.

[Roger Kettle]

It won't surprise anyone on here that I still read "normal" books. (Currently "Which Lie Did I Tell?" by the brilliant William Goldman*). I know lots of avid readers, my wife being one, who have converted to Kindle and are delighted but I can't see myself following suit. Not in the immediate future, anyway. It takes me a while to adapt to new technology---I'm thinking about getting my first ever mobile phone this year.

* I recommend anything by Goldman from "Adventures In The Screen Trade" to "The Princess Bride".

[Redundant]

It takes me a while to adapt to new technology---I'm thinking about getting my first ever mobile phone this year.

I have one for work, don't like them too much, but given we sell them by the bucketful it seems disloyal not to.   The Kindle was a no brainer eventually, over a thousand books and floorboards taking Valium for the stress.   My memory is such that I can happily read a book several times of a period of years, which meant I was loath to dispense with any, now I keep nearly two thousand books on the computer and transfer them over to the Kindle depending on my mood.   I still have some "real" ones, mainly about computer programming, photography and a good few biographies.   Now when they invent that "new book smell" for Kindles...paradise!