opinios

Electronic Indulgence

Ok, I take back that rubbish I wrote a while ago about not being sucked in to mass marketing.

Kim suggested that I look into those little PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) organiser thingies for my birthday this year, so I have been scouting around the different models on display at Tokyo's electronic stores.

The range is enormous, and so are some of the price tags.

My buddy Nick swears by his Sony Clie, which has a decent sized screen and a full keyboard while still not being too clunky to be portable. Of course there are dozens of different models within the Clie range, with some having faster processors or more memory for power business users, others having remote controls for when you use it as an MP3 player, and others sporting digital cameras with resolutions that rival some of the lower-end cameras on the market.

The thing that continued to swirl through my head while I played with these expensive toys in the store was, will I ever use it???

Sure, it's cool to be able to upload images back and forth from this device to your computer (there are even Bluetooth wireless options), it might be fun to show off to other people how you can watch a video in the palm of your hand (although a memory stick big enough to hold a decent sized movie will set you back the cost of the unit again!) and being able to write notes to myself on the touch-screen might mean I don't lose information that tends to go walkabout when I scribble it down on the touch screen.

But what if I drop the damn thing? Do I really need it? Will it really make my life easier or happier?

In the midst of the blaring jingles, flashing lights and screaming voice-overs advertising this and that, I realised I was actually beginning to feel depressed. Just looking at all these gadgets around me was making me dizzy with desire, as I started trying to justify to myself why I should get the most expensive model. I felt the sudden urge to do something that made me feel happy.

I needed to... run.

It's easy to forget that doing things that get neglected when you are caught up in the hustle and bustle of a big city is really important. Running as fast as you possibly can until you are full out of breath; randomly strumming a guitar; sitting down with a good book and losing yourself in another world; good food, good wine, a good movie, good company - when I'm feeling restless, these are the things that make me happy. Not some gadget.

So, what should I get for my birthday? Do I need anything? Do we ever really need anything in such affluent times? I have a wealthy life with an abundance of love and good health and friendship and safety and challenges and rewards. This I pondered as I broke into a sprint.

By the time I had run all the way home, I'd forgotten what the question was.