So here I sit at work, disabled by the promise of cheap (free), brilliant, cutting-edge technology. Yes, I’m one of there millions who today are installing Mavericks, Apples latest Mac OS, now that it’s free. Like other times when the tool-that-does-everything is unavailable (like when it actually breaks), I sit here and still stare at the screen, wondering why they don’t tell you up front that the process is going to take over an hour to complete. But a watched computer only gets slower, so I turn to my trusty iPad to do some work. 

I’m curious if this scenario will exist much further into the future. I see self-patching systems, concurrent downloads, and solid state disks and hope that at some point this goes away. Of course by then everything will be software based and we’ll be stuck with waiting for our car to reboot before we drive off further into the future. 

I’ve always been a sucker for technology, yet I find myself craving simplicity even more. So if I do adopt a new tool or toy, it must be simpler than what I have now. Some folks get it, like Apple, Nest, TiVo, and Amazon. Which is why I own a Mac, a Nest thermostat, a TiVo DVR, and an Amazon Prime membership. 

The only vestige of my previous hacker-type lifestyle is my Android phone. I still hate when someone else wants to control my phone, and though it has been a year since I hacked my phone (or my Apple TV), I like the idea that I can if I want to.

In the end, technology should be a tool. Some people will have sharper tools than others, but technology for technology’s sake has now been pushed to the side to make room for people, places, and quiet contemplation for this man as he pushes up to the half-century mark. After all, I don’t need a mistress, especially one that consumes over an hour of my time while at work.