Technology – I have got so many technology innovations wrong
that I almost believe that I have no sense of what the future holds. But funnily
I am in a job that requires me to forecast and work towards using technology in
our daily life. It’s not that the job description says so, but I guess my
interests in technology make me feel so, behave so and be so.
But so many times I have seen myself as an older person not
really embracing technology as I should be. I remember I got my blackberry well
after a lot of the others got it. I saw it as a tool that people used to become
wannabe peoples. People with the blackberries were the ‘I am so uptight that I will
pull off my BB in a lift and check it rather than do nothing but look at the lift
screen and get bored.’ This was especially trues because I worked in an uptight
wealth management set up in a building teaming with investment bankers – all seemingly
more uptight than the other. Hence – I resisted buying the BB for the longest
time. Then once I got it, I used it way past it expiry date. I used it for
three years it so till one day, it gave up on me. Then I bought the tough
screen interface form Samsung. And I am hooked for ever to it. One thing I get
really scared of doing is buying an apple device. With the restrictive iTunes
interface, I really can’t get my head to work with it. See I am getting far
older than I thought.
Some time back, I bought a shaving brush and a shaving
round. I guess in ten years or so if any one were to read this blog they would
be pretty confused as to what a shaving round is. Here, this best describes the
round.
Basically a soap on which you vigorously rub the brush to
get enough lather and then it goes on your beard. It was fun a start. A throw
back to the time I first started shaving. My dad had this which I used after
the tenth exams to get rid of my moustache. I was sure that the mouchie was a
dam uncool thing to have. So I used my dad’s stuff. My dad realized I shaved
and then sat me down and gifted me a set. My own shaving brush, I think a
shaving cream and a razor with spare supplies. I think that was the ultimate
father son cliché moment. The coming of age. I soon graduated to shaving foams.
That was thanks to Jasmine and her cousins from US. Jasmine would routinely get
me the cans. I kept the cans going for many years till one day I saw the round
at the supermarket. It was cool to be retro I thought. And really really cheap.
Till I realized a week back that it’s stupid. It takes more space and more time
and given that shaving is the most boring thing to do when you are 39 (and amazingly
exciting at 15), just take the latest thing and move on. So back to a fast and
quick shaving solution. I am now waiting to get through my blades to figure if I
would enjoy an electric shaver. The technology on those things seems to have
improved drastically since I first used it many years ago.
And cars – there is one place I always wanted all the
technology I could afford. I like to think small when it comes to possessions. And
I have always had simple (relatively simpler) tastes in car. I don’t really
drool over fancy sports cars and see no real use for them. But I wanted some stuff
in my car. Always! Lets take a feature check. Tubeless tyres – who wants to change
punctures in the middle of the road – I got that from the second car onwards.
Alloy wheels – one friend in MBA had a brother who dealt in alloy wheels. He explained
how they were lighter and stronger and cool to look at. Then I wanted rear
defogger – my second car onwards. Air bags – safety first – third car had it.
then you have stuff like keyless entry. Why would you need keys at all. Push
start – all my life I wondered why we need a key to start the car. Just press a
button. Isn’t that simpler. And the holy grail of them all – automatic. You
need an Automatic. I was done changing gears after 20 years of driving. What a
freaking pain. So now my new car is the 2014 Honda City. Push button start,
automatic, alloy wheels, rear defogger, Rear parking camera integrated into
audio system, key less entry – no button to press – just open the door if your
key device is on you, a lock that automatically happens at a speed of 20kmph,
sun roof (absolutely lovely useless stuff), airbags, ABS EBD and some other really
cool stuff that I don’t know about. But it’s cool. and yes yes – Cruise control.
How could I forget that. And the simple audio controls on the steering wheel. I
am eligible for something much more than a Honda City from the company but I am
ok with this. This is good enough for now. My first car was the Indica, we sold
that and bought a Honda City, then we bought a second car – the iTen which we
just sold to buy this City. So now we have two Citys. But truly for some reason
this car is one that I am truly very excited about. I have no clue why I like
it so much. The dam waiting period was 8 months, but I felt that it was well
worth it. Japanese trouble free engineering with cool gadgets built in. I know it
and I hate it, it’s not nice to covet something so much. it’s wrong. It’s just
a car. But I like the leather seats and I don’t want to see them spoilt.
One thing I always wanted at the bare minimum was a clean,
rattle free, reliable free car. I hate a car which has a rattling part. Or a car
that needs to go to the workshop again and again. I love technology in a car. That’s
one place it needs to be. And I figure if I spend at least 90 minutes in a car
every day, I don’t mind spending a little on this car; which gives me the
comfort I want.
There… now let me leave you with a completely irrelevant
bonus video… but is it that irrelevant…?
