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This is the Modem World: Japan is not weird
Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology. There's a dotted line between geekdom and Japan -- some of us call ourselves "otaku;" we follow Japanese technology companies; we look to Japanese culture as a beacon of our tech-obsessed future; we dream of visiting Tokyo. And yet we love to criticize Japanese culture, as if to say, "Well, sure, they make cool stuff, but they sure are messed up." I'm no expert on Japanese culture. While my visits to the island nation number in the double digits and I'm married to a citizen, I'm not about to claim any sort of authority on matters of Japan. However, I'm pretty sure they're not as weird as we like to say they are. And if they are, we're just as off-kilter.
This is the Modem World: Please fix two things
Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology. We can all agree that technology is pretty cool. It allows us to communicate with one another, entertain ourselves, meet new people, learn new things and even find love and health. We love to discover new technologies, see it do amazing things and get a glimpse of the future. We, the early adopters, are pioneers, beta testers and happy to be first in line. This is all good. But despite our hammering, our pleas and our shouts from the tops of the greatest blogs we know, some bad things just don't change. When I say "bad things," I'm talking about two annoying little facts of technology that, in my opinion, don't need to be so painful. These are things we can and should fix. Perhaps we're not heard loudly enough, or perhaps the technology isn't there to fix what we want, or maybe the manufacturers have better things to do. Whatever it is, let's list those things out here, perhaps so that some engineer or product designer will read this and think, "Why, yes... Yes. I should fix this."
This is the Modem World: Why I don't like lists -- a list
Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology. It's both the end of one year and the beginning of another, and that means we're inundated with best-of, worst-of and something-of lists from all of our favorite -- like this one -- tech media outlets. I don't like lists. But lists are useful. I've been guilty of making lists. They're nice ways to organize a year, and they get people talking about why X is No. 1 and Y is way down at the bottom. It brings out our inner fanboy, exposes us to products we wouldn't normally consider and makes for an easy reading experience. Therefore, I present to you a list... about why I don't like best-of product lists.
This is the Modem World: You Use THAT?
Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology. That's what she said to me. "You use THAT?!" she repeated, pointing at my humble iPhone 4. "Is that even a 4S?" she stepped back as she glanced for backup. "Aren't you some techie?" her friend joined in. I felt like I had been caught with my pants down. I had to prove my tech worthiness to these girls. I had a reputation to protect.
This is the Modem World: Fear and loathing in the local bike shop
Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology. By now, Cyber Monday is probably as big as Black Friday in terms of sales and retail excitement. According to IBM's Smarter Commerce arm, Cyber Monday online sales jumped 30 percent this year. A few years ago, Cyber Monday seemed to start as a joke, e-tailers heaving a "me too" at everyone returning to work, hoping to pick up a couple extra sales from those who didn't score on Black Friday. This was, of course, when brick-and-mortar shops still outsold their online brethren. Blockbuster Video still occupied mini-malls; Barnes & Noble sold CDs and didn't know a thing about tablets. There was a quiet respect for brick-and-mortar stores in the quaint nature of Cyber Monday: 20 percent off underwear and free shipping, but that was about it.
This is the Modem World: We're all a bunch of cranky old men
Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology. I've been studying online communities since 1994, believe it or not. My master's thesis was called "Escape to Cyberia: Subcultures as Agents of Change." Go ahead, make fun of me for the title. It's cool. But back then, no one -- or at least, very few people -- studied online communities as fodder for social science. I set out to prove that people could actually form social bonds and even social structures -- in this case subcultures -- online. I then went on to show that what happens online can affect what happens in the "real world." Several professors at the University of Chicago thought I was insane -- "Real world vs. online? What is this, 'Tron?!'" -- but I aligned myself with a forward-thinker named David Laitin who, too, was ready to accept our future robot overlords. At the time, Usenet wasn't the dark, gritty back alley of the internet that it is now. Newsgroups were full of discussion, moderation and netiquette. They were, if you will, "where it was at." I was a daily contributor and reader of alt.mountain-bike, where at least 100 new messages about trails, bike maintenance and burritos kept my attention. It was, you might say, just like Reddit. Sorta.
This is the Modem World: Hotels owe us free WiFi (and cotton swabs)
Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology. When I departed for my three-week honeymoon, I informed all my colleagues that I would be off the grid: unavailable, unreachable, without access, etc. In truth, I was in airplane mode scanning for WiFi networks several times a day, checking in on East Coast friends dealing with Hurricane Sandy. Side note: I was doing so from poolside chairs while the new wife was asleep and not about to be annoyed by my digital addictions, so that made it OK, and stuff.
This is the Modem World: Give me the keys, I'll drive!
Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology. "Give me that" I huffed, teeth clenched. Snatching the iPhone from my friend's hands, I swiftly pulled up directions to The Grove despite the inadequacies of Apple's new Google Maps replacement. While I'd rather have the old Google Maps back, I was able to work around the quirks and get what I needed. On Saturday, my fiancée and I sat down to watch a movie on Netflix. She simply handed the remote to me as she knew I'd have things set up in no time: I knew which activity to select on the Harmony One, to switch on the PS3 and how to search on the console's version of the Netflix app (each one is bizarrely different for some reason). Yes, she could have gotten us there, but I'm a better driver. She would have used the Netflix app on our connected TV. It works, but it uses the TV's speakers and I need to watch things with glorious 5.1. Does she care? Not so much. But she knows that I drive our tech better than she does and she's happy to leave it to me.
This is the Modem World: Why are printers stuck in the 20th century?
Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology. There was a time -- early in my computing career -- that your average printer could output better results than any screen could. In the days before WYSIWYG word processors, we would guess what the printed product might look like and then let an Okidata monstrosity scream out ugly 5 x 7 dot matrix results. When it worked, it worked well, and we were thrilled that our 16KB machines could make something real. A continuous ream of paper was fed into the printer and we'd happily tear the perforated pages apart like birthday gifts from the digital deities.
This is the Modem World: Why we fight
Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology. I think I figured out why we love to argue about technology. It came to me via the wisdom of my mom, not surprisingly. It started last Sunday, when I was at her house to mooch some lunch while helping her get photos off of her digital camera and onto a sharing site so she could, ahem, share them. She was complaining that younger generations won't have photo albums, those lovely, physical relics of days gone by that mother and son can pore over and share memories. "But, we'll have Facebook Timelines," I replied, sheepishly. She glared. I glared back.
This is the Modem World: Can I pick my own set-top box, please?
Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology. When I was a kid, my parents actually rented our home phones from the phone company. They were hard-wired to the wall -- no detachable RJ cables. The phones were heavy, and when you needed a new one, you would call the phone company and get in line. They would then come out in four to six weeks and install the new phone for you at your expense. If you wanted to move the phone to another room, the process was like calling an electrician: holes were drilled, ladders were scaled and money was spent. The phone equipment itself was drab, heavy and came in your choice of two colors: boring and depressing. Answering machines were rare -- instead, you had to use expensive answering services staffed by cranky women from New Jersey.
This is the Modem World: An ode to the trapper keeper
Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology. It's back to school season, and if you're one of the younger Engadget readers, surely you did a little supply shopping. Perhaps you bought some pens, pencils, paper and notepads. Maybe you even landed a new laptop, tablet or printer. You probably tried to convince your parents that Xbox Live has a live after-school study group that can help you excel in calculus. (Parents: I'm not going to say if it does or not. It's up to you, as involved parents, to look this up on your own. If you don't look it up, then, yes, there is an amazing study group on Xbox Live. Buy your kid that 360.) But when you went back-to-school shopping, I'm going to guess you didn't buy a Trapper Keeper.
This is the Modem World: So where are all the ghosts and aliens?
Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology. I love movies and books about ghosts and aliens, especially the older ones from an era when technology didn't allow too many special effects. For me, it's what you don't see that freaks me out.
This is the Modem World: whatchoo got under the hood?
Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology. I just bought a new car. I chose an automatic transmission. I know, I know. In order to really appreciate driving, one must have three pedals and be in complete control of his torque curve. But I do love driving and can hold my own in a conversation about horsepower, suspensions and cold-air intakes. As for working on cars, I could change my oil, but nothing more. In my teens, I drove a manual 1980 VW Rabbit that I took from Orange County to LA and back again almost every weekend. I loved the car, but after years of stop-and-go, my clutch leg grew giant-sized, like a crab. I promised myself to never sit in traffic in a manual transmission again.
This is the Modem World: Curiosity Killed the Fanboy
Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology. Usain Bolt is fast. Really fast. So fast, in fact, that we all revel in his quirky personality and dig the fact that he comes from Jamaica. We're all Bolt fanboys. The Olympics, born as a celebration of the human body and spirit, bring the world together every two years in a peaceful competition and allow us to transform nationalism into a spirited, peaceful chant for our own countries. Usain Bolt displayed the Olympic spirit during a post-race interview when he stopped the affair to wait for the American national anthem to finish as another athlete received her gold medal. Respect.
