New stuff is coming along to replace the old stuff

By Dan Barber

Me collecting solar energy.

We survived the end of our existence in 2012. Remember, it was reported on TV that the Mayans, Hopis, and some ancient alien speculators thought we were likely to be sucked into a black hole, or the north and south poles of the earth would shift or we would be hit with a giant invisible asteroid. Remember December 21, 2012?

It was the year I had a very darn good reason to delay Christmas shopping until Christmas Eve, or at least I thought I did.

Technology that worked for
hundreds or even thousands
of years by Native Americans.

Many people are easily snookered into believing anything they read or watch on TV. “It said so in the newspaper, so it must be true… right?” Wrong, one of my favorite pastimes, since I retired is scanning newspapers to find something stupid that someone wrote and then comment in the readers section about what I thought was wrong or slanted in some way. I’m currently following the 2016 GOP Presidential primary campaigns with interest. However, I have to restrain myself from throwing objects at my large flat-screen smart TV.

I am very wary about any new technology, Every time I get my electric bill I will go online to research solar panel power technology, and with my faulty memory I keep forgetting each month that once I click on an internet link for solar technology the alarm bells go off in some telemarketing phone bank and my phone starts ringing asking if I'm interested in installing solar panels on my roof? They even have my address readily available with a satellite provided photograph that shows my roof in the Mojave Desert is perfect for solar panels!

I even once agreed to lease solar panels for my roof for a fixed dollar amount. Two months later the company called and said I could still get the panels, but for about $50 more a month than the previously agreed upon amount. In a loud and not so polite voice, I told them where they could relocate those panels because I was no longer interested. Then I just learned the other day that my conversation with that salesperson was probably recorded by my smart TV as well as the insults that I yell at politicians while watching televised debates!

After another exorbitant electric bill I received and news reports that my investor-owned electric utility provider just got approval from the wonderful officials at the California's Public Utilities Commission to increase the amount they can charge in the ever reducing pricing tiers for electricity, I've agreed with another company to lease solar panels. If all goes well, my wife and I should see some relief from our high electric bills, even though we don't use our central air and heat, due to the expense of electricity, to survive the summer heat and winter cold of the Mojave Desert until sometime next Spring.

I was hoping that I could wait it out until the cost of solar panels went down like the old BETA video tape players did. I didn't realize at the time that BETA technology was doomed, only to be replaced with the VCR tape player. I recall when it cost over $500 for a VCR player. Now I can find a “Blue Ray 3-D” video player for about $50… videos went from Beta to VCR to DVD to Blue Ray to someplace in the clouds that I can now download to my smartphone, which, by the way, is too dang small for me to watch a movie on! I still buy DVDs when I’m allowed because my wife wants the Blue Ray High Definition. According to her, and the movie studios, it provides a better picture. I try to explain to my wife that neither one of us have good enough sight to tell the difference between a regular DVD and Blue Ray.

When I remember to turn on our wireless surround sound while watching a Hi-definition Blue Ray movie it just causes me to jump up during a movie to see who in the hell is messing around out in my front yard… it also causes the dog to start barking! My granddaughter thinks it would be a hilarious prank to buy one of those “clap on clap off” devices she could hook up to my TV, so while I’m watching football or baseball, and I started clapping an excellent play my TV would mysteriously start going off and on! Which would cause me to call my cable company to complain about the crappy service they provide on my smart TV!

I have made predictions in the past that have come true about some smart kid up in Silicon Valley inventing a new doodad that his marketing buddies will convince the public, through the media, that they just have to have. Therefore many people will camp out on a hard cold sidewalk for a week so they can be the first among their friends to own the new doodad that will be obsolete in just a very short period of time.

I will just keep my $12 Big Box Store wristwatch that has worked fine for the past 10 years, I don't think that I will ever buy a $1,000 dollar wrist computer that my old eyes can't see. Also, I'd be afraid of getting it wet, or go off and forget that I left it on the sink after washing my hands at the Big Box Store after using their facilities.

Happy shopping for your latest technology.