Queen of the Girl Geeks

Technology Overload

Today I went with my mom to our local clinic so she could get her blood drawn. Much to my surprise when she checked in they handed her a beeper, kind of like the one you get a Outback Steakhouse to let you know your table is ready. HELLO! This really ticked me off!

First of all we live in a fairly small suburban community and the most people I have even seen in the waiting room has been 20 (this includes lab, x-ray and cat scan people). There is a large front desk with about 3 people to check you in and a slew of nurses wander around. So, why on earth did they give my mom a beeper? Sure enough in about 5 minutes she beeped which was her clue to go to the lab entrance about 4 feet from where we were sitting. This is crazy!

Now I love technology but not when it goes on overload. There is no reason to hand out restaurant beepers to the over 60 crowd at the local clinic. Just be human and call out their name. Yes, I know all about HIPPA laws but you can still use a first name. Being human in this case goes a long way!

Do You VUDU? And Why Would You Want To?

VUDU is the latest and greatest in moving our society to a paperless medium. Basically VUDU is a black box that costs $399. With this box you acquire the ability to order any one of 5,000 movies for $.99 to $3.99. HELLO! That is going to get really expensive. When I first read about VUDU I foolishly thought that the 5,000 movies came with the unit and you paid a one-time fee of $399 for the box. Kind of like the Atari Flashback 2.0 unit. Yes I know, pretty stupid. However on the front page of the VUDU site it does not mention fees. Here is the tag line:

VUDU is a revolutionary new product that brings thousands of movies straight to your living room for instant viewing, without a computer or cable/satellite TV service. All you need for VUDU is a TV, a broadband Internet connection, and a favorite spot, like a comfy couch.

OK, here is my issue. Aside from my in-laws most people who can afford a VUDU already have cable/satellite TV service. The above statement conjures up images of some retro 70's guy sitting on a couch watching an old Zenith TV. The point being is that if you have cable/satellite TV you don't need a VUDU unless you are obsessed with watching outdated movies.

Now here's where we get caught up in a time warp. Getting a VUDU will save you time because you won't have to run to the video store or order movies from Netflicks. Now with the 15 minutes you just saved yourself you can now order "Fletch" with your trusty new VUDU for only $.99 and waste the next 2 hours watching a really bad movie. Is this a technological advance or just a really stupid new gimmick? I vote for the latter.

Another issue that I have with the VUDU is parental control. What's going to happen when little Jimmy's mother gets a $500 VUDU bill because her son decided to order the entire Disney collection while she was making dinner? Now don't get me wrong I love technology, I just like to see that it serves a useful purpose and does not try to reinvent the wheel. I already have a wheel, I don't need a VUDU to make it spin.