Inspecting Gadgets
A curious end to the week as the 大象传媒's Here & Now roadshow reached Glasgow. This is a travelling seminar in which staff are brought up to date with all the latest gizmos and gadgets on the market and then asked to think about the implications of each for our programming plans. The fun part is when we get shown into a room which has been stocked with all sorts of electronic
games, computers, cameras, digital radios and televisions. My eye was immediately drawn to a huge widescreen television showing a high-definition
DVD of an Elton John concert. It was kind of comforting and made me realise that even superstars have trouble controlling their weight. I made a mental note never to be filmed on an HD camera.
Among the smaller toys was a little hand-held electronic version of Twenty Questions. You thought of an object and this little plastic ball of fun then asked you a series of questions before guessing what was inside your head. I thought of a jukebox, but after twenty questions the game's best answer was "slot-machine". It kept going, often repeating itself before finally giving in. I felt a sense of triumph in that I, a mere human being, had beaten this puny machine.
Afterwards we returned to a conference room for a group discussion. Many of us admitted to feeling overwhelmed by the speed of technological change. One person revealed that she still owned an old turntable and played vinyl records. Some of the younger people in the room had no idea what she was talking about.
There were some sympathetic nods when I confessed that my children now understood computers and video games far better than I did. They were less sympathetic when I told them I indulged in midnight practise sessions on the Playstation 2 so that I could outfox my eight year old son.
Oh well, let them mock. At least I know what a jukebox is.
