When Good Gadgets Go Bad
We all love the bleeding edge of gadgets (or at least I do – I assume you do too since you're here), but just because a toy is new and shiny doesn't mean it will work properly. In fact, given the instability of most software out there, being on the bleeding edge is not where you want to be if you're dealing with anything with a built in computer, especially if you're talking about a level of complexity greater than a toaster (although I've had some problems there, too, so you can never tell). Take the amusing story of Bob Rybarczyk, who wrote a column for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about his experience from hell with the fancy alarm clock he owns that wakes him up with the soothing sounds of the ocean and synchronizes with the atomic clock in Colorado…when it works properly. Now Bob finds himself supplementing one gadget with another, just to get to work on time. So much for the bleeding edge…
