Those of our readers who are in the US will be joining us today in celebrating no historical event in particular by cooking up a huge turkey, sharing it with our family and friends, and generally taking our minds off things for a day. Yes, it’s Thanksgiving. We’re going to be taking it easy today, but we’ll leave you with a few of the things the crew here is thankful for. It was supposed to be gadgets we’re thankful for, but nobody followed my instructions so it’s just plain things. I’ll kick it off.
Devin: I’m thankful for all the old-school, century-old technology that lets us live life the way we do. It’s abominably cold here in Seattle and yet, in my 80-year-old apartment building, I have hot water, heat (also based on hot water), it’s reasonably warm, I could call someone if I had a phone, and the electricity works. I’m just thankful that so many of us can worry about our HSDPA+ speeds and Facebook stalkers because we’ve got our basic needs taken care of. I guess I’m thankful for civilization?
John: I’m thankful for our readers. I know it’s dopey to say, but when I started out as a journalist I didn’t have “readers” per se. Now we have millions of them and they keep pushing us to do better and write better. They call us out on unpopular positions and they make us laugh. So yeah, you guys aren’t a gadget but thanks anyway.
Greg: WiFi. I know that’s not technically a “gadget”, so I suppose I mean WiFi routers. Just imagine the world without it; there’d be Ethernet running everywhere, people would be strapped to their desks all day, and there wouldn’t be anything for crazy people to swear they were allergic to. Sure, people in coffee shops would actually talk to each other, but these are the sacrifices we make for a technology that is essentially magic.
Matt: I’m thankful for Bodum French Press. I get electronic gadgets nearly every day. Most make me shake my head in utter disappointment, or worse, cry a bit. My 8-cup Chambord French Press has never let me down and is truly the only thing that brings me joy some days. Put coffee beans in, fill with hot water, and after four minutes, a wonderful pot of coffee is made. There’s no electronic clock to mess up, no circuit board to burn out, nothing can go wrong with it. It’s one of my most prized processions and I look forward to using it everyday.
Nicholas: I’m thankful for sites like Rojadirecta.com that list streams of soccer games that I otherwise wouldn’t be able to watch. For whatever reason half of La Liga’s games this year are on ESPN Deportes, a channel that I do not have. What to do? Well, go to Rojadirecta, look up my game, then pray to God that my silly P2P streaming program works as advertised. The games are often broadcast in foreign languages, but I’m fine with watching games with Romanian commentary if I have to. Beggers can’t be choosers, etc.
Dave: Not surprisingly, I’m thankful for the digital camera, whether it’s a DSLR, a point and shoot, or even a camcorder. No matter what type of camera you use, odds are you’ve found a way to capture images of your friends, family, or favorite sporting event. No matter what you use a camera for (maybe you’re a scientist that studies bacteria), odds are you use an imaging device of some kind in your life.
Touching! How about you guys? Care to share?