Technology Whiners

I spend a fair amount of time looking at software, thinking about applications, clicking on buttons, stumbling through menus, guessing what the designers had in mind, making errors, learning from those mistakes, and otherwise using technology. Maybe a little more than some, but certainly less than others. I'm no uber-geek, but I probably qualify as a regular geek. I like (and know the difference between) Star Wars and Star Trek, but I would not likely wear a costume or buy a phaser.

I also spend a good amount of time helping others cope with technology, and so I am privileged to assist those in need. On the other hand, I also enjoy the company of inaccurate blamers ("I know I loaded an .exe file last year and it worked fine."), superstitious shoulder-shruggers ("You have the magic touch." or "This software just does not like me.") and general technology whiners ("It just doesn't work for me."). And I really do enjoy them (most of the time) -- people are fascinating bundles of experiences and interpretations of these experiences.

Another time-intensive endeavor for me is jumping around the Internet, opening new tabs when articles catch my interest. Eventually, I become overwhelmed at the number of open tabs and feel the need to review and close some. In the process of closing a few this morning, these two wound up next to each other:

Whine, Whine, Whine: Four Simple Steps for Dealing with Complainers. Psychology Today. June 3, 2012.
32 Innovations That Will Change Your Tomorrow. The New York Times Magazine. June 1, 2012.

Some random thoughts follow:

• Naturally, there will be no shortage of tech to complain about in the future
• Complainers do not necessarily want solutions
• Time-limited compassion is not necessarily an oxymoron
• #30/32 Would give rise to complaints from my tomatoes and peppers