Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Digital lifestyle. Options.

So Microsoft found a way of playing nice to the Commission! Innovation has been a buzzword in the EU world for quite some time now. So an innovation day is a PR hit - and I am attending the 4th edition. The logistics are impressive: they set up a tent in a corner of Cinquanternaire park, and the badges have bar-codes and you get scanned every time you enter or exit the room! I mean it does involve some boldness to put up a high-tech tent in December, in a middle of a park!

So, what's new? The first contact with the digital lifestyle comes with the mobile phone. Well, that made me feel a bit embarrassed about my Belgian mobile phone, about 5 or more years old, with a monochrome screen, no camera, no recording facilities. A bit embarrassed and a bit proud too - I still have a piece of life that is not quite fitting into the "digital lifestyle paradigm". However, I am a hypocrite - I do have a latest generation 3G mobile phone, with all the above mentioned facilities (and a high-speed Internet connection), just I don't have it with me ;-)

As I am listening, the speeched are going more and more towards the gaming industry, and I just have this feeling that is all turning into a carefully directed commercial for XBox, the Microsoft's gaming platform. Also, one word comes to my mind: addiction. I am an Internet addict, I have to admit. It's been here all my life, like the cats. Of course, I am planning to rent an apartment with no Internet connection (not a chance, I'm working at home!).

Anyway, back to gaming. I am not questioning the companies, everyone has to make a living. I am questioning the individual option. As representatives of the human race, we have a lot of options. We do make our own choices and we have to live with the consequences. However, until we reach that point where we have enough input to make a conscious decision, something must make us look for options!

Options is a word that tends to be forgotten. I am sure my 16 years old cousin, playing non-stop games on its PC and barely talking never considered options to gaming. He just took the first thing that came along - and that was a computer game.

Yesterday I went to the airport with my man. While waiting for his plane, he showed me small, lady-like laptop, telling me I will get something like that in about 2 years - and our girl will get my present laptop. However, the idea of my 2 years old daughter playing with my laptop was not very appealing to me. Nor is the Virtual Reality (VR) future that Microsoft and other companies are dreaming about: to have a VR as real as the real world. What would be the difference then?

By the way, did you know that Portugal have a ministry for innovation? Being a small country makes you look out more for alternatives.

One idea that raised from the debates was that online gaming creates social life, even if it is just in a virtual way. Maybe. I don't use the Internet to socialize (but I'm yesterday's generation ;-) ), I use it to read, do research and get new information. And doing e-mail - I'm not sure if this falls under the socializing category ;-)

So, digital lifestyle... no use to get out of the house anymore!

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