Is newer always better?
One of the themes in "Terms and Conditions" is how new technology can be put to bad use. Because of that fact, new technology isn't always better. At best, new technology tends to be more convenient, but not necessarily better. That theme also runs through the sequel to "Terms," titled "Amendment."
I recently uncovered a stash of 33 1/3 RPM vinyl record albums in my house. I say uncovered because they were right in front of me the whole time, stored in a chest that I saw every day.. It was necessary to move the chest, and 120 or so vinyl record albums made the chest too heavy to move. So out they came, and I proceeded to sort through them.
What a treasure! I found albums from my high school and college days, some of which I had not listened to in 30 years or more. My kids had given me a turntable with a USB connection several years back so that I could convert these recordings to a digital format and burn them on CDs. I connected the turntable to my stereo receiver just to see if it would work.
Why would I bother converting these analog recordings to digital format? Like most people, I thought that the digital format would be better. Upon listening to a lovingly preserved copy of "Tapestry" by Carole King, an album I purchased in 1971, I quickly came to the conclusion that the vinyl recording sounded so much better than the digital recording I purchased.
Now I understand that my opinion is purely subjective, and not based on any scientific research, and that there is some debate on which sounds better.
Sorry, there just is no comparison, if one considers quality over convenience. To be sure, the LP record albums take up a lot more space and are a lot heavier than my 1 1/2 in. square iPod that contains just as many songs. And even if I connect the iPod to a better quality sound system like my Bose Wave radio, or to the stereo in my car, the quality still suffers by comparison to the "old-fashioned"analog record album.
I consider this proof that technology does not always improve the quality of our life and its experiences. Technology can be put to bad use . Just ask any of the stores, such as Target or Home Depot, or businesses like Anthem health care, that have been hacked. Also consider the information being gathered on a daily basis and stored by the National Security Agency, and no doubt their equivalents in other countries. All of the convenience of email, smart phones and Internet business transactions was put to unscrupulous use.
I think now that I will listen to one of my favorite albums from my high school years, "Cricklewood Green", recorded in the early 70s by a group called Ten Years After. That album features some absolutely solid rock and roll/blues guitar work featuring Alvin Lee. (I do not know what happened to Alvin, or to that group. Perhaps they were simply overshadowed by the likes of Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton, who were also their contemporaries.)
Just because it is new and convenient, or popular, doesn't necessarily make it better.
I recently uncovered a stash of 33 1/3 RPM vinyl record albums in my house. I say uncovered because they were right in front of me the whole time, stored in a chest that I saw every day.. It was necessary to move the chest, and 120 or so vinyl record albums made the chest too heavy to move. So out they came, and I proceeded to sort through them.
What a treasure! I found albums from my high school and college days, some of which I had not listened to in 30 years or more. My kids had given me a turntable with a USB connection several years back so that I could convert these recordings to a digital format and burn them on CDs. I connected the turntable to my stereo receiver just to see if it would work.
Why would I bother converting these analog recordings to digital format? Like most people, I thought that the digital format would be better. Upon listening to a lovingly preserved copy of "Tapestry" by Carole King, an album I purchased in 1971, I quickly came to the conclusion that the vinyl recording sounded so much better than the digital recording I purchased.
Now I understand that my opinion is purely subjective, and not based on any scientific research, and that there is some debate on which sounds better.
Sorry, there just is no comparison, if one considers quality over convenience. To be sure, the LP record albums take up a lot more space and are a lot heavier than my 1 1/2 in. square iPod that contains just as many songs. And even if I connect the iPod to a better quality sound system like my Bose Wave radio, or to the stereo in my car, the quality still suffers by comparison to the "old-fashioned"analog record album.
I consider this proof that technology does not always improve the quality of our life and its experiences. Technology can be put to bad use . Just ask any of the stores, such as Target or Home Depot, or businesses like Anthem health care, that have been hacked. Also consider the information being gathered on a daily basis and stored by the National Security Agency, and no doubt their equivalents in other countries. All of the convenience of email, smart phones and Internet business transactions was put to unscrupulous use.
I think now that I will listen to one of my favorite albums from my high school years, "Cricklewood Green", recorded in the early 70s by a group called Ten Years After. That album features some absolutely solid rock and roll/blues guitar work featuring Alvin Lee. (I do not know what happened to Alvin, or to that group. Perhaps they were simply overshadowed by the likes of Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton, who were also their contemporaries.)
Just because it is new and convenient, or popular, doesn't necessarily make it better.
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