I’d be driving my car, listening to my music and contemplating one random thing or another, when something catches my attention, like the new buses around town with the blue and orange lines and the URL www.autobus.jo, and I’d reach for my bag to grab the camera and take a photo… but then I’d remember that the camera isn’t with me. In moments like this, I’d wish my cell phone camera were more sophisticated with higher resolution and all.
When Roba asked what computer power you would like to have, I thought the best response was “Print Screen”, the ability to take a photo of something by just blinking your eyes. I’m always seeing things and wishing I can snap a photo and blog it right then and there.
Ever since I started blogging three years ago (THREE YEARS, I can barely believe it!), I caught this blogger bug which causes you to constantly be writing blog posts in your mind. It mostly happens while I’m driving, I’d be mentally blogging, but then I’d never get around to ACTUALLY typing it and posting it. Which is why, another thing I’d like to have, which isn’t a super computer power lately, is the ability to talk into a recorder while I drive, and then for that recorder to type up what I said and publish it directly on my blog with the click of a button or two.
While we’re at it… that shouldn’t be a separate recorder… that should just be part of the mobile phone; a smart audio recorder with high sensitivity, to go alongside the high resolution camera. What would also be cool is if I can have a simple minimal version of photoshop installed on the mobile so that I can do a bit of photo editing before uploading pictures online.
You see, I always thought that I don’t like phones that are too sophisticated. I always figured that I just want a device that can make phone calls and send/receive text messages. But over the past few years, so much of my life has become connected to the internet, and more digital gadgets have become part of my daily routines (I usually walk around with my laptop, digital camera, digital audio recorder, iPod, and of course, my cell phone). Now I’m thinking these devices really need to be integrated in one, without compromising on the quality of each.
Although internet penetration in Jordan is still low, and the number of people who have PC and DSL internet connections constitutes a small percentage of the population, change can be brought about by mobile phones. I’m not saying that the average Jordanian should be carrying a Blackberry, and I’m not saying that all our consumption habits when it comes to cell phones are healthy – but it’s just that cell phones have managed to change our social habits more than anything I can think of. While I acknowledge the misuses of phone cameras by many people and their blatant invasion of privacy, I find it very interesting how you see more people taking photos of anything that draws their attention. In a way, that tells you people are becoming more observant and attentive to details in their surroundings. When I was taking photos of the protest in front of Al-Jazeera offices the other day, a number of random passers-by were taking photos and videos with their cell phones. There’s an old man who sells newspapers at one of the traffic lights on my way to work, and he always has earphones plugged in and connected to his phone, and I can’t help but wonder what radio station he listens to :)
I have a lot of thoughts on this issue, but I guess I started writing this post to say that I get tons of blog-worthy ideas rushing through my head all the time, and that I wish my blog had some kind of wireless connection to my brain. Oh, and that perhaps I should get myself a new phone :)
When Roba asked what computer power you would like to have, I thought the best response was “Print Screen”, the ability to take a photo of something by just blinking your eyes. I’m always seeing things and wishing I can snap a photo and blog it right then and there.
Ever since I started blogging three years ago (THREE YEARS, I can barely believe it!), I caught this blogger bug which causes you to constantly be writing blog posts in your mind. It mostly happens while I’m driving, I’d be mentally blogging, but then I’d never get around to ACTUALLY typing it and posting it. Which is why, another thing I’d like to have, which isn’t a super computer power lately, is the ability to talk into a recorder while I drive, and then for that recorder to type up what I said and publish it directly on my blog with the click of a button or two.
While we’re at it… that shouldn’t be a separate recorder… that should just be part of the mobile phone; a smart audio recorder with high sensitivity, to go alongside the high resolution camera. What would also be cool is if I can have a simple minimal version of photoshop installed on the mobile so that I can do a bit of photo editing before uploading pictures online.
You see, I always thought that I don’t like phones that are too sophisticated. I always figured that I just want a device that can make phone calls and send/receive text messages. But over the past few years, so much of my life has become connected to the internet, and more digital gadgets have become part of my daily routines (I usually walk around with my laptop, digital camera, digital audio recorder, iPod, and of course, my cell phone). Now I’m thinking these devices really need to be integrated in one, without compromising on the quality of each.
Although internet penetration in Jordan is still low, and the number of people who have PC and DSL internet connections constitutes a small percentage of the population, change can be brought about by mobile phones. I’m not saying that the average Jordanian should be carrying a Blackberry, and I’m not saying that all our consumption habits when it comes to cell phones are healthy – but it’s just that cell phones have managed to change our social habits more than anything I can think of. While I acknowledge the misuses of phone cameras by many people and their blatant invasion of privacy, I find it very interesting how you see more people taking photos of anything that draws their attention. In a way, that tells you people are becoming more observant and attentive to details in their surroundings. When I was taking photos of the protest in front of Al-Jazeera offices the other day, a number of random passers-by were taking photos and videos with their cell phones. There’s an old man who sells newspapers at one of the traffic lights on my way to work, and he always has earphones plugged in and connected to his phone, and I can’t help but wonder what radio station he listens to :)
I have a lot of thoughts on this issue, but I guess I started writing this post to say that I get tons of blog-worthy ideas rushing through my head all the time, and that I wish my blog had some kind of wireless connection to my brain. Oh, and that perhaps I should get myself a new phone :)
