Go-Go Gadget

A brief history lesson: there was once a dark age of electronic media before Netflix, iTunes, and Xbox Live. I grew up in those days and used hardware like CD players, VHS players, and film cameras. These days, I've digitalized my music, video, and picture devices and added a few gaming systems as well. Here's a comprehensive list of all the hardware I've used to play or create electronic media. The gadgets in italics are the onces I either threw out, broke, or have placed in a drawer for indefinite storage.

Video:

• VHS
• DVD
• Bluray

Music:

• Tape/CD combo player
• Portable tape player
• Portable CD player
• iPod Nano
• 1st Generation
• 2nd Generation
• 4th Generation
• 7th Generation
• iPod/CD combo player

Gaming

• Gameboy Advance
• Gameboy Advance SP
• Playstation 2
• Xbox 360

Pictures:

• Polaroid
• Film camera
• Digital camera

All of the above:

• iPhone 3G
• Blackberry Storm
• iPad
• Macbook Pro

As a college student, I can't imagine life without the devices I currently use. My laptop is the most essential. Documents, music, movies, calendar, internet access - I use them every day. For the times it isn't convenient to have my laptop with me, I use my iPad or Blackberry and can usually get by. I also need my iPad to read textbooks for most of my classes. The digital camera is a new addition as of this Christmas, but I already take it everywhere with me. The Xbox I could easily live without, but the Bluray player I would miss. I use it more to stream Netflix than to play Blurays or DVDs. When I look at the things I need to do every week, I realize how dependent I am on these gadgets. I couldn't go through the school week without my laptop, iPad, and cell phone, and I would sorely miss my Blueray player and iPod/docking station. You could argue that kind of dependence isn't ideal, but all of these electronic media devices have allowed me and other students the ability to do more things, more quickly, more easily, and more sustainably.