Commonplace technology | Seth’s Blog

Not all tech is new tech.

The ballpoint pen was a revelation, and a bit controversial. Now, it’s disposable and obvious.

Different industries go through tech spurts. My desk is covered with items I use every day (a mouse, headphones, a solid-state drive, transparent tape, and even a Star Trek communicator) that were risky breakthroughs, and now they are simply commonplace (though we now call the communicator a phone).

When tech is coming at us too quickly, it’s tempting to simply wait. It’s risky to be an early adopter.

But once the pace slows down a bit, once our peers and competitors are benefitting from a productivity breakthrough, our aversion should be more intentional than that. Perhaps it’s time to reconsider the tech we once said we were too busy to bother learning.

We get to choose our tools, and the tools we choose alter the work we do.

November 2, 2023