The Gadget Factor

by Samuel J. Techner

I like gadgets. Actually, I could probably be considered a gadget junkie. What is it about these technological trinkets that I, and countless others, find so compelling? The “cool” factor (pronounced “kewl”) is certainly a big part of the equation. But, what makes a gadget cool? Well, clearly size matters here. The smaller, the better (except when it comes to TV’s of course, in which case if it takes any less than four buddies to get it in the house, its considered lame.) For everything else...tiny rules. Generally, if a button on a gadget can be pushed, without inadvertently pushing two other adjacent buttons, the thing is just too big. Gadgets aren’t about practical or even convenient, they are about “oooooh” and “aaaaaah”.

So, what exactly defines a gadget? The Random House College Dictionary reads: “A mechanical contrivance or device; any ingenious article.” I think that this may be an antiquated description. Perhaps this: [Gadget] A small, expensive, inconvenient and ultimately useless technological thingamajig.

Why do these things create such excitement and anticipation in us Gadgeteers? Well, for one thing, they’re toys. Whether your five and playing with your new SpongeBob SquarePants, or thirty-five and working (a loose term) on your PDA, its all the same. Fun is fun.

I believe that the cost of a gadget is inherently related to its size. The smaller the package, the more expensive its contents. I know this only too well. Recently, I decided that since I often commute by train, it would be nice to get a small radio so I could occasionally catch Stern in the morning and jazz on the way home. The challenge here was not adding to my current lugging load of laptop, cell phone, files, newspapers, etc. I began my research. I am typically prudent and even stingy at times. I surfed the web and gathered information on a variety of possibilities. I watched my fellow commuters and interrogated those who happened to be plugged in to some intriguing radio appliance.

Then I saw it. Casually clipped to the shirt pocket of a youngish executive. It was no bigger than a lighter. Sleek and black. My pulse raced. I was so ecstatic, I couldn’t even speak to the guy. This was the coolest radio I had ever seen.

Struck brutally by the “gadget factor”, I struggled for position until I could see the brand name, all the while trying not to be too conspicuous.

Got it...Sony!...Hallelujah.

This purchase was a done deal. It didn’t matter how much it might cost, or whether the sound it produced resembled screaming into a tin can. It was very cool. I had to have one.

And so it goes again, seized by the fever that seduces us into paying too much and getting too little.

I’m convinced that the need for acquiring new gadgets is a sickness. An irresistible urge that we can not be entirely responsible for. My wife has a similar addiction, but to shoes. Its all the same...irrational, uncontrollable.

The only real difference is that two months after buying shoes, at least you know where they are.