Are You Hoarding Technology?

July 4, 2012
by Rodney Olsen
5 Comments

When does that shiny new device become junk? How long do you hang on to superseded gadgets? Do you still have a video cassette recorder in your home?

We’ve got a box of old mobile phones at home and several other outdated bits and pieces either in our shed or stored elsewhere in the house. The VCR is still connected to our TV, along with new technology like our recently purchased Blu-Ray player.

A new study by Australian telecommunications company Optus says that here in Australia we don’t like letting go of old technology.

While Australians sit at 127 per cent with mobile technology penetration ahead of countries like the US, UK and Japan, the research revealed 72 per cent of Aussies are hoarding tech products for up to 11 years.

74 per cent find it hard to part with a product they paid big money for years earlier despite the fact the device is out dated and no longer useful. – TechGuide

In the past we would buy something, keep it for years and even have it repaired if needed. These days, even before we’ve taken our latest purchase out of the box there’s a new improved version on the shelves so we tend to keep upgrading and moving on.

It would seem that part of the problem of keeping old technology hanging around is that around 60% of Australians don’t know how to dispose of outdated technology.

I’m wondering what old gadgets you have at your place. Do you still use old technology or is it just sitting there? Are you the sort of person who throws old devices out as soon as you upgrade? Does the fact that we live in a disposable society worry you or is that simply the price of progress?



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My New Wedding Decor Business

February 2, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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I’m starting a new business …. apparently. I’m going into the wedding business.

Well, maybe not, but I could.

OK. I’m not really making myself clear so let me start again.

Over the last couple of days our phone hasn’t been working correctly. We can phone out and our internet is still working but when people try to call us, our phone doesn’t ring. Not helpful.

We only realised the issue today after I’d tried calling home a few times. I assumed that Pauline was out but that wasn’t the case. I eventually phoned Pauline’s mobile phone and got straight through. She was home but the phone wasn’t ringing.

I called our ISP, which also provides our phone service, to try to track down the issue. The support guy was very helpful and guided me as we tried to troubleshoot the issue, ruling out a lot of possible causes. Eventually he decided that he needed to refer the issue to Telstra to get a technician to check things out.

Shortly after that, Pauline checked her phone and noticed an unfamiliar number had called her, right at the time I’d called her from our home phone. We phoned the number and sure enough, our phone rang. Somehow our number has been switched.

The odd thing is, I Googled the ‘new’ number and found that it’s registered to a local “Wedding Decor” company. I don’t know how good business is for them at the moment but we haven’t got any calls for them as yet. I’m wondering if we will get calls for them and what we might be able to sell them. How much do you reckon I should charge to organise their wedding? Should I be a wedding planner like Frank (played by Martin Short) from Father of the Bride? I’m not sure that’d work for me but I might give it a go.

(If you’re a friend trying to contact us, you might like to use our mobile numbers for the next few days.)



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Shiny Things

February 6, 2008
by Rodney Olsen
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nokia.jpgIt’s often far too easy to buy into the whole consumerism lie. It’s all around us and it’s so tempting to let ourselves start justifying the purchase of things we really don’t need.

I’ve mentioned before that my mobile phone is nothing special. It makes calls, it takes calls, it sends text messages. That’s all I really need a phone to do. It’s got no camera, no bluetooth, no extras.

When I think about it, having a mobile phone is a bit of a luxury anyway. A mate of mine has only recently succumbed to pressure to get a mobile and I think he’s still wondering if he did the right thing.

Over the past couple of weeks the on – off button has stopped working on my current handset. As long as I keep the phone charged that shouldn’t be a problem but if it ever goes off, it’s dead. Of course that makes getting on a plane in a couple of months a bit of an issue. I don’t think they’ll understand if I tell them I can’t switch off my mobile.

Time to get a new phone. I found a very nice one for just $199. It’s even got a 2 Megapixel camera and several other features that I’ve never had on a handset. While looking at phones a friend said he had one identical to my current one that he no longer needs and he offered it to me. I still thought a new one would be a better idea.

I was thinking about it later and remembered that not only don’t I have $199, I don’t really need a shiny new phone. I got in touch with my friend and I’ll get my ‘new phone’ later this week.

It would have been so easy to get a new phone and to feel very justified in doing so, after all, my phone needed replacing, but as is often the case there is an alternative.

How good are you at justifying the things you buy? I don’t think that we should never treat ourselves but are there things you buy that you really don’t need? Are there cheaper options that you ignore because you want shiny new things?



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