This time of year I get lots of questions that go like this: “What’s the best [insert current popular tech device type here] to get for my [insert spouse, sibling, offspring, parent, or pet name here].” I know the reputation I have as a gadget guy, and more often than not I feel like a mobile multimedia production studio with the amount of cameras, GPSs, and other gear I have on my person at any given time.
As much of a gadget guy as I am, I found myself lingering longingly at the leather-bound journals in Barnes & Noble the other night. There was something about the tooled leather, craftsmanship, and total non-tech feel that appealed to me with the romance of a by-gone day.
Unfortunately, I tend to be a perfectionist on certain things. I would feel guilty spending this much on a journal just to mess it up with junk. I’d need to find a purpose for it – perhaps if I were spending lots of time traveling abroad. It would also have to be in my best handwriting, and I don’t think I could bear if I made any mistakes and scratch-outs. Of course, I would also need a suitable writing implement.
Perhaps something that can’t be easily edited and can’t be shared online immediately has its place, even in today’s tech-driven world. 200 years from now that journal could still be read. I don’t know if the same could be said for my postings on this blog.