Those that know me well will know how enthusiastic I am about modern technology and the gadgets that have come about because of it. I think it all started as a kid of the 60’s. When I was just about into double figures of age, I begged my mum and dad for a transistor radio for Christmas. Money was tight in the family, so this was a big ask.
About one month before Christmas, my mum took me shopping with her. We went to the old Eastgate Market, in Gloucester city centre, which was a traditional market that was always an exciting adventure. It was eventually knocked down in the early 1970s to make way for a big shopping mall. Anyway, on this day with Mum, she took me to the big store by the market. It was called ‘Currys’ and was filled with gadgets like I’d never seen before. Big 18″ televisions with colour pictures, record players with 2 speakers, and hundreds of transistor radios. My eyes were popping out of my head.
Knowing my parents wouldn’t be able to afford an expensive one for me, I found a little Philips transistor radio that was 6 pounds 9 shillings and sixpence. It was black plastic with plastic silver trim and I was so excited. Mum said it was a lot of money, but bought it anyway. But of course, I wasn’t allowed it until Christmas day, and I couldn’t wait, even though I had to.
That radio was the best thing I had ever owned, and I took it everywhere with me. Many nights were spent under the sheets with the little white earbud plugged in and the radio tuned to Radio Luxemburg on the medium wave. To this day I still love radio sets, though my collection is very much limited. My Roberts is probably my favourite radio. But it’s not my favourite gadget.
I love taking photos and filming things, which means I have accumulated quite a sizeable collection of cameras. Off the top of my head, I reckon I’ve got at least 30. Most of them are stored away in air-tight boxes from which I take them out occasionally to play with. My favourite camera nowadays is actually the built-in one on my Google Pixel 8 smartphone. But it’s not my favourite gadget.
I have a big plastic see-through box that is filled with music players, or as some people call them, mp3 players. I have all sorts and all makes from Apple, Samsung, Sony, and my very expensive favourite Astel & Kern player. It’s one of the early models from this luxury brand and I got it second-hand for a fraction of what it is worth. But it’s not my favourite gadget.
To accompany the music players, I have an equally large box filled with headphones and earphones. All sorts and types ranging from cheap and cheerful poorly sounding ones, to the more expensive models with noise cancelling features. My favourite headphones that I recently acquired are my Shokz OpenFit Pro 2 on-ear pair, and they are incredible. But they’re not my favourite gadget.
I operate three computers in my office, each serves a purpose and are on all day. For portable work, I have six laptops and three tablets, all in use. My Microsoft Surface Pro 4 is the laptop that I take to Lanzarote. But it’s not my favourite gadget.
You see, I’m invested a lot of my money in these completely unnecessary man-toys. Why? As I mentioned, I believe it all stems from my childhood where we had few pleasures and little money. I’m not like some men that go out drinking, or betting, or other pastimes. Instead, I spend my leisure money on things I will enjoy and use. I could sell some of the collection and keep a few things I would use for the main essentials. But I don’t want to. I get pleasure from the devices, as well as from the tasks they make easy for me.
So, what is my favourite gadget. What one item in my collection of teccy toys would I choose above all the others if I were forced to make such a frightening choice?
The honour of favourite gadget goes to my Kindle Scribe, from Amazon. It’s a glorified Amazon Kindle, with a 10″ screen and cost several hundreds of pounds when it was released a couple of years ago. What makes it expensive is because it is not just a Kindle, it’s a digital notebook. I can write on the screen, and it is far more superior than simple pen and paper. I use it every day as part of my work routine in the office. I use it to transcribe the Spirit Insights. I use it for doodling, for drafting notes, and for my Spanish lessons. Oh, and I can read my Kindle ebooks on it.
Someone could try and take any or all of my gadgets, but don’t even think of laying a finger on my Kindle Scribe!
