Tech reached a pinnacle of excitement for me when I was surrounded by others making progress on things I cared about. Of course, this was during college (and on

Tech reached a pinnacle of excitement for me when I was surrounded by others making progress on things I cared about. Of course, this was during college (and online in the years leading up to it). Now, I simply don't know as many people who still care about the things I do. Those I do know are distant, as am I. We're out of sync. We're unaligned. We've lost that magic feeling because we aren't consistent. This lack of consistency seeps into our work and the whole industry loses confidence. Just look at the sad state of software reliability and performance, despite the numerous advancements in hardware. That's not to say we haven't made progress with technology too. I just don't care about a lot of it. Procedural art is a neat bar trick, but ultimately doesn't strike me as a viewer unless it's explained crisply. Cryptocurrency is a scam at best, or a force for destabilization at worst. Digital currency has been a thing for years, but has gotten slower and more cumbersome in my personal experience recently. Social media is a well accepted problem. Video games seem to be in a rut, as with Hollywood (maybe I'm living under a rock as per usual?). My love for computing hardware has waned; my phones torment me, my USB ports and dongles are duds or act sporadically. Wireless tech is wrought with interference and power issues. Must I continue? These probably sound like the rummagings of an aging man, grown discontent with the kids these days. To some extent that's also probably correct. But, I think it's worth noting that I do find a lot of excitement in this world still... Just with lower tech hobbies. Ice skating, woodworking, ultimate frisbee, music, and more still dominate my thoughts. As does the horrifying world of trying to date post-college. Maybe, just maybe, it was the hyper-focused tech driven world of the past that was the problem. Maybe, it's this new post-covid era we're entering which will show us that there's more to life than disruption and the "next big thing" every week. I can dream can't I? It's time to settle in, buckle up, and refine what we know we want, what we have, and what we ultimately need in life.