tech talk

In 1998, I bought stock in Apple. In 1999, I sold it. Everyone thought I was crazy for going out on a limb, Apple was struggling. The Quadra 610 and PowerMacs were losing their appeal and power to the Microsoft PC technology. Trying my hand at the stock market, I thought the technology stocks was where it was at, so I chose Apple. I had a few others, like Texas Instruments, but Apple's stock plummeted so bad, that I just pulled all my money out. Buying Apple stock was a brilliant idea indeed, I was just a FEW years too early. In the early 2000's, the iPod went on the market and was an instant success. Apple stocks suddenly shot way up. I knew then that I had made an erratic premature decision. Why did I lose my faith in a company who I'd been loyal to for years, whose products had been my bread and butter as a career graphic designer and educator?

Today at the MacWorld Expo, Apple unveiled the new iPhone. You can just imagine this powerful device - its an iPod, mobile phone, internet browser, and mini computer all in one. Yes Star Trek fans, this is the future. My favorite show while growing up, I always dreamed of owning such a device, and being such a techie as the Trekkies. I believed that I would see this kind of technology within my lifetime. While this first model of the iPhone costs a pretty penny (bad US currency reference) and has proprietary use with the Cingular network, the convergence of media technologies is a critical aspect of global communication, and will undoubtedly become more widespread and more affordable within the next few years.

Much of my graduate research has been done in the area of communication technology, a constantly changing field. Recently, I have shifted my immediate research focus to Middle East studies, with such themes as intercultural/psychological aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and media globalization with its vehicles for dissemination to Palestinians worldwide. However, my passion for technology will never die, and I intend to continue in this field in some capacity. As I move onward and upward (wherever this ladder is leading me), I am realizing more and more the ways in which everything is related, the understanding of which is essential for human existence, within this our Global Paradigm.