Old is just as good

TUNE OUT TO TECHNOLOGY

Often, the old fashioned methods are just as good. Every week in our Yoga/Pilates classes, there's a 10 minute bit at the beginning of the class where the teacher is either fiddling with the sound system or gone off to get someone to sort it out. This is because, the new system supports bluetooth. This is great. It means anyone with a bluetooth activated device, can link up to the stereo and select, adjust the volume and play music right from their phone. Trouble is, without understanding the technology and how to 'problem solve' when it's not working immediately, the old cable method works far better. I see this kinda thing all the time - most people just don't have the grasp or the desire to learn how to use technology. I also find myself spending far too much time updating, downloading, restarting and being stubbornly determined to succeed when the technology isn't working. I'm wasting my valuable time. Now what I do, is think what the older and faster way would be and try to do that instead.

Don't get suckered
New may not mean better. I don't like the new flat screen large format TVs. I find their hyper-realism can make older films look a bit strange - sometimes like they are shot in a studio (which they often are), but somehow, the magic has gone. This isn't something I would have noticed on my old CRT telly. I also miss the adventure of going in to a video rental store and picking out a film. Luckily, we have possibly one of the last video/DVD rental shops right here in Balham! The store is full of film memorabilia and there's a load of quirky B movies in here to chose from. I know we have a Netflix account and iTunes - but there's films in here that you'll never get online - 80's horror flicks that never went past VHS.

So, before splashing out ££££ on a new 'smart TV' - give yourself a reality check and realise this fact: we don't need to buy a new TV - because the charity shops are selling perfectly good ones for £20 - you can even get them for free from some places. This goes the same for phones - why spend £700+ on the latest gadget when you can get one barely a year old for less than half the price, or even one that does pretty much the same thing for a fraction of that price. If you're buying because you're believing the hype, then you're getting suckered!

Plex & Roku

I've just discovered a great bit of kit that means my parents can now watch all the great films, TV and utilise the benefits of having everything on their computer at the touch of a button to watch on their old (but still decent) non-digital CRT TV.

The Roku 2 costs just £50 and is really easy to set up on a home WIFI network and Plex can be installed on your iPad or iPhone (or android devices etc.) for even greater features too. We tested it out last night and watched an old little-known classic from the comfort of my parent's living room, called Galaxy Quest.