My boss, a hard core print journalist, now looks after the internet edition of the entire organisation or the group, which means a cluster of websites. So, nowadays, when he talks about JavaBeans I know he is not talking about wholesale coffee beans, or when he is talking about Ajax, I know he is not referring to the gods or monsters of Greek mythology. Like him, we are also fast becoming technology inclined.

I have never been a math-and-science person, a fact that my first boyfriend found wanting in his list of 'must have qualities' in a girl. "She doesn't have any engineering background," I heard him telling a friend once. But that did not change my relationship with math and science. It changed my relationship with him instead. For good reason. Today when I find myself caught in the wired world of the internet and new media technology, I wonder what is this fascination with technology that people become so nerd out!

Working with a team that is into redesigning and redeveloping websites, I equate it to an FTV show -- rows of model sitting like mannequins while the various make-up artists work their asses off trying to bring out the best effect in a face. You apply, then reapply, you mix and match, you lighten the shade and then you darken the shade, you add shimmer, you add gloss, and so on and so forth. It's a never ending effort at bringing out out the best face. With a phlethora of websites, how do you make your mark in the virtual world? How do you draw traffic? How do you hold the increasingly short attention span of a reader? So, you are continuously working on your makeup!

And the chances of an overkill. Tag an item, how irritating like the way I hate it when my photos get tagged in Facebook because, sometimes, it is not the photo that you might want to show the world. But nothing can be more irritating for a writer than when his story is asked to be rated. Rate it with stars and then slot it as most read, most under-read and un-read. Holy cow!I think it's one of the most disheartening features that websites have introduced. But additives such as podcasts, youtube, videos, blogs can sustain interest.

I have always looked at technology as an advantage, a solution provider, that techies, engineers and scientists work on to give us laymen the necessary comfort, sonething I cannot get involved in. As a kid, I wanted scientists to come up with a solution that would save me time from cutting my nails. They haven't but life is still easy, because working with the internet means I have the content management system, my disoriented jhoomla, to still give me some solace in life.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's Ajax not Azaks

Anonymous said...

Happy Cheiraoba !! Indira

Anonymous said...

"That did not change my relationship with math and science. It changed my relationship with him instead."

LOL

- Kun Kun

Anonymous said...

I like the way you change your relationship with your boyfriend instead of changing your relationship with math and science.
And talking about scientists - they do come up with solutions but I don't think they'll come up with your brillant idea of a solution that would save time from cutting nails incase people have become extremely lazy or the very rich and snobbish people wants to show-off.

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