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Consumerism

I like to think that I wasn't big on buying a lot of things that I didn't really need back in the States. I like to believe that this discipline was what helped me stash enough cash away to take this trip (though when I did buy things, they weren't cheap... Ikea furniture, computers, etc.) I hope traveling has made me less of a consumer than I was before. But man, 'stuff' is pretty cool to look at and desire. I'm an American afterall.

Apparently, the holidays are here. Last night I spent way too much time on the internet, courtesy of my cousin's laptop and broadband connection and I noticed some newish (I'm like 8 months behind on technology, art, entertainment, etc.) items popping up.

A long time ago, I mentioned wishing I had an electronic book that allowed me to carry loads of books while I traveled without actually carrying pounds of books. Amazon has introduced it's new reading device, the Kindle. It's almost exactly what I wanted and more. From a quick perusal of reviews, it seems like the first generation model has some things to desire. Fortunately, I can't afford to be a 'first-adopter' of new gadgets these days, like Donovan or my brother. Besides, it's on backorder!

I saw this SanDisk 2Gb Plus memory card in Singapore airport the other night. I wish I had seen this before I left. It's an SD memory card which fits my Canon SD1000 Elph digital camera but also converts into a USB key. That means I can pop it out of my camera and into any USB port without a separate reader. Ingenious! I'm glad I didn't buy it at the airport because it's way cheaper on Amazon.

While looking at video cameras for some soon to be parents friends, I noticed this hot selling Flip Video Ultra digtal camcorder. I looked into it and it seems to be an ultra cheap video camera with a flip out usb arm so you can quickly upload your video to YouTube, MySpace, or wherever you're trying to waste people's time. If I was rich, everyone I know would be getting one of these as a stocking stuffer. The $150 model holds 60-minutes of video. I probably would be using one of these on my trip if I had known about it. I read on their site that there's an underwater case coming. Wicked.

I had mentioned to my brother that one of the items I wished I knew about before I started the trip is a GPS logger. This is a global positioning device that logs your location at certain intervals. You can then download the data to something like GoogleEarth and share your whole travel path on a website like GPS Visualizer. Geeky but interesting. My friend at Daily Dose of Imagery uses one to tag all of the amazing photos he posts on his photo blog. He uses the GlobalSat DG-100 if you want to look into it.

At the end of the day, all I really want is what I ask for every year... world peace. Since that's not very realistic, I'm cherishing the piece of the world I get to explore right now. I hope you're doing the same.

Speaking of... stop by Life Goes on in Tehran - now also at lgoit.com - for Azad's latest images from within Iran. And if you're in India, you've gotta pick up my friend Ankush's new book, Jet City Woman. If you're not in India, he's keeping an interesting blog about his experience with his first published novel.

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2 Responses to “Consumerism”

  1. # Blogger Ankush Saikia

    Hey Tony, thanks for doing your bit in promoting my book! It was nice meeting you in Delhi, even though for a short while. Keep in touch, and all the best for your future creative efforts. And say hi to my cousin Manash when you meet him. Cheers from Natasha and me!  

  2. # Anonymous Anonymous

    Tony! Was wondering what ever happened to you after India? Good to know you're doing fine even after all that travelling!And the pictures..... Wow! I'm jealous. Anyway, keep us posted.

    Natasha  

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filmgen@yahoo.com A 29 yr old filmmaker from California traveled through Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia/NZ over ten months from April 2007 to March 2008.



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