There are some inventions I don't miss from my childhood: Blockbuster video stores, for example, or dial-up internet, or microfiche in libraries.......they just caused life to be inconvenient, and we've streamlined those things out of business. Some inventions, though, I wish were still around because I liked the antique feel of them, and they're mostly related to cameras: One is definitely the one-time use cameras that only had 30 shots or so each: use them all up and it was over, so you couldn't waste one! The limited nature of the camera made me treasure each shot, and I have to say I liked turning the knob to ready the next shot, like springing a trap or setting a toaster oven. In terms of convenience, it was actually pretty comparable to nowadays pulling out my phone, having to unlock the phone, and hit the phone app- the manual steps needed to take a picture were virtually the step, but for sure going to get the photo to developed added inconvenience. Perhaps I liked Polaroids more (MJ and I had them at our wedding). One-time use makes me think of TikTock videos and the "limited time viewing" of Snapchat.......not being able to see the video past a certain time makes it appealing and attractive somehow, and I do actually check them more than old Facebook photos because I feel like Facebook's will always be there. There's an analogous conversation to be had about how the ephemeral nature of life adds to the quality of it (as opposed to the mundaneness of eternal life), but for now I'll just say Snapchat and TikTok do capitalize on the uniquely human nature of feeling time pressure (same urge as limited-time only sales).
The other camera-related invention that I cherish and just used this weekend is the tripod! When I was a child just seeing the tripod come out meant a fancy occasion, we weren't fooling around anymore. I would definitely have to dress up nice, sit around in nice poses, and look good for the camera. And then then whole dance of my dad hitting the button on the delayed-time camera and rushing to get seated with the rest of us was always a bit thrilling (what if he fell? What if he doesn't make it?) just a little bit of that tension evoked some adrenaline, I guess. What a rush! But the tripod also is pretty useful: it stablizes the camera so it doesn't tremble in someone's hand, and it supports the camera so that it just it at eye level. Today MJ capitalized on all of those utilities that tripods offer: we were able to take great pictures of ourselves without a cameraperson to guide us along and direct us; we set the camera (now phone) on a steady surface to get the best angle, and we got the suprisingly exhilarating thrill of hitting the button, seeing the 10 second countdown, and rushing to get to the spot. Maybe I just like photo sessions. One of my best memories of pre-wedding festivities in 2017 was our engagement photos with Dave, our photographer, who directed us in various poses and angles and locations near downtown L.A. (we even got a shot while fountains were going off! What a rush!) and I didn't complain the whole time. It was like a stroll in the park and memoralizing the occasion, and the scenery is always nice because we picked that location because it looks nice. Today was no different, except "Dave" became iPod+ phone. And we still got fountains going off: instead of the fountains in front of the LA Department of Water and Power building overlooking downtown Los Angeles, it was the pre-set sprinkler system to water the front lawn of the university, but water is water, and fountains are fountains. Maybe I was a model in a previous life, showing my brilliance and confidence off for all the world to see. I really enjoyed it, thanks in part (to MJ's great photo-taking abilities) and to the tripod.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
No comments:
Post a Comment