Contributors to h+ magazine were invited to submit their choices for the best and the worst of the 2000-2009 decade.
Worst:
1) Movie theater commercials. Man, it used to be just sitting through trailers before the movie. I love going to the movie theater, it’s one of my favorite pastimes. I hate that advertisers have figured out that we as an audience are captive and can be forced to watch them hawk products. Sure, they’re creative and sometimes fun, but it sucks when a trailer ends and you realize you’ve just been sold on a car, cologne, or a soft drink. It’s OK, though. While they have us as a captive audience because we wanted the best seats and got there early, we still have them in the end. Check out the best list for how, *wink.*
2) Social Networking. I am a Facebook junkie. If you participate in any of the social networks you know there are many perks, but quite a few drawbacks. I refer to Jerry and George’s problem of worlds colliding. Imagine Mom, Grandma, Cousin Joe, the hot guy/girl you know, your co-workers, boss, casual friends, acquaintances, strangers, etc., all in an auditorium with you and talking to them at once. This would never happen in real life, unless you were giving a lecture, in which case there is a behavioral social protocol. Social networking turns this all on its head. It lets Grandma and your boss and your friends all know that you were up late working on a paper, instead of: calling Grandma, doing work, or going out partying with your friends. Having self-restraint for what you say in person: easy. Having it online: not so easy.
Now the fun part, my Best list:
1) Nintendo Wii. I have been playing video games since I was a kid. Being a girl has never been a barrier for me. I loved Mario and got the Nintendo with the Power Mat and have never looked back. When it came to the Wii, I sweet-talked some guy at BestBuy to find out when to get in line, then camped out front and slept on the sidewalk that night to get one of the first systems. It has been love ever since. Wii is a system that gets you in the game, not just psychologically, but physically. There are other systems that should interest me, but they don’t touch the Wii’s ability to take my whole body in to the game world. This Christmas I can play tons of games that would require a rec room and not worry about losing any of the pieces: they’re in my remote. I can sword-fight, play with those fantastically rabid Rabbits, and completely escape from the world. Then they came out with the Wii Fit board, the skateboard, etc. My feet are in the world, too! It weighs me and then lets me play. Tip of the Hat to the creators and their ingenuity. I could go on and on, but this is my #1 Best of the ’00s.
2) Digital Video Recorders. Remember the movie theater commercials on the worst list? Ha-ha! Welcome the DVR. Yeah, we had VCRs, but I laugh at that now, because the DVR is power in our hands, a power that has never been easier and does not require multiple unlabeled videotapes. No longer do the big networks or cable tell me when I have to sit in front of my big, luscious TV! Now I’m in control and I will watch it when I want. I’ve never been more productive in my life now that I have it. And, now I only watch the commercials that interest me. Yes, I know there is Hulu and the networks let you watch online at their websites, but it’s not the same. I want to watch it on my big-ass TV, not my laptop. Plus, with the online shows you still have to deal with watching the same soap commercial over and over again. It’s not an efficient use of time.
Read the other contributors’ opinions here.
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