THE TECHNOLOGY OF A LAUCH

There seems to be an infinite number of gizmos out there that we would love to lay our hands on. The war in the tech industry of who can come up with the next big thing in the smallest size has left us pining for more.

We are a civilization set on acquisitions of the now. We want and we feel we need to possess, even for the shortest time, the greatest invention of the moment. The Tech and Toys guide (page 100), our second and by far our most ambitious, is not intended to fuel the need for the next best fad. Rather, this slightly over 100 items must in some ways improve our lives.

Trust me, every single product you see in these pages will enrich your life. We are not just talking about the latest 3G cell-phones or the latest plasma screen TVs, but rather a fulfillment we get that goes far beyond utilizing the tech of the day.

I wish you could see the sheer enjoyment my colleagues at Torque magazine got when the Light sabers were brought in. Hiding in the pitch-black compressor room, they wielded the glowing replicas and listened to them hum. The lie-detector toy that produced a mild electric shock to every fib had us all on our side of the office temporarily forget our deadlines and just have a giggle.

And I think that’s what a wonder of this tech age should do. Give us convenience, pleasure and the allowance to enjoy life, if only for a while.

ERIC ericchan@bluinc.com.my