# Technophobe or technology snob?



## AlanF (Mar 22, 2017)

The discussion in various threads here and elsewhere has made me wonder how people would classify themselves. (No flaming of others allowed.)


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## Mikehit (Mar 22, 2017)

I'm somewhere between 'tech savvy' and 'gizmophile' but probably more tech savvy.

One interesting one may be 'early adopter' but maybe that would overlap with the categories you have (which I think are fine).


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## Maximilian (Mar 22, 2017)

Hi Alan! 

From the choices you offer, I'd put myself somewhere between "Tech savvy" and "Gearhead".
But to me there is much more differentiation between the extremes you define. 
Especially between "Technophobe" (would someone like that even enter this forum?) and "Gearhead". 

So I did choose not to vote.


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## AlanF (Mar 22, 2017)

Maximilian said:


> Hi Alan!
> 
> From the choices you offer, I'd put myself somewhere between "Tech savvy" and "Gearhead".
> But to me there is much more differentiation between the extremes you define.
> ...



Occasionally technophobes briefly join to ask basic questions. They are then overwhelmed as the gearheads and gizmophiles wade in with pages of well-meaning advice.


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## tomscott (Mar 22, 2017)

I'm probably between gizmophile and tech savvy.

Do enjoy fixing things and obsessed with tech but more for real world use don't really get too bogged down with charts etc

I do like to have the newest tech but usually 12-18 months after its been announced to ensure the early adoption problems and get a bit of a price reduction


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## Maximilian (Mar 22, 2017)

AlanF said:


> Maximilian said:
> 
> 
> > Hi Alan!
> ...


*lol* +1


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## dpc (Mar 22, 2017)

I'm only interested in technology, including camera technology, insofar as it allows me to do what I want to do. I would amend this slightly to say I'm profoundly interested in the social and cultural effects and potential of technological developments but this doesn't translate into a desire to know how everything works in a technical sense.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Mar 22, 2017)

I probably enjoy getting electronics just to learn all about them and master them as much or more than using them. I have started in on surveillance cameras, reading whatever I found, and now ordering some from B&H. I've installed a app on another Toy, Amazon Fire TV that lets me connect with and control the cameras, and have been tearing my hair out trying to configure my NAS to share its space with files from the cameras.

I have two NAS units, one with 4 and one with 6 drives. The 6 drive unit backs up the 4 drive unit. Finally, I reformatted the six drives and recreated two volumes, one with 5 disks in Raid 5 to continue backing up my other system, and a single disk volume to save surveillance video. Then, the first Camera I bought froze up while formatting the drive and died. So its on its way back, and a replacement along with a 2nd one is on its way. I keep spending more, a 1000 ft spool of outdoor ethernet cable with pure copper conductors to run POE about 80 ft to one unit, and about the same distance to the other. I'm still in doubt as to the need for a NVR, so I'm doing the NAS solution first. I have hard drives around everywhere, so thats one thing I will not need.

I'd love to have a $20k midrange Axis unit, but am sticking with more reasonably priced items in the $400-$1K range. Definitely a cut above the cheap cameras sold for homes, but not into the larger business category.

I'm getting up into my mid 70's, but find that I still enjoy learning more about everything. I have a small online business that justifies purchasing the toys.


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## ajfotofilmagem (Mar 22, 2017)

Should I rate myself compared to who?

Compared to the average citizen of my city, I am or technology snob.
Compared to the typical user of Canonrumors, I am a tech savvy.


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## Valvebounce (Mar 23, 2017)

Hi Alan. 
Interesting survey, especially as someone here confessed to being a technology snob (from your definition, - using knowledge of technology to make others feel *dumb*)  ??? 
I went for tech savvy, but would have erred towards gearhead if not for the 'fix them' in your definition. 

Cheers, Graham.


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## dak723 (Mar 23, 2017)

Well, based on the results so far, all we can deduce is that all the Gearheads here think that they are merely tech savvy! ;D


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## takesome1 (Mar 23, 2017)

dak723 said:


> Well, based on the results so far, all we can deduce is that all the Gearheads here think that they are merely tech savvy! ;D



The survey asks for an opinion about yourself.
Not others perception of you.
Nor does it ask for a deep meaningful introspection.
Rather than a grain, I think you need to take the results with a livestock salt block.


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## AlanF (Mar 23, 2017)

Fortunately, current active members of CR are good natured with a sense of humour (well, most are), unlike those on certain other forums, whose bitchiness is inversely proportional to their savvy.


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## Don Haines (Mar 23, 2017)

dak723 said:


> Well, based on the results so far, all we can deduce is that all the Gearheads here think that they are merely tech savvy! ;D



Way back around 1980 I built a 6502 based scanner with 24K of memory, a 256 element sensor, 8 bit A/D, and stepper motors to scan Kodachrome slides...... the resulting images were pretty poor, but it was a lot of fun to build. Would that make me an alpha-geek?


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## rfdesigner (Mar 23, 2017)

Certaily tech savvy.

currently working on... well it's interesting.. cutting edge radio stuff. Can't say more.

Built my first PC in '94, built my first HiFi amp and speakers 25 years ago, I've hacked the bios in a PC, built ISA cards, wrote the code for and built the hardware for my telescope drive system, I made a CCD camera, current project: building an oak frame for a small building, foundations and brickwork already done.

I love playing with cutting edge and old tech. I hate using cutting edge, it's too unreliable. So PCs etc. are always laggards, my Ubuntu is always LTS. My laptop in W7. I will always drag my heels until the next rung (or two) is stable before jumping.

And I don't own a smartphone & I live in a house without central heating.

Tech savvy without being a slave to it.

(waiting to get well and truely trumped.. there are others here who have much more experience)


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## Zv (Mar 24, 2017)

I picked tech savvy though I know a fair amount about sensors, lenses and optics in general (thanks mainly to time spent reading CR forum!  ) but I couldn't fix a camera to save my life.


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## kirispupis (Mar 24, 2017)

I consider myself pretty tech savvy. I work in the tech field, for something you'd probably notice if it didn't work. I tend to order the latest tech gadgets on release day.

That being said, I'm more conservative when it comes to cameras. I do buy the latest in cameras and lenses, but I don't really get into the nitty gritty details of sensor and camera technologies. I'm more concerned with what helps me achieve my artistic goals.

IMHO there are way too many people on most forums who have vast knowledge of camera technologies, but whose actual photography skills suck.


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## Hastings (Apr 13, 2017)

I thought, If there are 5 voting poll, I would fall in the middle. And if there were 3, I would be the second (middle). But turns out, I've fallen in the second place out five here. ;D

Must the his fault who created the options (poll).


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## dadohead (Apr 13, 2017)

I read about a study somewhere that found that the more competent someone was, the more likely they were to underestimate a self-characterization of their competence. Conversely, as we might expect, the less competent were inclined to overstate their competence, sometimes grossly and catastrophically. I am sure we all have empirical evidence from our own lives. I'm looking at you, Washington D.C.

As for snobs, I used to race windsurfers. There was always some guy who would tell you how great he was and why your set-up was bad and how he was going to kick your ass. Those jerks usually wound up in the middle of the fleet. The real champions were pretty quiet and low-key, happy to help you if they could, and then after the starting gun got game and would take everybody apart on the race course. Because they came, you know, to race, not to fluff themselves up. That whole brow-beating techno-snob thing is what's called over-compensating in the psych wards. Those guys are insecure [email protected]@holes who don't know jack sht. I find it's best to ignore them.


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## mb66energy (Apr 13, 2017)

I see myself as tech savvy - I cannot fix things inside cameras but have a profound knowledge about the technical basics of photography and it's tools. Cameras are _*tools*_ for me.

So I excluded gismophile because I hate pointless gadgets: My dream camera duo would maybe be a 20D with newest sensor tech and a 5D classic with the upcoming 6D sensor + very clean 1080p video features (shurely including a new mainboard with the corresponding processing capabilities). That would be enough for my purposes and these "first gen really useable digital cams" have wonderful ergonomics with excellent haptics e.g. giving good feedback if you have clicked sth. or not.


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## AcutancePhotography (Apr 13, 2017)

My response was not one of the choices.

To me technology is a means to solve a problem. As long as existing technology fully solves the problem, I see no reason to change technologies. Simply because a new technology exists, does not mean that existing technology is not sufficient. 

However, as soon as the existing technology no longer fully solves the problem, or more accurately, the costs of existing technologies exceed a threshold, I have no problem embracing the new technology.

Technology is a tool. I hold no emotional attachment to it. I am neither a "techophile" nor a "technophobe".


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## Orangutan (Apr 13, 2017)

dadohead said:


> I read about a study somewhere that found that the more competent someone was, the more likely they were to underestimate a self-characterization of their competence. Conversely, as we might expect, the less competent were inclined to overstate their competence, sometimes grossly and catastrophically. I am sure we all have



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect


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## cayenne (Apr 13, 2017)

I'm getting into another hobby, it isn't exactly "electronic tech", but I'm playing around with growing vegetables in a DIY hydroponic system.

I've started with a single tomato unit, and about to make a 10 unit of lettuce grow setup.

The tech so far, is mostly manual, getting a timer in soon for the LED lighting system....and learning the nutrient and chemical set ups, measuring Ph, PPM of water, etc.

But as I go on, who knows? I might try to do a computer controlled system, get one set up that is more complex than the DWC (Deep Water Culture) set up I have now....and have one that floods and drains the root systems on a schedule.

Heck, I'm thinking even now, how best to set up to do time lapse photos of plants sprouting and growing. I'm wondering if I should try to do some filtering to get the overwhelming 'purple' of the LED grow lights tamed to look like normal light....etc.

So, while it is certainly not electronic tech at this point, it *IS* a new system of components I"m trying to learn, and might later tie into more high tech.

If nothing else, I'm *ALWAYS* interested in stuff I can *EAT*.


cayenne


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## rfdesigner (Apr 13, 2017)

cayenne said:


> I'm getting into another hobby, it isn't exactly "electronic tech", but I'm playing around with growing vegetables in a DIY hydroponic system.
> 
> I've started with a single tomato unit, and about to make a 10 unit of lettuce grow setup.
> 
> ...



hydroponics always strikes me as desperatly hard to do.. I find doing decent composting hard enough.


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## SteveM (Apr 13, 2017)

I wonder if I can add 'technoblind' to the categories. These could be the people who have no interest whatsoever in the details, the charts etc., they would be the happiest photographers of all as they aren't developing ulcers worrying that this new sensor is slightly better than the one they have in their current camera. 
I know some of these people, and I am truly envious.


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## Pookie (Apr 13, 2017)

cayenne said:


> I'm getting into another hobby, it isn't exactly "electronic tech", but I'm playing around with growing vegetables in a DIY hydroponic system.
> 
> I've started with a single tomato unit, and about to make a 10 unit of lettuce grow setup.
> 
> ...



Interesting... in California hydroponics usually means you're growing a totally different type of "*vegetable*". And those people are def into the best tech.


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## cayenne (Apr 13, 2017)

rfdesigner said:


> cayenne said:
> 
> 
> > I'm getting into another hobby, it isn't exactly "electronic tech", but I'm playing around with growing vegetables in a DIY hydroponic system.
> ...



Well, this is my first toe in the water with hydroponics, so to speak. 
I just put a store bought tomato plant into a single bucket system and so far (about 4 days in) I've not killed it yet.


I just put several rock wool cube into incubator with lettuce seeds, and when they sprout, will put them into the new DIY 10 bay DWC system I'll have set up by then....

So far, I just watched a bunch of YouTube, and the basics of a basic system like I'm doing, is pretty simple.
Just a little study, and well, apparently any idiot can do it. 

LOL!

But hey, always fun to experiment.

And yes, any time I mention hydroponics, I do get a lot of folks asking exactly what "vegetables" i'm growing. 
But here in LA, I"m only growing what's legal here. Veggies are...the other stuff is *not*.

I will admit, i'm almost a bit nervous, in that my grow lights at night are near my front street facing window, I'm hoping passing cops don't get the same idea as many do on what I'm growing. Again, only veggies, but I can just see a 'friendly visit' coming. I"ll get it all sealed up soon so it doesn't shine out the window.

I like to cook (hence my YT cooking show CWI: Cooking While Intoxicated...some episodes have been posted here in the video forum) , so having lots of fresh veggies year round really appeals to me.

ONce I get this down, I likely will incorporate this into some of my cooking shows...

cayenne


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## Roo (Apr 24, 2017)

Valvebounce said:


> Interesting survey, especially as someone here confessed to being a technology snob (from your definition, - using knowledge of technology to make others feel *dumb*)  ???



I know one of those people but then he wouldn't be on this forum as he has a distinct hatred of Canon/Nikon and any other company that markets "full frame" cameras. He is constantly going on about how the features of his m4/3 camera save him "83%" of his time in setting up a shot...it's just a pity he doesn't use the time saved to think about his composition as they are mostly rubbish! He especially loves the camera's "live composite" mode but I tell him there are a couple too many vowels in the second word. ;D


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