Lately there has been a lot of talk about "seamless computing" and "seamless storage." Everything from iCloud to things like this from NSquared allow me to seamlessly have my video or music everywhere - on all my iPads, Windows phones, etc.
Now I have a lot of computers and gadgets - some are older which have frozen snapshots of systems on them for reference purposes, some have music or music apps on them, some get used for software or asset development, some are personal, some are business.
I also own a fair number of iTunes songs and a few apps along with various assets that go with these apps, things like Kindle books and so on.
Now everybody and their brother, for reasons I cannot quite fathom, wants all of my devices to have access to everything I own on my other devices.
First off, these are my devices. I don't want some program or service pushing things onto these devices without my knowledge or okay.
Take music for example. Some devices hold more than others, some get used for purposes that are incompatible. I don't want everything jammed full of content that's not relevant to the situation I use the device in. I keep little music on my iPhone save for when I travel far from home. Mostly I like only live music and really don't listen too much beyond that. But on a long car trip recorded music makes up for the boredom.
I like certain types of music for driving - not all my music - just some of it.
Some of my iTunes purchase were bad choices - not many but a few - and I don't want those propagating around onto other devices where I have to weed them out.
I use my devices to test software, e.g., iOS apps, for example. I don't want things on these devices being diddled by remote servers changing the state of things, e.g., overflowing memory and that sort of thing.
Granted I am not like everyone else but just because you can do something does not mean that you should.
I think that "Seamless" really means that companies like Apple think they are smarter than me and know better what I want and how it should be organized.
"Oh, you liked 'Suzy Boozy's' latest CD, how about 'Franky Flier's' latest?"
Sorry, no - Franky sucks.
I like music to keep me interested and hundreds of similar songs that sound mostly the same to me is boring. While certain songs might be good these days once someone comes out with some kind of unique sound there are twenty more just like it. I'm not interested in wasting my time on them.
I'm also tired of movies. I don't need to see how many voxel's you can squeeze into each movie frame with your giant render farm so that the huge transformer made up of 10,000,000 tiny but uniquely renderable and visible parts can look really cool when it explodes.
Show me a good plot and some decent acting and save your money.
I certainly don't need movies streamed all over my house. I like to actually pay attention to the movie and watch it. While I understand that today just having lots of distracting noise playing in the room is the way it is its not so for me. Sometimes I like quiet. Sometimes I like a movie or show - but only where I can actually pay attention to it.
I can go on but you get the picture I'm sure (geezer...)
But not so fast.
Don't you want control over your own life - what you see and hear?
I like certain types of music in certain situations. I don't need some giant cloud of music hanging over my head to crap out every song I've ever bought at the drop of a hat.
My tastes progress as well.
Some music should remain in the background once I no longer play it...
To me cloud equals herd.
I'm not in the herd nor do I want to be - yet I want to use things like iPad's and iPhone's for what I want.
But that seems to be changing.
I see a day when you won't be able to use a device except as is prescribed by "those who know more than you."
You bought this song - now its going to be forever available to you - whether you like it or not.
The "outside world", like the tax man, your boss, etc., don't necessarily recognize "seamlessly integration" of everything that is you. You may be violating various tax codes by having personal things seamless streamed to non-personal things.
No, I think seamless equals stupid or at least mostly stupid.
I like books and I like Kindle's. But using one more than the other will cause the lesser used one to go away. And when it does go away, if its a physical thing, its not coming back (like the local Border's who are now up (or down) to 70% on the signs the hucksters hold up at the local mall intersections.
Seamless will mean nothing will ever go away.
Wait until Jr. or Mom or Dad accidentally moves that porno into giant family and friends shared cloud folder with grandma and aunt Bessie on the same cell plan...
Imagine trying to get rid of even a song you no longer like from twenty devices - much less something that's now streaming uncontrollably to your entire family.
No thanks...
Seamless means that Joe Stupid is now the focus of the focus groups working on the products.
Joe Stupid knows nothing about anything so it will be easy to do it all for him.
[ Flame Off ]
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