Gadgets, TOYS or Jonesing for Shiny things

Are you a cheap bastard?, do procrastinate on the smallest things so you can find the best bargains for your gadgets?. Is it better to stay ahead of the game by owning the latest technology?. A friend was going on about a discount for Bang and Olufsen Hi Fi / home cinema product. Saying it was the best sound he ever heard from, and then for a 20% discount he could purchase the product for £75,000. Heck for that kind of money I can buy a car, and a home with change to spare.

The cost for the top of the range products can boarder on the ridiculous. But of course there are people out there who are stupid enough to buy those gold and diamond phone cases. it seems the richer you are the more dumb stuff you buy. I like to think when I buy some technology its because I can make life easier for my self, or that I can learn something from this technology. (e.g. camcorders and video editors to learn about editing and making DVDs)

weather you are buying gadgets because it is a time saver or because its a glorified toy, you have weigh the price against the wife factor. If you are on a budget and the wife notices your finances are low, you are about to get a harsh rolling pin to the head and big argument on spending. Probably the safe thing is to buy a tablet, a smart phone or half decent entertainment system.

Beyond that  everything else is a toy, and should be considered as one. most people don't need to buy extra things unless there are nerds. Then  they have an unlimited budget for graphic novels action figures and other toys. The wife factor will probably not be an issue but your ability to grow to a normal social human will.

My slight passions for technology has me sitting on the fence for a lot of things. Factor the massive budget cuts and bills to pay for few hours of pleasure with a A.R DRONE. Its gets to be real expensive lusting for the latest toy. At the moment there is a mass market trying to buy your attention. Trends come and go, one time I lusted for the rare but cool PIP boy 3000 clock as conceived by the fallout 3 post nuclear apocalypse game. It seemed sweet and with Halloween coming up I thought it could go well with a blue overall that can be altered to look like a vault-tech uniform. Buying a  pip -boy clock cost double the retail price, and for all that lusting, I have to show is a cool costume for which I won a bottle of wine for at the party.

I was gonna go on about how buying expensive gadgets would one day ruin you as a human being. But in truth its all about balance. A little fun here and there might get you a bottle of wine, or a decent Hi Fi. The main thing is that you weigh the options for something. If you buy the first gadget from a consumer electronics show be prepared to deal with glitches and teething problems when it first comes out. I much prefer the second generation possibly the 3rd generation when the product has reached to other company's who has reversed engineered that gadget. Leaving a whole plethora of choices and ultimately a cheap knock off copy.