2016 In Review: Technology

Dave Barry showed the sort of humor that so escaped many full-time journalists, but his asides about technology amid his overview of the presidential campaign are worth repeating:

In a fad even stupider than “planking,” millions of people wasted millions of hours, and sometimes risked their lives, trying to capture imaginary Pokémon Go things on their phones, hoping to obtain the ultimate prize: a whole bunch of imaginary Pokémon Go things on their phones. . . .

We continued to prove, as a nation, that no matter how many times we are reminded, we are too stupid to remember to hold our phones horizontally when we make videos. . . .

Samsung announces a recall of all Galaxy Note 7 phones after an attempt to re-brand them as “smart charcoal lighters” meets with consumer resistance. Adding to Samsung’s woes are reports that some of its top-loading washers have exploded, although the company insists that the machines are “perfectly safe when operated using the delicate cycle,” provided that “there are no humans nearby.”

In other technology news, Apple announces the release of the iPhone 7, which is basically the iPhone 6 with the added convenience of not having a headphone jack. The marketing slogan is “At Least It Doesn’t Burst Into Flames.”

Not to mention Hillary’s email server, Donald’s tweeting, and Anthony Weiner’s sexting.

But does that make 2016 worse than 2007?

most inexplicable of all — there was 2007, when millions of people voluntarily installed Windows Vista.

Probably not.

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