AV Technology - June 2008 - (Page 8)

perspective by Mark Mayfield june 2008 EDITORIAL Mark Mayfield Editor Anthony Savona Managing Editor Alan C. Brawn, Steve Cunningham, Joey D’Angelo, Wendy L. Ellis, Linda Seid Frembes, Gary L. Hall, Phil Hippensteel, George Klippel, Katie Parrish, Matt Wunsch, Tom Zind Contributors SALES & MARKETING Sue Horwitz Publisher 323-933-9485, sue@audientmarketing.com vol. 1 no. 3 TECHNORAGE e had some fun with this month’s cover story about “Dealing with Technophobes.” It’s likely that most readers of AV Technology are not “technophobes”; you probably wouldn’t be reading this if you were, unless you had some sort of masochistic tendencies. However, most of you have encountered these types in your professional lives. There’s a flip side to this story that’s not so funny. In fact, it can be downright dangerous if you’re in the path of a flying PC or loudspeaker. That’s right — I’m talking about technorage (as in “techno-rage”). It’s that rising anger you feel when your beloved technology just won’t do what you want it to. It’s similar in a way to ‘roid-rage that we hear about in the world of sports enhancement, except that the only thing that grows bigger W ly survives my impulse to hurl it across the room. Sound familiar? Apparently, technorage is real. Way back in 1999, the Washington Post cited a study conducted in the U.K. that identified “Technology Related Anxiety” (TRA, as if we need another acronym). The study reported high levels of PC-related abuse by colleagues “as a result of frustration” with information technology. The abuses included “swearing at their PC,” kicking it, and “bullying the IT department.” A survey conducted by the London-based international research company MORI showed that 40 percent of 1,250 workers surveyed have witnessed colleagues abusing their computer machinery both physically and verbally. Fortunately, at least in the world of AV Stan Kashine National Sales Manager 516-626-2813, skashine@optonline.net ART & PRODUCTION Nicole Cobban Senior Art Director Annmarie LaScala Art Director Michelle Henning, Adrianne Knapp, Neel Patil Graphic Artists Fred Vega Production Manager Ariel Steinberg Assistant Production Manager CIRCULATION Anne Drobish Associate Circulation Director, Audience Development Argus Galindo Associate Circulation Manager Michele Fonville Circulation Coordinator Telephone: 888-266-5828 (U.S.A. only, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. est) 978-667-0352 (outside the U.S.) Fax: 978-671-0460 E-mail: newbay@computerfulfillment.com Web: MyAVTechmag.com Subscriptions: AV Technology P.O. Box 8692, Lowell, MA 01853 MOST EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS HAVE RECOGNIZED TECHNORAGE, EITHER CONSCIOUSLY OR NOT. WALKING THE SHOW FLOOR PAST AT INFOCOMMS, I’VE NOTICE A RECURRING THEME OF SIMPLIFICATION. NEWBAY MEDIA CORPORATE Steve Palm President & CEO Paul Mastronardi Chief Financial Officer Joe Ferrick Vice President of Web Developemnt Denise Robbins Group Circulation Director Greg Topf IT Director Jack Liedke Controller Ray Vollmer HR Director NEWBAY MEDIA SYSTEMS GROUP Adam Goldstein Vice President, Group Publishing Director Phil Holtberg Publisher Anthony Savona Editorial/Creative Director Jeremy Glowacki Editorial Director Jessica Winters Events & Event Marketing Coordinator Mike Lemmerling Web Manager Rob Granger Web Editor David Leach Web Analyst Ashley Vermillion Web Production Specialist Lesley Keller Web Ad Production Specialist Published by NewBay Media L.L.C. 810 Seventh Avenue, 27th Floor New York, NY 10019 Tel: 212-378-0400 Fax: 212-378-0470 Reprints and permissions: For article reprints, please contact our Reprint Coordinator at Wright's Reprints: 877-652-5295 PRINTED IN THE USA. and stronger is the manufacturer who sells replacement gear for rage-ruined equipment. I first experienced technorage in the early days of my professional career, as we were beginning the transition to “automated” audio mixing consoles. They never seemed to do what I needed them to do. As moving faders came into the picture, I became convinced that the machine had a mind of its own — after all, the visual proof was there. And like most of you, I’ve worked with office equipment pretty much throughout my 20+ years in this industry. There are days that I become so frustrated with my laptop, it bare- technology, I think there’s hope. Most equipment manufacturers have recognized technorage, either consciously or not. Walking the show floor past at InfoComms, I’ve notice a recurring theme of simplification. Systems that are simpler to use should reduce technorage, in addition to addressing many people’s technophobia. Easy to use is becoming the new marketing mantra, and I think most of us would agree, this is a good thing. Now if I could just get my PC to display the words I’m thinking instead of the ones my fingers insist on typing, I’d be less tempted to smash it with my fist. www.avtechnologyonline.com 8 | AVTECHNOLOGY | june 2008 http://www.MyAVTechmag.com http://www.avtechnologyonline.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of AV Technology - June 2008

AV Technology - June 2008 Contents Precedent Corporate: Global Standardization Government: Strategic Technology Planning Education: It’s All Just a Click Pre-Empting Projector Breakdown Dealing With Technophobes Keeping Ahead of Technology Obsolescence Understanding Video Codecs Rules of Engagement Network, See & Learn Sound From the Heart Sportsbook Makes an Impact Upgrading an AV Image Product Review: Polycom’s RealPresence Experience HD Tech Horizons: A True AV Networking Standard? Product Spotlight: Digital Media Servers; Flat Panel New Products Ad Index AV MO: Calculating Fiber Optic Transmission Distance

AV Technology - June 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.