RIDICULOUS Extravagance

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I work for a company that you might say is heavily involved with "leading" technology, so I know that many of my friends might see this as a hypocritical or ridiculous post...but I am having a moral dilemma about a very popular newish product that is often paired with our products. I'm not going to mention the name of this product, or the brand, because I respect the company, my friends who work there, and I respect the incredible technology that went into this thing. Here's my problem....the projector you see below costs $25,000. Yes, that's right, $25,000...for one product....one projector....for your home theater...just the projector...basically a TV, except you also have to buy the screen, so not even a whole TV.

And yes, I know that this projector has some really incredible 4k technology...it's ULTRA HD, not only can you see each individual blade of grass at the Masters with stunning precision and clarity, but you can see the ants and smaller insects crawling around the blades of grass with the same precision and clarity. I appreciate how cool that is, I do (although I think you have to draw the line at just how much you want to see...newscasters and other TV personalities can't be happy about the ever-increasing HD quality).

Anyway, I decided to make a list of other ridiculous extravagances someone could purchase for this same price, and contrast it with a list of just a few positive things that could be done with the same amount of money. I'll even subtract $8,000 (about how much you would spend on an incredible 70" LCD TV) and we'll just skip right over that level of extravagance - I recognize people spend a lot on these things, and I appreciate quality electronics so I won't pretend to advocate anything near a technologically celibate lifestyle.

Other Wasteful, Sickening Things You Can Buy for About $17,000:

•  A Hummer - that's right. The gas-guzzling, over-compensating monster vehicles that pollute the air and overstep parking spot boundaries everywhere they go. (I drove past a car lot today with a Hummer listed for $15,000 OBO, and it was this sight that made me realize a HUMMER could be purchased for less than this ONE PROJECTOR!
• Apparently you can buy ONE purse for $17,000...or you can just steal it like this guy
• You could buy enough cigarettes to smoke a pack a day for 10 years with $17,000. It's true, I found it on the internet!
• Let's not even THINK about what despicable goods and services could be had in Las Vegas for $17,000
• You could complete an entire Sundance Film Festival-worthy movie all about violence and brain damage for $17,000 

I could go on...but I won't. Now to all the positive things that could be done with the same amount:

• You could refund the donations made by all these people who believed they were helping a girl with Leukemia
• You could make 680 loans to individuals in need around the world through Kiva or other microfinance institutions. 
• You could provide 5 defibrillators to an institution of your choice.
• You could make a $17,000 donation to any NUMBER of great causes (cancer research, literacy programs, humanitarian aid, etc.)
• You could fly yourself over to Africa to help put up mosquito nets or educate people on good health habits (and you might even see some cool animals while you're at it!)
• Even putting money towards retirement or kids college funds seems like a better use of the funds.  

Ok I'm off my soapbox. I realize I'm in no position to condemn people who purchase these things - I have and probably will continue to make frivolous purchases (although not quite of the same amount) but that doesn't mean I feel good about it. So for myself, I am setting out to change my spending habits. For everyone else....buy what you want of course, but maybe now with a new perspective. 

Ageism

I believe I am an ageist. This doesn't mean I hate old people or young people, but I am quick to point out knowledge or gaps in knowledge that can be attributed to age or an age difference. Some examples/things I've learned here:

• Discovery: 80's and early 90's movies are huge among people who range from being slightly older than me all the way to practically my parents' age. It's unbelievable how many cultural references you miss out on when you weren't alive in the 80's and barely conscious in the early 90's.
• Lesson: When people ask, "Haven't you seen Sixteen Candles?" Or "Do you remember that line from Serendipity?" or "Doesn't he remind you of Patrick Swayze?" - the correct response is NOT "I wasn't alive when that was made." or "Is that a movie?" or "Is he that old dancing guy who died?" My new plan is just to nod knowingly. 

• Discovery: Life was VERY different back before email and cell phones. I learned that people used to FAX jokes to each other, yes, FAX. That old machine that  makes old internet-style noises. 
• Lesson: I should not try to understand the olden days. The more questions you ask, the more confused you will become and people tend to become a little offended when your jaw drops at their stories of yore. For example, asking "So you had to print out the jokes or hand write them and then walk them to the fax machine and wait for it to connect and type in individual phone numbers?!" with a horrified look on your face - that question leads to nothing good. Again, new plan: Nod knowingly.

• Discovery: The current teenage generation has about a million different classifications and abbreviations for things. I think in my high school days we had Sporty, Posh, Scary...we might have taken these names from the Spice Girls. I thought I was pretty in the loop though, I of course know what Emo is, but I recently heard some people saying this girl was pretty "hesh". I still don't get it...to the best of my knowledge it's someone who doesn't shower regularly, is kind of like a hippie without necessarily being into drugs, and has a cool vibe. 
• Lesson: Under no circumstances should you try to pretend you understand anything about a younger generationDo not attempt to use vocabulary you do not understand. You will not get it right. Passing a homeless person and saying, "Look, a hesh person!" is not only not the correct usage, it also makes people laugh and shake their heads at you, just like you do to your grandparents when they talk about the mystery that is the iPad.* New plan: Ignore teenagers where possible.

*Actually I have to say my grandparents are pretty tech savvy. My grandpa did call my brother Christmas morning and said, "Peter, I've awoken the iPad and I can't make it stop putting out music." After coaching him to the main menu and hitting the Music icon, Peter said, "Now hit the pause button." Grandpa responds, "There is nothing that says Pause." Peter replies, "The button with the two lines, when you hit it it will turn into the play button." Grandpa says, "I hit it but Play didn't come up, it just turned into a triangle." After that little hiccup, he did start to get the hang of it.