I consider myself a technological curmudgeon. I didn’t used to be. Back in the day I was quite the audiophile, with an auto-reverse cassette deck and one of the first CD players in the neighborhood. But all that changed with kids, bills, and the general press of life’s business. Well, as the oft-repeated adage goes, “What goes around comes around.”
It was bound to happen. I am surrounded by technologically adroit architects who have such wonderful digital toys to help them ply their craft, to make virtual, 3-D buildings appear full-blown from the ether before nary hammer contacts a single nail. And they can make that digital house dance the Hokey Poky, if they want to.
Besides, Derek, my marketing colleague, is über-tech savvy. The other day he waved his iPad in front of me with the app Road Inc. that I assume was the brainchild of the ghosts of Steve Jobs and Enzo Ferrari. A swipe here, a tap there, and the big stars of the automotive universe, in all their exquisitely sculpted glory, are rendered in gorgeous digital detail. I’m talking about the rip-snorting, 1,000-horsepower Bugatti Veyron; the 1968 Mustang Fastback from the Steve McQueen movie “Bullitt;” the sensual Ferrari 250 GTO; and the iconic Porsche 911. You can spin them around, admire their insignias, read period spec sheets, hear their exhaust chortle, watch the original ads that look to be produced by Don Draper himself, and ride along via the in-car race cam.
Finally, technology makes sense again. Car enthusiasts like me can appreciate going deep into coachwork and pistons, graphic designers can swoon over elegant simplicity, and techno-geeks can opine about 3D pixel density. But all of us benefit from technology’s ability to enrich the passion, depth, nuance, and texture of the human experience.
I, like, totally want an iPad now.
Here’s the trailer:
