Now, let’s think about music. Remember how I mentioned my younger son, while still in university, knowing my craze for stereos, got me a huge VCD player? Back then, "huge" was the style. The bigger, the better—it was fashionable. Within five years or so, the then-revolutionary iPods came into the picture. We went from max to min, from elephant to mosquito. What once required two arms to hug could now be held in the palm of your hand. Luckily, my elder son gifted me one of those early non-touchscreen iPods. I coaxed myself into generously accepting these tiny instruments and let go of the old VCD player at a throwaway price.

Then came touchscreen iPods, with more storage, and eventually, even those vanished. Smartphones took over the role of music players, entertaining not only their owners but also their family and friends. And then, of course, came portable speakers. This evolution continues.

How many times have I changed my TV? Let me count. The first one was a valve-operated, black-and-white TV. Occasionally, the picture would start moving vertically or shaking horizontally, and there were two knobs to set it right. It was quite embarrassing if we had invited someone over to watch. Then came the solid-state black-and-white TVs, followed by color TVs, where you had to use a pin to change channels.

As channels multiplied, we upgraded to TVs with remote controls. These models had huge backsides, much like the old Studebaker cars, taking up half the room. Then came even bigger screens, and then the flat ones, sticking to the wall like a lizard. Technology was speeding ahead. LCD, LED, 4K—it’s a race that never stops. Now, we have TVs so large they nearly cover an entire wall. Who knows, in a decade, we might have theater-sized screens for our homes. Why not? You could just construct a special room for it.

But how does the economy move unless people spend? New devices keep flooding the market to encourage just that—spending. If all our gadgets and appliances lasted forever, why would we keep replacing them? Why would anyone spend?

The one question I keep asking is: is technology designed to keep up with tomorrow or yesterday? By the time I embrace one technological leap, it changes again. How can we have things that stay "new" for at least five years, instead of becoming archaic in one?

Continued in 180. Art and Heart