The Steve Rubel Stream

ha. this is what significant others are for. in all seriousness, watching my wife struggle with keeping her iphone charged and in sync and equipped with relevant apps showed how difficult even the iphone is. e.g. me: use 3g when you need a fast connection but don't have wifi. but don't keep it on too long or you'll drain your battery. her: what's 3g?

I agree with Rob: It's useful to have a partner who isn't a complete technogeek. But this also makes me wonder about other disciplines. When I studied graphic design, we weren't allowed to use a computer for the first year. We had to do everything by hand to understand what skills the computer was replacing. Do Xbox game designers have old arcade games in the office? Do farmers experiment with ancient Roman irrigation techniques? Do electronic musicians have grand pianos at home? If they do, it will allow them to see things in a new way and be more creative about solutions to future problems. Understanding the past (which is where most consumers are, compared to early adopters) gives you future insights.

In Mayer's case though, I think she just wanted an iPhone. ;-)

It's an interesting perspective, and I can understand the value in having someone sitting on the curve as long as others in the organisation are ahead of the curve, so to speak.

Working in a public library I am often helping people with the public internets. For me, it's valuable to be a step or two (or plenty more) ahead so I can help them through things.

As previous commenters mentioned about spouses, these library users help me to understand a different perspective.