Say cheese!

I get very ornery about digital cameras and camera phones. I'm not just fighting technology for the sake of doing so---they really bug me sometimes. Consider all the nosy employers who facebook their workers and find pictures that were thoughtlessly posted the night of a crazy party. With old cameras, you could sleep on it. Hell, you could wait a few days depending on how much you spent on developing the film. Then no one would have to see that puke-shot your friend took unless you really wanted them to.

Do you think those attention-starved people on myspace would post as many pictures of themselves in half-naked, embarrassing poses if they had to do it with an old camera? "Hello, I'd like to get these developed." Imagine that photo album: "Coin Slot Shots '08"

Parties are now flooded with people who can't go a minute without getting a group of people together and taking a picture. Then they look at the screen, shake their heads, and demand that 3 or 4 more be taken. Weeeee! Do you really need 136 pictures of the same gathering? They all end up the same anyway--3 or 4 people with a plastered smile that attempts to cover these thoughts: "Is my pimple showing? I wonder if my mom will ever make a facebook. Just take the damn picture so I can finish drinking this Miller High Life." Of course, this is all speculation based on what I've observed.

On the other hand, digital cameras can be useful for professionals, taking family photos for a Christmas card, and vacations--things where you might really need a good do-over. I would have been horrified if every one of my pictures of Parliament came back either too dark or with my thumb over the clock (Big Ben is the name of the bell).

I come off as anti-memory-preservation. But really, I'm just projecting my inability to immerse myself. Cameras don't help when I'm trying to let go of my inhibitions. Also, the late George Carlin raised an excellent point: Do we have to reminisce about something that happened a minute ago?