I was recently interviewed by a reporter who was writing an article about me.  She asked me why I love technology so much.  I paused, to try to think of a politically correct answer that was becoming of a Federal CIO.  After a deep breath, I started to answer but then I remembered that I was the technology chief of an agency that is highly regarded for technology and innovation.  Finally, I remembered that I promised myself that this was the year for Truth so not wanting to make a liar out of myself, I answered.  I really didn’t like technology all that much.  Maybe I hate it, I’m not sure.  

In general, Valentine’s Day isn’t my very favorite day – not bad, but not my favorite either (my favorite is probably April Fool’s Day thanks to my silly siblings). Maybe I have too many memories of being a geeky goofy little girl who went to school with Valentine’s Day cards to give out and brought them all back plus a few from geeky goofy little boys.  

It occurs to me that my experience then is a lot like my experience now.  As I little girl, as it related to Valentine’s Day wishes, I didn’t have what I needed, and didn’t need what I had.  Technology is a lot like that.  As I type this blog, I am looking at an iPad, 2 laptops, a blackberry and an iPhone.  It begs the question; do I have what I need?  Or do I really need what I have?

When I was in graduate school, I was writing my thesis on clever ways to compute the eigenvalues of the hexagon (if you have to ask what that is, it doesn’t matter).  I had a cool new desktop back then with a math co-processor.  But, hell if couldn’t compute those numerical estimates in my lifetime.  I was so frustrated and I had a thesis to finish!  But, then for Valentine’s Day I got a wonderful present from my husband – 256M of memory.  That was a great gift when memory cost a little over a dollar a megabyte.  I had a fast processor, but what really needed was fast memory.

I ended last week talking to my favorite Luddite, Ed.  He’s got a big old clunky blackberry brick on his waist.  I asked him when he was going get an iPad.  He came close to cussing me out and challenged me to a race in words per minute with him and his brick.  I promised him that the piece of crap he carried around would break, and then he said the technician as a whole box of old ones ready for him.  Yep, Ed had EXACTLY what he needed.

I’ll end this with a wonderful technology love poem especially for Valentine’s Day:

Beta is dead,

Ed’s Blackberry is Blue,

Technology is sweet,

But not if it doesn’t help you.

 Love Linda Cureton, NASA CIO