Things I've Noticed

Quick Quote on Email

"The longer you wait to check your email, the more new email you'll have (unless nobody emails you to begin with)."

+ Atul

Annoyances of Electronics Devices Almost Always Being Black

Electronic devices are a big part of our lives in this modern world.  Mobile phones, laptops, stereos, TV’s, flash drives, cameras, and so many other loveable objects with circuit boards for brains tend to come in one color and one color only.  That color (or absence of color) is black.  The accessories and chargers and cables that go with them also tend to be black. And that’s great in many respects.  Black looks good, is slimming (even for laptops) and it complements almost any other color.  Sure it attracts lint and can get smudges but that’s manageable.

What I find annoying is how when you put something black and small in a bag, you can’t see it.  You think you packed your cell phone charger because even when it’s there, you can’t see it, but sometimes it’s actually not there.  It makes it easier to lose things like Bluetooth earpieces.  If you drop something that’s black, you are less likely to notice you dropped it, especially in the dark.  And even if you know you dropped it, shadows under sofas and car seats hide black objects quite well.

Another aspect of too many products being black is that you don’t know which charger or adapter or cord goes with which product.  If they labeled them to indicate which one matches with the product it wouldn't be so much of an issue.  When you have an entertainment stand with lots of devices and spaghetti wiring in back, you can’t tell which cable goes to which device.  Brighter or differently colored cables would help.

Apple and some other companies have bucked the trend.  They make devices in white or silver.  I bought an orange compact flash drive and I haven’t lost it yet.  Bright colors help.  But I see black being the predominant color for electronics products for a long time.  When we all need only one device (possibly an implant) and everything becomes wireless, then this issue will go away. Until then, just accept that when it comes to electronics, black is the old black, the new black, and the future black.

+ Atul