Technology: Capitalism’s best friend

Technology begets more technology. The MAN sure has it all figured out. Wanna take a picture of that new baby?

Buy a digital camera. Snap the picture. Wait, now you'll need a USB cord to connect to a COMPUTER with a software program (UPGRADE TO ILIFE ’09)—but wait, your computer might DIE, so buy this BACK UP DRIVE—no actually, BUY TWO, cuz you gotta back up the first BACKUP (gotta save that picture). Now, buy this PRINTER. And then you’ll need THIS $50 CARTRIDGE OF INK and (just to kick us while we’re down) this ten dollar PHOTO PAPER.

To take just one picture of your baby and hold it in your hand—
20 years ago cost about $66 ($50 camera, $5 roll of film, $11 processing)
Today costs $1,894 ($250 camera, $10 USB cord, $1,000 computer, $74 photo software, $150 back up drive x2, $200 printer, $50 ink and $10 photo paper.)

God bless America. And God bless this new Canon Exilim that just debuted at the 2009 CES show in Vegas. It can shoot high speed bursts faster than a SLR!
Here’s the press-- Casio is pleased to release the slim and compact High Speed Exilim EX-FS10 digital camera, featuring high-speed burst shooting faster than an SLR camera. The Casio EX-FS10 is also equipped with high-speed movie functions that have been squeezed into this highly mobile camera. In this card-sized camera measuring just 3.8” wide x 2.3” high x .64” thin, Casio has packed a newly developed 3X optical inner-zoom lens and a 2.5-inch high-performance Super Clear LCD. This high-speed model boasts an effective 9.1-megapixel resolution and the Casio Exilim EX-FS10 can take up to 30 shots per second of high-resolution 6.0-megapixel images.

What’s more, it can save up to 25 frames prior to the instant that the shutter button is actually pressed, so even if the user hits the shutter a bit late, that special moment will not be missed. The number of shots per second can be set at 30, 15, 10, 5, 3 or auto, and the user can set the total number of shots in one burst at 30, 20, 10 or 5. The Casio Exilim EX-FS10 digital camera can automatically record just the best of the images captured in a high-speed burst. Also, a number of images from a burst can be combined into a single image. It is this high-speed burst capability that offers the functionality for easily creating photos precisely in accordance with the wishes of the user. After taking a set of shots, there is no need to go to the trouble of manually select the best one.