ShelbyFoister.com – Est. 1981
13May/111

Don’t call it a come back

You know, I have never been the one to complain about progress. My dad always says stuff like "I don't call it progress I call it regress". For someone in their 50's that grew up with things being a cetain way and watching small towns become swallowed by large cities I can understand why he would say that. but I never agreed with him.

Last week at work I ordered some software from one of our vendors and I was expecting an email back with the license key and a link for a direct download. This is how the majority of distribution is handled these days, mostly digital. Even though I am in an enterprise environment this same trend can be seen at home, with video games and all sorts of software. Every major software vendor has the availability to download your product through services like Steam. This is GREAT! Less cardboard in land fills, less overhead for vendors. This vendor did not send me a link, but an actual package that arrived two days later. As I sat with this box of software in my hands I wondered to myself "Why in the hell didn't they just give me a download?" but as I opened the box I was immediately reminded of my childhood. When I was growing up we used to have to go to buildings to buy stuff. We would shop for video games by looking at the box art, and these boxes were BIG. These boxes had a very distinctive smell, I'm sure it was just ink on the cardboard and game manual. I really miss the feeling of getting that box, holding it in your hands all the way home reading the back of the package over and over again, then after getting home finally tearing into it and reading the instruction manual while the software/game installed. Meanwhile, the whole time there's this very distinctive new software smell that is akin to new car smell.

I'll never forget those days. I'm usually pretty progressive and current with things but I think this is the first time in my life that I am unwilling to change with progress. As long as distributors still send box copies of games to stores I will buy them. For as long as I am able I want to open that box and smell the noxious fumes of industrial ink and packaging while I'm being asked for CD2 of 5. I want to read the game manual while the installation program flashes screenshots on my monitor. Maybe it's the kid in me refusing to die. Well I don't want him to die either so no, this is not progress to me, this IS regress. When my kids grow up and laugh at me for still going to a STORE to buy a BOX. I'm going to jump in my 1968 Mustang, drive my ass to the store, buy the game of the month and when I get home and they are already playing I'm going to feel sorry for what they are missing out on.

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  1. Well I do miss the boxes, however and you are going to hate me for this. News flash they make boxes out of trees and I don’t know if you have been keeping up with current events lately but trees are in decline. The video game industry decided when the bandwidth was right that it was cheaper and more environmentally friendly to switch to smaller boxes made from plastic then the big cardboard, awesome, smelly, ink boxes we were accustomed to opening chillin in the back seat of Mamma’s car. I for one enjoy the excitement of waiting for my digital download, starting it before work, hoping it will be done when I get home. I would not want to switch back to the old way now plus I don’t have to spend the extra four bucks to drag my fat ass to the store just in gas. Cause also in case you missed it oil is also in a decline and getting more valuable everyday. Pretty soon it will cost 5 or 6 dollars a gallon just to put gas in the 68 stang and then life will grow even more crappy. If I could download groceries from Amazon at this point I would.


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