Boys and their toys

[naomi24]

Why is it that boys, no matter how old they are, always seem to want toys and gadgets? We have a house full of sports equipment, including scuba gear, giant kites (in assorted sizes), surf boards (in assorted shapes and sizes), rugby equipment, gym equipment, bikes and golf clubs. And then we have MP3 players (whatever they are), iPods (whatever they are too), telescopes, cameras, several computers, several printers, several scanners, several phones, and the odd Blackberry, etc, etc. And now today my husband rang from the office to tell me he wants to buy Sat Nav. Why, in heaven's name, why? We've driven in countries all over the world and have managed perfectly well with a map and my navigational skills (yes, and we've always got there!), so why would he want Sat Nav in the UK? Is it just because it's a toy he hasn't got? Tell me, boys, because it's a mystery to me. :o)

[novalis]

Something I saw years ago - " Boys will be boys, and so will a lot of middle-aged men."

[Lonnie]

Hi naomi,

How about, boys grow up to be bigger boys, and girls grow up to be women.

Would that about size up the situation?.

[terambulan]

He's just trying to obsolete you, as ur too clever and can manage life without the gadgetry.

Wait till he brings home the Lamborghini..........then, ur definitely out the door!

[Octavius]

I would guess for men that need the latest gadget, we have the comparable shoe/handbag chasing females.

Its all a mystery to me too, not into gizmos at all.

[naomi24]

Oh, I forgot ........ a guitar.

Terambulan, he prefers a Ferrari. Maybe I'm still here because I'm such a good cook, eh? Not!

[Octavius]

Now thats different, a guitar is about personal creativity.

I have 7.

[Theland1]

Oooooo I'm jealous.
Mrs Theland only buys me paint brushes!

[terambulan]

He has a guitar............that's different............music to my ears.

U need to sing well, and you'll be the best toy

[123everton]

I only like technology if it's easy to use, there are lots of men who love their gadgets (I know several) but then again I know lots of women who are forever messing around with their hair constantly changing the colour, the length, the shape (what is rebellious hair? I know loads of baldy men you can't get much more rebellious than it not growing) and the you've got straighteners, curlers, diffusers....

[Quinlad]

It baffles me when people brag about not owning a TV. Not only is it snobbery to look down on the entire medium, it's also just wrong.

Some of the TV produced these days is staggeringly good. Certainly better than the standard of most theatre, and probably better than what comes out of the film industry.

iPods are a marvel. Not a necessity, just a brilliant brilliant invention for those that love music and what it does for the soul (not all of us, clearly!). Satnav is simply labour saving. It is simpler and easier than reading a map. It causes fewer arguments. It's far easier to navigate when driving alone. Not a neccesity. But nor is a blender or an electric toothbrush. They're just helpful - nothing mysterious about that is there?

[Oneeyedvic]

those gadgets hey - washing machines, fridges, vacuum cleaners - never catch on I tell you.


As mentioned previously, a lot of gadgets are time saving devices.

I adore gadgets.

Sat Nav - now saves me the time of looking up where I am going to and 'hassle' of finding the next turn etc.

MP3 player (an Ipod is a mp3 player that also plays videos) - mine is used when I am in the gym - I like to listen to my music / audio books.

PDA / Phone - okay lost without it - but being self employed means I can check and respond to emails where ever I am - not just in front of my computer at work. As a small business, you need to offer an excellent service - and this I can do with the help of technology.

SkyPlus - I was one of the original people to have TIVO (the original hard disc recorder) - it was brilliant. The same sort of idea as a video recorder but so much easier to use. I am certainly not glued to the tv (and never watch soaps), but with Skyplus it means that we are no longer tied to watching tv at a certain time - we can simply record and watch when we want.

[Oneeyedvic]

That said, I also have some 'silly' gadgets - we have a Nabaztag which is totally pointless but so funny:http://www.nabaztag.com/en/index.html

I am dying to get the pen that they showed in the gadget show a couple of weeks ago - it records your pen movements and scans them into a computer. I probably won't use it much, but would like it.

Probably in a similar way to my wife buying a handbag that she will only use a couple of times a year (well that's my defence and I'm sticking to it)

[KRUSTYMAN]

It was my belief that many women also own 'toys' nowadays only men are a bit more open about theirs and don't hide them away in secret? ;o) (No my wife doesn't own one........does she????)