Monday, February 23, 2004

HP Digital Happytime

In this past month, I've experienced something very interesting in a number of homes in a number of states -- California, Florida, Massachusetts -- and that is people really having fun with digital cameras and HP photo printers. And what I'm seeing is a SOCIAL ACTIVITY which is based on technology but feels a lot more like a social activity and a lot less like technology.

In a number of homes, I've met rather non-techy people, both old and young, who are enjoying doing this WITHOUT computers. They take pix with their digital cameras, they come home, put the memory card into their printeres and print index sheets and great photos, right then and there. Many then put together scrapbooks with them, or glue them to card stock to make postcards or do other cool things with them.

The folks I've met who are doing this, are doing it as a group -- friends and families gathered around the printer -- almost in an atmosphere that reminds me of a quilting bee or a party. Sometimes it's happening AT a party.

The people doing it are every age from young to old. Sometimes the young are showing the old how to do it. Sometimes the old are showing the young how to do it. People are really having fun doing it.

I blogged about this six months ago over here. And now I'm seeing it everywhere.