The limitations of technology

My dad gave me an iPad a couple of weeks ago. Actually, what really happened is my dad got a new iPad, gave his old one to my mom, and she in turn gave her old iPad to me.

This thing is vintage. I started looking into apps I could get. The New York Times? Facebook? Every time I tried to download one I got versions of the same message: "This app requires operating system 6.0 or higher." I've only got OS 5; apparently, these things are obsolete after 6 months or so. Remind me not to buy one!

Suddenly it occurred to me how great it would be if I could get the New Yorker app. Would it work? It did! No error message! I couldn't wait to get started reading articles on my big, beautiful iPad screen. It would be a thousand times better than reading them on my tiny iPhone screen.

As I was downloading the app, my eye was caught by the huge stack of New Yorkers on my coffee table. Oh, right. There's another option for reading the New Yorker. And this one is lighterweight than my iPad, AND easier to carry around. Heck, five New Yorkers would still weigh less than my iPad, and it would take me weeks to get through them.

Forgot about that option for a second.