Bells and Whistles

These days it is hard to find the simple version of anything. This is especially true in the world of electronics, where the technology is advancing rapidly. Today it would be hard to find a radio that is just a radio and not also a CD player and a million other things, or to find a DVD player that only plays DVDs--not Blu-Ray--anywhere besides an antiques store. My father-in-law recently had the devil of a time finding an important cable that he needed for his work. It was almost impossible to find because it was used to connect to a SCSI-2 port, technology that is almost six years old. If you'd listen to all the advertisements from stores like Future Shop, six years is an eternity.

All the new technology really is interesting. It is amazing that you can fit 10,000 songs in an MP3 player the size of a fingernail. If that same MP3 player can also serve as a phone, email service, and nail trimmer, then I have to admit that is impressive. When a device has lots of extra capabilities, especially the latest and greatest new features, we say that it has all the bells and whistles. A regular car will get you from Point A to Point B, but a car with all the bells and whistles will have a sunroof, a GPS system, television screens in the back, and a race car engine so you can arrive in style.

Of course, the problem with bells and whistles can be that, besides making a lot of noise, they don't really do very much. Sometimes they are just gimmicks that sound attractive in the store, but don't really add much value. If you tell someone that you're looking for something basic, without all the bells and whistles, they'll understand that you need something simple and practical. If something has all the bells and whistles, then it's the most expensive model. Unless you're so rich that money is no object, paying for all the bells and whistles is usually a poor investment.

On the other hand, we have another saying related to consumer life: you get what you pay for. That means that when something is being sold very cheaply, there is probably a good reason. The parts are held together with plastic instead of stainless steel, and in a few months' time you'll be back in the store to buy a replacement. It's usually a good idea in the long run to pay for quality.

There is an exception to every rule, and in this case I would mention the blender and kettle that I picked up a couple years ago for $2.00 each which are still functioning well today. Perhaps it is because they come from the 1950s when everything was made to last a little longer than today. These days I have low expectations for how long things are supposed to last. When my camera started giving off smoke after about three years, I wasn't particularly surprised or disappointed. Our computer is reaching the four-year mark and I half expect to see smoke rising from the keyboard any day now.

It's hard to get away from consumerism and feel content with the basics. Going for a walk, playing a board game, or sitting by the fire are as satisfying as they have always been, but it is easy to forget that in the face of clever commercials that try to make us feel unsatisfied with a simple life. Maybe you aren't looking for simplicity at all: maybe having a new toy with all the bells and whistles is for you. Either way, whether you want to say yes or no to all the cutting edge features, you have an idiom in your arsenal to do so.