I find that the best experiences right now still come from analogue devices. Even though I have applications that can give me hand-free cooking instructions, I still prefer breaking out my grandmother's Joy of Cooking. The recipies are classics, and it has some serious sentimental value—which totally trumps voice searching through half-assed user-generated recipies.

We're years away from the Internet of Things and useful augmented reality, but I get impatient—even if it means blowing a paycheck to get the latest doodad. I do this to surround myself with the future so I know how I can create a better one for everyone else. This middle age of technology—transitioning to digital—has been rocky, but I think the future looks bright.