I already know by the time I reach the ripe old age of retirement, I'll be a grumpy old coot. People tell me I have an old head on young shoulders, and I can see what they mean. While I dearly love new technology and science, I'm resistant to change and the flamboyance that's so prevalent in my generation is a constant source of friction. In short, there's a desperate lack of humility and I can't stand hipsters. And infographics! It's like a mass competition to see who can come up with the most cluttered presentation of anything and everything to satisfy the need for constant audio-visual stimulation. Or, should I say that satisfaction in constancy has become a lost art?

I'm convinced the initial success of Apple's iPod was due to little slice of stillness it offered with a clean and "simple" user interface to people whose lives had anything but stillness. Digital circuits get cheaper and ever fewer products offer something new rather than just cramming more features into a single device. So, the only way left to stand out is with marketing and attention grabbers. Personally, I much prefer clean and simple, even spartan, designs. Part of capitalism is marketing what sells, however, and boy does flashy sell. In other words, subtlety has been thrown out the window and AZZA's XT 1 full-tower case is our case in point.