I left my Bluetooth headphones at home this morning and ended up borrowing a wired pair during the day. I forgot how easy it is to just be able to plug in and go - no waiting for the headphones to turn on, no waiting for the Bluetooth to connect, and no having to deal with selecting the proper audio out channel. The convenience of Bluetooth outweighs the costs but it was a stark reminder of how much more robust and simpler tools used to be. To be indistinguishable from “magic” our products need to have a lot of magic inside them. Almost always the magic works but every once in a while we end up stuck. It seems to be the natural way of things. When cars were first created they were extremely mechanical and owners had the skillset and ability to fix them. Now they’re all digital and require a licensed mechanic. Computers are the same way - I grew up being able to do some quick repairs and replacements but good luck trying to replace components in modern computers or phones: it’s doable but not very enjoyable. There is a part of me that yearns for the simpler days but I’m realistic enough to know that I don’t really want to go back.