This week, I came up with a new term: hype exhaustion. We all know that technology changes quickly, but after a point, the latest and greatest really doesn’t seem so great anymore. It’s just a lot of "same old same old" that’s been hyped up in an attempt to make it interesting.
Every week, I do an e-mail newsletter for a client who is involved in an obscure area of the technology industry. To write it, I have to read dozens of press releases. They get sort of sickening after awhile. All these breathless reports of wonderful, spectacular, amazing new technologies all seem to solve the same problems we’ve been solving for years.
In many cases, the new technology doesn’t even really do a better job solving the problem than the old way did. For example, today I had to file an extension on our trademarks. Here in the U.S., every 10 years, you have to give the Federal Government an obscene amount of money to retain your trademark. In our case, we have two: the Logical Expressions name itself and the logo (!).
When I registered the trademark initially, I filled out a form for each one, gave them some samples, a check, and mailed it in. The process was pretty straightforward. Ten years later, I learned it is almost impossible to file a trademark renewal using a paper form. I’m not sure what a businesses without an Internet connection or a credit card would do.
In fact, our friends at the Patent and Trademark office won’t even let you download the forms anymore. The PTO insists that you use their online "eTEAS" system, which is confusing at best.
It’s taken me months to figure out what form I need to use, the information I needed to provide, and finally gather up the courage to fill it all out. Endlessly reading how "great" this online system is supposed to be, I experienced hype exhaustion yet again. I also learned that the only thing worse than confusing government forms are online confusing government forms.