Technology. It’s Pretty Neat.

We live in a time where the 3 inch device that fits in your pocket is more powerful than the computer used in the moon landing. Where the largest repository of knowledge in history is available at our fingertips. Where amounts of data unfathomable to someone 30 or so years ago can be carried on a simple USB drive. Technology is indeed, pretty neat.

Well… when it works.

How many times has a computer problem been solved by simply “turning it off then turning it back on again”? Uninstalling then re-installing the program? Unplugging it then plugging it back in? We backup files to an external drive in case our primary drive fails. We power routers and modems down and up. These are all failures within the respective technology but are usually simply overlooked. It’s as if technology has trained people to become complacent with the minor errors associated with it.

So we’ve established that there are some “acceptable” errors, but where is the line drawn between acceptable and unacceptable? It largely depends on the context. A consumer automotive manufacturer may allow a radio system to be installed in their vehicles even if it has some faults, whereas, on a commercial airliner, such faults might be catastrophic.

So how does this apply to LAVA?

Our goal is to develop fault-free products and, even with highly rigorous product testing, we realize that there can be situations we did not consider or, errors we did not witness. Through our support process, we are always working to improve our products. We also understand that different applications have different levels of acceptable errors. One way LAVA addresses these different customer applications is to offer consumer or commercial grade products that accomplish similar tasks. For example, both a TL002 and any product from the STS line can be used to connect a USB peripheral to a tablet. However, because users don’t always follow the precise connection sequence, the TL002 might appear to have a fault some of the time. And generally, the fix is to disconnect and reconnect i.e. an “acceptable error” as long as it’s not being used in a mission critical scenario. The TL002 offsets this glitch by being less expensive and smaller compared to the STS products which are designed for commercial use. Thus LAVA offers both products: a cost-effective consumer option for non-critical applications, and the STS line for use in commercial applications.

So the next time you’re opening your computers task manager to end a frozen program, remember that as great as technology is, it’s not perfect.