BY ARA C. TREMBLY

As we approach the start of the industry trade show seasonthose events where everything old becomes new, and everything new gets oldit probably isnt a bad time to do a reality check. As an industry observer from my perch high above the teeming metropolis of Hoboken, N.J., I have decided to make available some of my most brilliant insightsspecifically on the events and developments of the past year.

Heres how it will work. Ill mention a technology-related trend or happening, then I will rate that concept on its level of techno-spiritual evolution (TSE). I will assign from one to five at signs (@) for each instance. Each @ represents a step toward the virtual nirvana that exists at the highest levels of TSE.
A rating of one @ will indicate the very lowest level of TSE, perhaps that of a dog (and not a smart dog like a border collie, but rather something like the lugubrious, slobbering creature that would inhabit the front porch of Jed Clampetts Ozark mountain shack). At the other end of the scale, a rating of five @s would denote the very zenith of TSEequivalent to that of, say, Bill Gates or a typical 15-year-old.