An entire expo dedicated to Widgets? Really? Does the world really need this or is this a sign of the apocalypse?

Wasn’t it enough when we had Dashboard Widgets, Sidebar Gadgets, Windows Live Gadgets, Google Gadgets, etc?

But in typical Web 2.0 fashion, we have entire legions of blubbly font, nonsense-named startups (if you need a name, check out the Web 2.0 name generator) all trying to cash in on the social-networking landgrab and the so-called “lifestream phenomena“. For the latest, see why FriendFeed sucks, is overhyped, is fantastic, etc. Heck, here’s a list of 35 lifestream applications if you’re interested.

The funny thing is, for me, all these new “technologies” (and trust me, I use the term loosely) are exactly the opposite of what I want/crave/need/desire.

I have too much email, too much “social networking”, too much “stuff”, and yes, even though it pains me to say it, there’s often too much technology.

Personally, I view the Internet as having a dual function for me. First, it’s basically another place to be entertained. Second, it’s provided an increasingly ubiquitous pipe so that I can have untethered and instant access (via wireless, EDGE, a connection at work, etc) to my stuff. I want to be mobile and free of physical media. That’s it.