and now, risking the rath of the gods, back to high tech

OK - I've answered my own question, having spent the morning studying alt-az mount alternatives and revisiting the Ioptron SmartStar Cube and reading again the S&T review and reading again the manual - it's the Cube!

Why?

1. Because the decent low tech solutions are so damned expensive. ($300 - $500).- (Had a glimmer of hope. New S&T just arrived. Spotted ad for DiscMounts. Hey, maybe these are reasonably priced? Go to the pricing page. First item - mount head alone - $1200. No tripod, no adaptors for scopes. Check it out. Good, I certainly hope so. Too good for me. )
2. Because I'm not confident even these expensive low-tech solutions will work as advertised, though I suspect most do.
3. Because I can use the Cube with the 80 ED while I can not use the 80ED on the NexStar mount if an object is above 60 degrees and that cuts out way too much good viewing.
4. Because the Cube, even if I use none of its computer features, still gives me a mount and tripod which can be moved crudely by hand, but smoothly by the electric motors. In other words, I can use the motors as I now use slow motion controls, but I expect they'll work more smoothly at varying speeds.
5. Because the Cube appears to allow for easy entry of a list of objects for observing on a given night - before you go out. (Plus "goto" and tracking, certainly advantages.) NexStar also allows you to make such a list, as does Meade, but the Meade process is typically cumbersome.
6. Because it looks like I'll be able to easily mount this on either of my piers as I now do other mounts and use it with several different small telescopes.
7. Because I can get it for $242 with free shipping.
8. Because the goal isn't low-tech per se, but simplicity - spend less time fooling arund and more time observing - and I think this may allow for that, unless, of course I get punished again for using too many electrons ;-)
9. Because a part of me says low-tech and another part hi-tech and the hi-tech usually wins for reasons I don't fully understand.

10. Because while I like to think of myself as rational, I'm as confused and self-contradictory as others of my species and I want to try this little mount and at least now I will do so with a lot of knowledge of its shortcomings - potential and real.

I plan to order from telescopes.com because of the free shipping. Boy do people play games with shipping rates. Optcorp sells the Cube, but estimates shipping to me from California at $17. Not bad. I tried the Ioptron online store - the company is supposedly located in Woburn, MA, less than two hours up the road, so of course it would cost muchless. What did they say shipping would be? Something like $35. What games! So maybe this hting isn't really being shipped from Woburn? Who knows. Since thisis Staurday, I'll wait a daybefore ordering. Maybe I'll change my mind again ;-)

Actually, with most decisions like this I suspect I made up my mind to get one a few months ago when the ads for it first appeared in Sky and Telescope. The older I get the more suspicious I become of the rational, decision-making process we tend to pride ourselves on. I think we kid ourselves a lot. I suspect most, if not all, decisions are made at a subconscious level, then our brains start playing games with us, coming up with reasons to justify what we already have decided to do. After all, we're homo sapiens, so we try to sapien up ;-)