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Are we all jus'ol Technology Junkies... ?
retroxler58
Member Posts: 32,693 ✭✭✭
I resisted for the longest time... BUT, Sadly... In these last 10 years or so, I'll admit that I've become one... [:(]
I'm sitting at the best (albeit older now) portable "work station" money could buy two years ago... AND,
Contemplating an upgrade to a smaller sized, larger capacity 'system' in 64-bit technology...
I have the next to newest iPad 64 with a "Blue Tooth" full keyboard 'stand'...
I use an almost new "Smart Phone" made by HTC and modeled for 'Android' system software...
I upgraded the "GPS" in the DODGE to a larger screen format last year before our cross country trip...
I installed the "Systems Monitor" in the DODGE that connects to the vehicle's computer and connects to the GPS via bluetooth...
I purchased a "Programmer" for the vehicle computer in the DODGE to modify the power system program...
While I didn't 'directly buy it... My eldest son upgraded and passed on to me a flat screen wide format large screen TV...
Which, required me to upgrade my cable connection to a new "HD" Cable box to access those neat TV features...
The fridge' has the "standard" 'in the door' conveniences that would have been relocated to the "RICH" just twenty years ago...
We cook most of our meals in the 'microwave'... so much actually, that we refer to the cooking action as "Nuking" the meals...
The actual 'stove' is programmable and can be set to turn on... cook.... and keep warm,
complete meals for consumption later without our attention during the process.
And my land line telephone isn't quite 'land line' based anymore, but rather an internet cable "VoIP" phone that I pay much less for...
I use techno-terms such as:- Antivirus
- Apple
- Architecture
- Archive
- AI
- Bandwidth
- Batchfile
- Beta
- BIOS
- Blog
- Boot
- Browser
- Buffer
- Byte
- Etc. Etc. Etc...Most simple words or terms that twenty years ago had a much different meaning...
I rarely read ink printed, hard paper, documentation anymore... And find that now, it's a treat to sit, and simply read a hardbound book.
Thirty years ago, the 'computer age' was heralded as the "Paperless Age"...
We would no longer depend on printed matter...
That paper documents would become obsolete and 'everything' would be 'printed' "Electronically" and stored on 'computer'...
I'll admit that paper is heavy, and takes up vast amounts of physical 'real' space...
But the electronic 'virtual space' requirements of our computers has become "ASTRONOMICAL"
in respect to what paper actually required... Consider the first 'desk top' computers...
I started with an IBM '8088' model "IBM PC" that sat archaically and abruptly on my desk...
... no actually I needed an entire additional desk just for the computer... it was almost as large as the physical desk itself.
('Cause, I still needed the ability to write with pen and pencil on 'paper' and somewhere to lay my reference books out...)
Beside my "regular" desk... I had a monitor that was deeper front to back than any other dimension measured on it...
And it was a bland "Green Screen" that would 'burn' characters into it if left on too long...
I typed EVERY command issued to the computer from a typewriter like "Keyboard" that was literally tied by coiled wire to the 'computer'
It had the maximum amount of computer power at the time...
... all 256 kilo-bytes of it and could do computations quicker than I could with my slide rule!
I had my own printer... A loud contraption that was basically an automated typewriter... Setting just to the left of the 'computer'...
And I had to learn a new 'language'... called "BASIC" so that I could make the 'computer' do more than it could without my direction...
And as to the 'paperless age'...? Yeah right! That little beginning back in the '70's started such a surge of paper usage... that today...
We collectively complain often about cutting down forests and causing such environmental destruction's just in the name of "computer paper use"...
I wish I had been able to see the future... I'd bought stock in paper companies... ! [:p]
It seems that today, computers control EVERY aspect of our daily lives... whether it be commercial or private.
And whether we like it or not... We're ALL hooked on technology to the degree... That if the "Grid" were to go down 'right now'...
We'd ALL be in a world of hurt...
Last week, I was helping my Mom clean out and dispose of my deceased Aunt's home... getting it ready for sale to close the estate.
I was sitting at the kitchen table... Hammering away at the iPad keyboard and posting on this very forum... Simply passing time.
She came from the 'back room' carrying what looked to be an old lamp...
It was an oil lamp... complete with brass wick holder and a used wick.
She said to me... "Here..." "I want you to take this and keep it safe."
"What for Mom...?" "It's just an ol'lamp... That 'Dot' had for decoration in the back room..."
... Keep in mind that the majority of the family had already come through the house and taken most everything of "value" to get the house cleaned up...
So this ol'lamp likely had no "value" right...? Was I so wrong!
My Mom... Began telling me stories... 'Bout this ol'lamp...
Stories that went back 75 years... How she would as a young child, be the one to fill the lamp base...
And hand wash the thin glass globe in the tin wash basin every couple of days...
And how the 'glass light' had been replaced numerous times back then... 'Cause "soapy water" was so damn slipp'ry...
And her little hands couldn't hold it too well... That the only reason the lamp base never got broken was it never got "warrr'shed"...
She explained that the lamp was the oldest of five lamps that her Dad had in the ol'house where she was born and raised in Chesterfield, SC...
And that the five lamps... Were strategically located within the house to address the darkness of night...
And needed to be moved time to time to gain more light 'somewharrres else' 'if'n ya "needed" it only'....
"Your Grandpa didn't like the oil lights to be moved much... ya could drop one and burn the house down..."
And... That she thought it to be the first oil lamp my Grandfather had bought my Grandmother shortly after they were married.
My mother is 78 and the fifth live-born child of six girls... My now deceased Aunt was the first born of six and lived to be 94...
So this places the 'age' of this lamp somewhere near 100 years old... today.
100 years old !!!
If so... What history could this ol'lamp tell?
I quickly started "Googling" the various markings I found on the ol'lamp and confirmed...
It was built and sold between 1912 and 1920... My Mom... remarked... "Now do you believe me 'young man'...?"
Ashamedly... I said... "Yes Ma'am..." "It's pretty damn old, that's for sure..."
And carefully packed it away in a cardboard box that was 'mine' to keep and bring home...
The ol'lamp now has a place of respectful honor on the mantel where it can shine some day when we again get 'cut off' from the "Grid"... and just feel damned lost.
I suppose technology will continue to march on... but, I wonder what my grandchildren will value an ol'8088 IBM PC in another 65 years...?
Will they "value" the ol'8088 as much as I value that ol'lamp...? I sincerely doubt it... It's just an ol'computer... right?
Thanks for reading my mornin' ramblin's... Time for another cup o'joe... And some more "Googling" on the ol' 'net'...
I'm sitting at the best (albeit older now) portable "work station" money could buy two years ago... AND,
Contemplating an upgrade to a smaller sized, larger capacity 'system' in 64-bit technology...
I have the next to newest iPad 64 with a "Blue Tooth" full keyboard 'stand'...
I use an almost new "Smart Phone" made by HTC and modeled for 'Android' system software...
I upgraded the "GPS" in the DODGE to a larger screen format last year before our cross country trip...
I installed the "Systems Monitor" in the DODGE that connects to the vehicle's computer and connects to the GPS via bluetooth...
I purchased a "Programmer" for the vehicle computer in the DODGE to modify the power system program...
While I didn't 'directly buy it... My eldest son upgraded and passed on to me a flat screen wide format large screen TV...
Which, required me to upgrade my cable connection to a new "HD" Cable box to access those neat TV features...
The fridge' has the "standard" 'in the door' conveniences that would have been relocated to the "RICH" just twenty years ago...
We cook most of our meals in the 'microwave'... so much actually, that we refer to the cooking action as "Nuking" the meals...
The actual 'stove' is programmable and can be set to turn on... cook.... and keep warm,
complete meals for consumption later without our attention during the process.
And my land line telephone isn't quite 'land line' based anymore, but rather an internet cable "VoIP" phone that I pay much less for...
I use techno-terms such as:- Antivirus
- Apple
- Architecture
- Archive
- AI
- Bandwidth
- Batchfile
- Beta
- BIOS
- Blog
- Boot
- Browser
- Buffer
- Byte
- Etc. Etc. Etc...Most simple words or terms that twenty years ago had a much different meaning...
I rarely read ink printed, hard paper, documentation anymore... And find that now, it's a treat to sit, and simply read a hardbound book.
Thirty years ago, the 'computer age' was heralded as the "Paperless Age"...
We would no longer depend on printed matter...
That paper documents would become obsolete and 'everything' would be 'printed' "Electronically" and stored on 'computer'...
I'll admit that paper is heavy, and takes up vast amounts of physical 'real' space...
But the electronic 'virtual space' requirements of our computers has become "ASTRONOMICAL"
in respect to what paper actually required... Consider the first 'desk top' computers...
I started with an IBM '8088' model "IBM PC" that sat archaically and abruptly on my desk...
... no actually I needed an entire additional desk just for the computer... it was almost as large as the physical desk itself.
('Cause, I still needed the ability to write with pen and pencil on 'paper' and somewhere to lay my reference books out...)
Beside my "regular" desk... I had a monitor that was deeper front to back than any other dimension measured on it...
And it was a bland "Green Screen" that would 'burn' characters into it if left on too long...
I typed EVERY command issued to the computer from a typewriter like "Keyboard" that was literally tied by coiled wire to the 'computer'
It had the maximum amount of computer power at the time...
... all 256 kilo-bytes of it and could do computations quicker than I could with my slide rule!
I had my own printer... A loud contraption that was basically an automated typewriter... Setting just to the left of the 'computer'...
And I had to learn a new 'language'... called "BASIC" so that I could make the 'computer' do more than it could without my direction...
And as to the 'paperless age'...? Yeah right! That little beginning back in the '70's started such a surge of paper usage... that today...
We collectively complain often about cutting down forests and causing such environmental destruction's just in the name of "computer paper use"...
I wish I had been able to see the future... I'd bought stock in paper companies... ! [:p]
It seems that today, computers control EVERY aspect of our daily lives... whether it be commercial or private.
And whether we like it or not... We're ALL hooked on technology to the degree... That if the "Grid" were to go down 'right now'...
We'd ALL be in a world of hurt...
Last week, I was helping my Mom clean out and dispose of my deceased Aunt's home... getting it ready for sale to close the estate.
I was sitting at the kitchen table... Hammering away at the iPad keyboard and posting on this very forum... Simply passing time.
She came from the 'back room' carrying what looked to be an old lamp...
It was an oil lamp... complete with brass wick holder and a used wick.
She said to me... "Here..." "I want you to take this and keep it safe."
"What for Mom...?" "It's just an ol'lamp... That 'Dot' had for decoration in the back room..."
... Keep in mind that the majority of the family had already come through the house and taken most everything of "value" to get the house cleaned up...
So this ol'lamp likely had no "value" right...? Was I so wrong!
My Mom... Began telling me stories... 'Bout this ol'lamp...
Stories that went back 75 years... How she would as a young child, be the one to fill the lamp base...
And hand wash the thin glass globe in the tin wash basin every couple of days...
And how the 'glass light' had been replaced numerous times back then... 'Cause "soapy water" was so damn slipp'ry...
And her little hands couldn't hold it too well... That the only reason the lamp base never got broken was it never got "warrr'shed"...
She explained that the lamp was the oldest of five lamps that her Dad had in the ol'house where she was born and raised in Chesterfield, SC...
And that the five lamps... Were strategically located within the house to address the darkness of night...
And needed to be moved time to time to gain more light 'somewharrres else' 'if'n ya "needed" it only'....
"Your Grandpa didn't like the oil lights to be moved much... ya could drop one and burn the house down..."
And... That she thought it to be the first oil lamp my Grandfather had bought my Grandmother shortly after they were married.
My mother is 78 and the fifth live-born child of six girls... My now deceased Aunt was the first born of six and lived to be 94...
So this places the 'age' of this lamp somewhere near 100 years old... today.
100 years old !!!
If so... What history could this ol'lamp tell?
I quickly started "Googling" the various markings I found on the ol'lamp and confirmed...
It was built and sold between 1912 and 1920... My Mom... remarked... "Now do you believe me 'young man'...?"
Ashamedly... I said... "Yes Ma'am..." "It's pretty damn old, that's for sure..."
And carefully packed it away in a cardboard box that was 'mine' to keep and bring home...
The ol'lamp now has a place of respectful honor on the mantel where it can shine some day when we again get 'cut off' from the "Grid"... and just feel damned lost.
I suppose technology will continue to march on... but, I wonder what my grandchildren will value an ol'8088 IBM PC in another 65 years...?
Will they "value" the ol'8088 as much as I value that ol'lamp...? I sincerely doubt it... It's just an ol'computer... right?
Thanks for reading my mornin' ramblin's... Time for another cup o'joe... And some more "Googling" on the ol' 'net'...
Comments
Good story.
My Mom had (now mine since she passed) a fancy wooden box that her brother brought back from Japan. I used to love going through the stuff in that box with her.
Most of it was stuff from when she was in her 20s to early 30s. Nothing valuable, but important stuff to her.
Nothing wrong with reminiscing.
[:o)]
Says my 'style' has no substance... no heart. I beg to differ.
I write what's on my mind... Nothin' more... Nothin' less.
Melancholy... quite possibly, and seemingly more and more as I get older...
Without style... ? I don't think sooooo... [:D]
I have style... It's called SOUTHERN Style... [;)]
My butter churn has a LED night light and a USB 3.0 outlet.
You done upgraded... It first only had a night light... [;)]
quote:Originally posted by LaidbackDan
My butter churn has a LED night light and a USB 3.0 outlet.
You done upgraded... It first only had a night light... [;)]
Ever evolving Sir, ever evolving.[;)]
You are not a technology junkie, you are "gossip junkie". you are a "got to know now" junkie. You will not wait for answers,
[?] Huh...
I'm questioning his lucidity also.
... Pharmacuticals
If ya can't spell it... y'er smellin'it. Just sayin'... [;)]
I swear, I am becoming a modern day Luddite.
I don't see things in terms of technology; it's whatever I have a use for; new or old! However, it's probably the engineer in me; I do kind of like the gee-whiz stuff! [:D]
If you can't feel the music; it's only pink noise!
It's probably pretty amusing to some of the younger folks to see me (almost 67 years old) at Church using the Bible Software on my iPad and other old guys and ladies around me using Bible Applications on their Smartphone! [:D]
I don't see things in terms of technology; it's whatever I have a use for; new or old! However,
it's probably the engineer in me;
I do kind of like the gee-whiz stuff! [:D]
I'm probably hooked as well for the same reason... [;)]
You are not a technology junkie, you are "gossip junkie". you are a "got to know now" junkie. You will not wait for answers,
and yet you wait days, if EVER to hear back from HIM on a e-mail...
ust sayin [;)]
In my home-made log cabin I have a wood stove and wood burning fireplace, man I love to run those on a cold night in the mountains.
Oak Wood + Fire = Heat Good
I have a computer and my truck is run by a computer and I have a digital camera but, I swear, I would have been happier if I had been born in 1760.
I am a Cave Man at heart.
In my home-made log cabin I have a wood stove and wood burning fireplace, man I love to run those on a cold night in the mountains.
Oak Wood + Fire = Heat Good
I have a computer and my truck is run by a computer and I have a digital camera but, I swear, I would have been happier if I had been born in 1760.
I'd venture to say that most of us here would agree with that...
I know that I would for sure... [;)]