BETWEEN THE LINES: Reluctantly entering the technology age
Technology has passed me by in spite of being a pioneer at one time.
In 1980, I owned one of the first portable computers. Made by Osborne, it had a 4-inch black-and-white screen only showing 40 characters in line at a time, which required scrolling the screen to view the rest of the sentence. Needless to say, it was not user-friendly, and unlike today’s models, it required a rudimentary knowledge of programming to function.
The computer was housed in a plastic case about the size of a Singer sewing machine and weighed about 20 pounds.
My wife can‘t believe I threw away the critter decades ago. In retrospect, I should have kept it as a conversation piece. My mistake, however, was not as bad as my mother giving away my Lionel train set to a neighbor when I was in college.
Actually, my first brush with technology was in 1969 when Texas Instruments came out with the first hand-held calculator.
Unfortunately, the only recollections I have of those days is if you held the calculator upside-down you could spell "Shell Oil" by punching in certain numerals. At the time, my classmates and I thought that was cool. Obviously, it did not take much in those days to impress me.
My next advancement into the scientific age was in 1990 when my boss gave me his cell phone. It was large and had a battery pack. It reminded me of one of the Army’s communication devices. Regardless, I thought I was on the cutting edge of science.
Since those days, technological advances have passed me by. Whether it was my age, stubbornness or lack of time to learn, I will never know, but my usage of text messaging, tweeting and Facebook is virtually nonexistent. However, with my recent retirement, perhaps now I will have the time and the desire to move into the 21st century. Hope springs eternal!
My progress has been slow because I have not found anyone patient enough to teach me. It reminds me of my days in high school taking Spanish. My teacher always was too far ahead of me (or I was too far behind her) for me to keep up. Consequently, after a while it was easier to just quit trying. Somehow, I managed to pass the course. But after two years of foreign language study, I have retained little.
My wife and I have just purchased a Netflix subscription and hired someone to run the wires from the computer to our high-definition television. The installer suggested I upgrade my modem to take advantage of the improved technology. In addition, he wanted me to switch my ethernet cable to a Cat 6 cable. It took all of my mental facilities to correctly install these parts without crying out for help, but I was able to master it. However, it’s good it was not a timed event.
This past weekend I purchased a Kindle from Amazon. In the future, I will be able to carry my library in the palm of my hand. I seriously doubt I have enough time left to read the more than 4,000 books it is capable of storing. Too bad this marvelous invention was not created when I graduated from college. It would have saved me hours of transporting hundreds of books through many moves over the years. No longer do I need to drive to the bookstore and spend hours walking the aisles scouring for bargains.
Now I can sit in my bedroom watching television and shop for books online during commercial breaks. Life is good. Over the years, I have refrained from taking a speed-reading course because I believe if an author labored over a choice of words, I at least should take the time to read each one of them.
As much as I enjoy the conveniences of modern technology, there is something to be said for the good old days.
Laughlin is a Christian Libertarian. He is an economist, teacher, father, husband and most recently a grandfather. He has written a weekly column for The Tribune for 12 years. He and his wife Gina reside in Meadowlakes. To contact him, email ablaughlin@nctv.com. He is an independent columnist, not a staff member, and his views do not necessarily reflect those of The Tribune or its parent company.