Me and Technology

My first computer was purchased from a catalog. When it arrived, I opened it up, followed all the directions, but couldn't figure out anything. (Of course this was in the beginning days of personal computers. No one else had one, but I knew it could make my writing life easier.) Two a.m. I woke up and told my husband we were sending it back.

We had a church friend who was selling Kaypro computers. I told him I'd buy one if he helped me learn how to use it. The first one had two floppy disks and I mean floppy, one for what you were writing, the other for the program you were using. The poor man suffered through many a phone call.

I bought two more computers from him along with new word processing programs: Word Star then Word Perfect which I still use a lot. Because my publishers all want Word, I have it too--though I don't like it nearly as well as Word Perfect despite the extra features.

I've hired computer whiz's to help me switch from one computer to the next as I kept moving upward along with the technology. I learn what I need to know to do the things I have to do. It all seems like magic to me anyway.

I bought a tiny computer to take with me on trips. When I got tired of paying hotels for WiFi time, I bought a gizmo to plug into my computer that brings me the Internet. My sister showed me how to do some stuff on it and my daughter explained how I could play Solitaire. Important stuff.

Oh, and of course I had to have a Kindle. After all, most of my books are on Kindle, I need to see how they looked, right? And a Kindle with all the books I want to read loaded on it is a lot easier to haul around on a trip then two or three books.

We're on our second GPS. We started with a Garmin and now we're in love with Mrs. Magellan.

I've used a Blackberry for a long time. Our first phone was the size of a brick and we kept it in the car for emergencies only. After that I got a Blackberry, then another. Now I have an iPhone. It's new and I'm just learning how to use it. I had to take it down to my Internet server to have them put my email address into it so I could get my email--the most important function of a phone as far as I'm concerned. I only want the phone for emergencies or calling my husband. I don't like talking on a regular phone and a cellphone is no better. I don't want to be one of those people in restaurants or airports telling all their secrets at the top of their lungs into their cell phones.

I'm still struggling with the iPhone. I learned my great-grandson who is high school has one and uses it all the time. What I can't figure out on my own I'll ask him. It'll be a long list.

Though I like all these techie toys I'm afraid I don't understand them very well. When things work right I feel like whenever I've succeeded in making one of these gadgets work and it actually does what I hoped for, it's a form of magic. How on earth anyone figured out how to make these things is mind-boggling. I'm just glad they did--most of the time.

Marilyn
http://fictionforyou.com

Comments

Your post had me chuckling. It reminds me of all my struggles with technology! I'm slowly learning things—like you, incorporating the things I need to know in order to do what I want to do.

And as for cell phones, my oldest grandson taught me how to download ringtones for my phone! He was 12 at the time!
Rebecca said…
You have more gadgets than I do. I think my Christmas List will include the Kindle, the mini-computer with the internet connection and lots of books for the Kindle. Have fun learning it all. Enjoy!

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