Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Connected

Twenty four years ago, I got to investigate my first computer. I was 12, in the sixth grade, and it was the only computer in the whole school.... ONE computer for a whole school. We each got 3 minutes on it to play some word game or something. I seem to recall it was an Apple.
My first personal computer was in 1993, some geezer IBM, with all of 4 MB of memory. It whirred and wheezed and had a dial-up connection.

Nowadays, computers are everywhere and kids are as tech-savvy as the adults are (sometimes more!). Isabelle's school (and nearly every school I have visited) has computers in the classrooms and also a Computer Lab. Lots and lots of computers.

With my recent gift, I started taking stock of all the technology I have in my life.
*Computers: I have a desktop PC, Geoff has a desktop PC, the family has a lap top and I have another lap top for RAPTOR. Peripheral devices include speakers, flash drives, paper printers, photo printers, and scanners. Also attached is a wireless cable modem so we can all talk to each other. The RAPTOR lap top also has a digital projector so that I can WOW children around the Tri-State area. All these things have chargers or cables or peripheral gizmos.
My computer is probably my favorite gadget, because it connects me to the Internet, and all of you.

*Our TVs. High-Def flat screens, with digital cable and DVD players.

*My digital camera. My baby. My microscope for the natural world. That one camera requires that I have a battery, a charger, a cord for uploading and software on my computer.

*My cell phone. So I can make calls and check Facebook constantly. : ) Oh yeah...also has a charger.

*My Garmin. Lets me find my way in the world. Talks to a satelite in space. That includes a charger to keep it juicy and also a USB cable so that it can talk to my computer.

*My iPod. A super fun little gadget to carry the soundtrack of my life and bird songs, so I can talk to the birds and learn their languages. That came with a speaker and a cable, so it can charge its little heart and also talk to my computer.


Anyone else feeling a bit "tangled"?

8 comments:

Dave Dorsey said...

She's a high tech birder gal!!!

Kim said...

I so identify w/ this Susan. I am so connected that I have wires with me at all times!! ;o)

Lynne at Hasty Brook said...

I have a zip-top mini-duffel bag that I use just to store all of those cords.
Now- just to show my geekiness, I made labels for all of them so I'd know what belonged to who. (got a really cool battery opperated label maker at Tatget ON CLEARANCE!) Thankfully the label maker does not have a cord...

Anonymous said...

Totally on board with you about all the techno pieces in our lives.

Here's a link to the NYTimes piece by an artist named Christoph Niemann about all the cables in our lives that they just published on Monday.

http://niemann.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/16/my-life-with-cables/?ref=opinion

I love how the kids are fearless and therefore more open to trying everthing on any gadget. My daughter knows how to use my cellphone better than I do.

Heather
Wayne, PA

GartenGrl said...

I can now add all this technology to my hypochondria list of why I might be...(add what ails you here)...

NCmountainwoman said...

Our first home computer was a Commodore 64. Yep, 64K of RAM. It was state of the art at the time.

Now we are addicted to all the latest electronics, except my iPod which is the earliest model with no video and a black-and-white screen. I can't bear to think of its demise, although I know it is coming.

Mary said...

You are more wired than me! And definitely more tech-savvy, Susan.

We have one laptop in our house. We share it.

I have a cell phone that is used primarily for receiving and making a few calls. I do not text. It's a basic cell phone - not a PDA.

Michael has a TomTom. Pretty cool but I'm not interested in having one until I take off for WVA.

My digital camera is high tech. I know how to use approximately 5% of its features.

ISN'T THIS SO DAMNED PATHETIC? LOL! You can learn me some stuff, for sure.

Kathie Brown said...

You are WAY over my head!