TheTransience of Technology

In todays world, technology is ever changing. To keep up with it all is impractical at best. Todays article is about figuring out what level of technology does a person want or need. I write this because my internet went out. I've spent hours on the phone with various technicians. I'm always a fan of the telephone prompter system. By the time I got to talk to a human, I was pondering the irony of the term customer service. There are so many facets that make up a computer, that by the time I got to the menu they directed me to I felt like a blind person wandering through traffic on the thruway. Even the definition of the word computer is a tad oblique. Computer:A programmable machine that performs high-speed processing of numbers, as well as of text, graphics, symbols, and sound. All computers contain a central processing unit that interprets and executes instructions; input devices, such as a keyboard and a mouse, through which data and commands enter the computer; memory that enables the computer to store programs and data; and output devices, such as printers and display screens, that show the results after the computer has processed data. At no point in the definition does it even mention the fact that it requires a certain level of expertise in technology to work one of these things. Today there were technicians at my house checking and rechecking the possible dilemma of why the wireless connection wouldn't work. They changed the modem and all the lights indicated that the computer was receiving a signal. After several hours and phone calls to even more technicians they gave up and said the computer needed to be fixed. The wireless card wasn't working, even though it showed it was. Well as they were leaving I noticed the Vonage router wasn't pugged in. I stopped them and asked if this might affect the signal. They said no, the two weren't related to one another. Out of desperation I plugged it in and voila! Everything worked fine. The wireless was working. The technicians were confounded as to why. This made me think that even technical experts need to try things that seemingly make no sense. Like Fonzy kicking the jukebox. As some of you may have noticed I have been playing with photoshop. It too has created as many problems as it solves. The simplest thing requires a tremendous amount of knowledge and skill. The concept of layers I do find fascinating. Like the old overhead projectors(I'm dating myself now) where you lay transparencies over each other to show how things develop. A bit offtrack, but does anyone remember mimeograph paper? I remember loving the smell of it as the teacher handed out fresh memos to us. Holding it to our nose and deeply inhaling this odd chemical odor. It was heaven. Let's go back to photoshop. I learned and practiced photography the old fashioned way. There were different types of film with different types of grain and light sensitivity. Then you would use chemicals to develop it. Then you needed a darkroom to print. This was a whole different set of skills. I imagine this might be one of the signs of growing old, longing for the good old days. I heard the saying that you know you're old when you can't or won't keep up with technology. I often chastised my parents for this. I now find myself moving in that same general direction. I know someone who spent a good portion of their life on the cutting edge of computer technology. He started out with the punch cards, moved to various different programming languages like fortran, cobalt etc... I always ask him about what's the best thing to buy or what do I really need.Basically anything to do with computers .He works with data bases called mainframes that handle insane amounts of information for god knows who, about god knows what. Will my life be a series of relearning something I already how to do. Simply because it's the latest trend or is it really worth learning it because it will improve the quality of my life. This is not meant to be an anti-technology rant, but rather asking the question where does common sense fit into this equation? I do love technology, when it works. Perhaps it's all some zen exercise to bring us back to what's simple. Cave drawings and smoke signals were at one time the latest technology. Submitted for your approval Jody