I’m in love with the digital world
I called a friend today, someone I haven’t talked to for a very
long time. Tom was someone I met during my newspaper internship
when I was in college. I probably hadn’t spoken with him for about
15 years or so.
But my dad happened to run into him at a Rotary Club meeting,
and called me to say,
”
You should really call Tom,
”
and so I did.
However, he wasn’t there, and I got his voice mail. So I left a
message, and told him to call me on my cell phone.
I’m in love with the digital world
I called a friend today, someone I haven’t talked to for a very long time. Tom was someone I met during my newspaper internship when I was in college. I probably hadn’t spoken with him for about 15 years or so.
But my dad happened to run into him at a Rotary Club meeting, and called me to say, “You should really call Tom,” and so I did.
However, he wasn’t there, and I got his voice mail. So I left a message, and told him to call me on my cell phone.
I hung up, marveling at the fact that the last time I’d spoken to this person, there was no such thing as a cell phone. There probably wasn’t voice mail either.
You live long enough, and everything changes.
These days, you don’t even have to be around more than a few years for complete revolutions to take place.
Who would have thought, five years ago, that the Internet would be portable? Who knew that I would spend some days frantically looking for a free WiFi connection so that I could check my email on the way to or from some appointment?
Of course, I could rattle off a long list of all the things that we have become reliant upon in my lifetime, from microwave ovens to iPods. But we’re all pretty used to the fact that a lot has changed during the lives of baby boomers. Change is the new norm. If things didn’t change, we’d all be surprised.
No, what really gets me are the things that change within a year, two years, five years.
I am still amazed at how many crazy Web sites are out there, how many people blog, and where on earth they get the time to do all that stuff. You can’t just live your life anymore – you have to blog about it.
I am astounded by the sheer skinniness of television sets, something that my whole life have been big, bulky monsters. Now they’re down to the width of several sheets of paper. And shrinking still.
I am disheartened by the fact that the Internet is slowly putting print publications out of business. Not all of them, but enough of them, and newspapers in particular are suffering. True, most newspapers can be found on the Internet these days, but I grew up loving the feel of newsprint and the joy of holding them. I’m not sure I will ever get used to an electronic facsimile.
I am delighted by being able to take videos with my cell phone. Who ever thought we’d be able to take photos with something we talk on? Weird and wonderful.
I am proud to live in a country where we can fight so fiercely about who’s going to be president, where every wacky rumor is embraced, and no stone is left unturned when it comes to, say, the brand of glasses that Sarah Palin wears. The deluge of information can be overwhelming, but having it available is what America is all about.
And last but not least, I never thought I’d see it in my lifetime, but there it is: A spray that gets the wrinkles out of your clothes.
Downy Wrinkle Releaser has got to be one of the great inventions of the century. Let’s face it, life is too short to be spent ironing.
