Much of today’s modern technology is very good and very useful. For instance, a lady was in “my” bookstore and had her phone out shinning at the books on the bottom shelf. I had placed all we had of the vampire Twilight series and the science fiction series “Left Behind.” She took a picture of the books and sent immediately sent it to her daughter. Daughter texted back the name of one she did not have and Mom bought it. 45 seconds - two people happy. What a deal! When I grow up I want to be able to do that. Many people come in with a written or typed list but this is the first I have seen using mobile technology.Recently I met a long time friend for our semi-annual meeting which happens once or twice a year if we can get together. Since he is a state away, there are sometimes problems in working out a schedule. This time one discussion (yes, we have many important topics) was about GPS devices. I have had problems with said devices and have heard other horror stories. One uncle I know, missed most of his prettiest niece's wedding reception as the GPS left two cars at a cow pasture several miles from the actual place - which was in a city and there were no cows invited. Then there was the time we were coming home through the Smoky Mountains.
By the way, they were not smoky at all and we were glad of that. We were on highway I-40 which is a very familiar highway to me but only as far east as the middle of Arkansas. Gypsy, our personal GPS, tried to get us to turn off the highway at every intersection. Nervously, I plowed ahead and won. I am sure Gypsy had her feelings hurt as I have attempted to use her to find a couple or three addresses when I got calls to get a swarm of bees. And yes, Hutch, I keep it updated (for all the good it does). Several years ago I could actually keep up with advances in computer technology, that is until I got a job that took up most of my time. I even took a class or two and kept falling behind anyway. Somewhere along the way the techno gates opened full wide and I was swept away in the flood of information, tricks and techniques. Not wanting to overstate the situation but I have heard of some other people who have had trouble with their computers. Probably all of you are able to manage your computer and come out on top.
Being among the minority of those who have problems, I have even been known to have muttered an expletive which should have been deleted. Occasionally, my computer will go for a long time without doing something to antagonize me. Oh, at least 10 to 15 minutes. Then, yes, I complain about my computers but when I first started writing things for others to read, my pen or pencil made as many mistakes as my computer now makes. One major difference is that I could snap a pencil in two or chunk a pen into the trash.
OK, it didn't help but it did relieve a bit of tension. Today? Wellsir, today I do not believe I shall be breaking my typer in two nor chunking it in the trash even if it does point out its mistaken spellings. You are just about to hear something dreadful about the automatic word spell checker. You want to type in one word and that smart alec decides it knows more than you do and puts in another word which may or may not have anything whatsoever to do with the subject of the sentence. Then you send/post a correction and feel like a dofus.
Without a doubt, this is one of the most irritating things modern technology has unleashed upon an unsuspecting public. Cellular telephones seem to be the worst at this, although at least once a day someone on Facebook has to correct a word that has been changed to one of no sense. But… go back to your parents early childhood or your grandparents early childhood or even my early childhood. Late one night while doing an assign for composition class, I made a mistake at the end where the bells were to be tolling. By the time I got it corrected I had erased a hole in the manuscript. Professor Snarf was not amused.
Overall, we are so much better off than people of 100 years ago or even 50 years ago. Nossir, I would not want to go back except for the traffic.
