Wizardly Gadgetry

A few years back, I gave my Mom an electronic gift certificate, something she could redeem online at an electronic ‘mall’. It was a lazy, last minute gift, but I thought, for the circumstances, it would do. It actually made her break down in tears, not in happiness or motherly love, but in frustration. The whole idea, even with help from my tech-savvy sister, was just too much. It overwhelmed her, her once agile mind reeling in the digital realm. Recently, my wife and I joked that the next TV we buy will be our last, simply because figuring out a new remote is just too much hassle. I don’t really need a remote that comes with an owner’s manual, has 23 programmable buttons, haptic feedback, or 802.11b/g Wi-Fi. Or a phone that takes pictures, for that matter. I don’t Tweet, and if congress is any example, I don’t want to. To varying degrees, we all let the world pass us by, just like all those true folkies who couldn’t go along when Dylan went electric.

I was always pretty good at math and technical thinking (even though that now is becoming a hassle, too), and wonder at the now 20-somethings who struggle with even the simplest arithmetic. They grew up with calculators - even on tests! – where I used a stubby No. 2 and an (even stubbier) eraser. I think the exercise served me well, but it can’t stop the onrush of time or the feeling that the whole world has ‘gone electric’. Still, I dip my toes in the electronic ‘pool’ now and then and I find that it ain’t all bad.

We recently moved (across an ocean and several state lines) but were able to keep our same phones and phone numbers, thanks to the ‘modern’ miracle of cell phones and roaming technology. We’re making it without a ‘land-line’, thank you very much, AND we’ve been spared the hassle of reprogramming our cells.

A while back, I read an article by a contemporary who was dissing the iPod; he just didn’t get what all the buzz was all about. And a co-worker, a self-proclaimed ‘audiophile’, couldn’t let go of the ‘realness’ of vinyl (like my Dad and ‘transistor’ radios back in the 50’s and 60’s). Me, an ex-audiophile of sorts, DO get the buzz and I LOVE my iPod. I recorded all my old vinyl (one last time) and now enjoy listening to tunes that I love that I’d never hear on the radio and never play myself (too much hassle), electric Dylan included. I’m hearing things I haven’t enjoyed in 25-30 years and it’s just, like, so groovy. I’ve played a little with the rating system and playlists on the iPod, and kind of set up a rotation of tunes. More favorite songs play more often, less favorite songs play less often. It’s a good way to manage a 4500-title catalog. I mix in some other little sound bites and podcasts (Bill Maher, news shows, This I Believe, 60-Second Science, etc.) and I’ve got my own personal ‘radio station’ that almost always amazes me/makes me smile/plays just what I want.

I was slow to come around to facebook, finally joining when it became the only way I could reconnect with some old friends. But it, too, has been amazing. An electronic town hall, or beach party, with only those you want in attendance. Like the old music, I’ve been able to connect with people I lost track of as much as 35 years ago! And no high school reunion dieting! One friend leads to another, and it’s amazing the ‘web’ we weave all throughout the country and around the world, with all our different connections, activities and interests.

So, yeah, I’m slipping behind and letting a lot go by. The little I’ve grasped onto, though, has truly enriched and revolutionized my life, even as it drains my bank account. Oh, well. (When I was a kid, you could get 5 GB for 25¢!!)