Sometimes it astounds me to think about how rapidly we have advanced in a short amount of time - technologically speaking. I mean, if you think about how people lived all those thousands of years in very primitive ways, and then in the span of less than two hundred years, we went from covered wagons and outhouses to high speed and wireless everything. It's crazy, isn't it?
The other day I ran across the question What did you do before you had internet at home? Good question! That sent my brain spinning with all kinds of thoughts about when I first experienced forms of technology that now seem flat out necessary.
For example:
* I was in college when I received my first email address. The school set up addresses for all students, and in order to check my email, I had to go to a computer lab on campus. And if I wanted to print out any emails, I had to use the dot matrix (is that the right term?) printer. The one with the continuous feed paper that had perforated edges. Remember that?
* I was also in college when I first used the internet for research. I remember going to the aforementioned computer lab with a fellow student who taught me how to open multiple tabs and type in keywords on a search. It scared me so much I dropped the class that required daily internet research. (I laugh about this now.)
* I did not have internet at home until a few years after I graduated from college (which was in 2000). It was an unnecessary expense I couldn't bring myself to afford. (Excuse me while I breathe into a brown paper bag at this time.) The only reason I did end up with internet at home was because a new roommate moved in who was in school and needed it for her homework. She graciously let me get on her computer when she wasn't working so I could check my email at home instead of going to work an hour early or staying at work an hour late to enjoy such frivolities.
* In my mid to late twenties, Yahoo messenger was what kept me sane at home. I said then, and I still say now, that for all the bad things the internet CAN bring into a home for a single person, it can also be a real lifesaver. My feelings of loneliness and isolation nearly evaporated when I could actually chat with others away from work. It marked the first time I didn't hate living alone.
* I remember the day I walked away from a full box computer monitor and two foot tall hard drive and got my first laptop. What!?!?!?! I could carry it with me wherever I went? I didn't have to be plugged into a wall to use the computer? I didn't need a complete L-shaped desk to hold all computer accessories? WHAT IS HAPPENING TO MY LIFE!?!?
* And it wasn't just computers. My first cell phone (purchased in 2000 after my college graduation) looked like the old school cordless phones with the giant pull-out antennas. It was blue and barely fit in my purse. I still have it, just for posterity. I used it to actually make phone calls.
* I remember my entry into the world of texting, when I had to hit each number between 1-3 times to achieve the corresponding letter for that number. Forget sending pictures or videos. This advancement was just plain luxury.
* I also remember the slide out keyboard on a later phone that "revolutionized" my texting experiences.
* My first phone with a camera? Be still my soul.
* My first smart phone nearly undid me. I did not think I would ever get used to a touch screen. It took forever to text without the familiarity of actual buttons under my fingers. I'd learned to text without actually looking at the phone, and with a smart phone, I had to start all over.
* And an INTERNET BROWSER ON A PHONE? Say it ain't so. (And then there was that brief period where I had unlimited data, thanks to work. Yeah, walking away from that and back to a limited plan was not an easy habit to break.) But one of my favorite things is having the ability to look up anything I want anytime I want. I really do learn a lot more than I used to.
I have a tablet, but it hasn't worked for a while, so I can't speak to tablet addictions. And I've never gotten into any kind of e-reader. On that, I remain old school. Give me paper, please. Same with a day planner. But ohhhhh how I love the ease of phone/internet world. The question remains a good one. What did we do back then?
What did you do "back then?"
10 comments:
It really is how fast times have changed! I remember we had a DOS system and had to boot windows!
It astounds me too- the way technology has advanced so rapidly. I think it's kind of neat to be of the generation that remembers life pre internet and cell phones. Regarding the latter, my husband and I were HOLDOUTS- I don't think we got our cell phones until 2005. I'm a little bit proud of that (especially when I look at our cell phone bill :)).
The thought that always blows me away is how I used to travel by myself to all kinds of unknown locations without GPS. I went on vacations with only a Mapquest printout. And before that a crazy thing called a map. And somehow I still always got home. But now I don't ever want to live without my GPS. Our first GPS was a marriage saver. No more of the driver getting frustrated while the navigator tried to read the map. Now we just drive and listen to the directions (that mostly come before you need to make a turn).
Tamar - Until I got my new laptop for Christmas, I still wanted to boot it...OUT the window! LOL!! :)
Maria - Wow! That's impressive! Cell phones were another thing I was thankful for as a single girl. Not so much from a staying connected standpoint as a safety standpoint. ESPECIALLY in the commuting years, I was grateful to never be stranded...like when my car broke down.
Lynnette - HOW DID I FORGET GPS????? Yes!! What a blessing that was! I got my first one in 2011 when I went to the station and it was the only thing that got me to work and concerts on time and in one piece. I never did learn Fort Wayne, though. I was still GPS dependent when I quit my job!!!
I received a payment for work a few months ago and it was printed on a dot matrix printer. I didn't know those things still existed!
Also, I still live "back in the day" as I don't have data on my phone. Gasp.
And the year I lived in The Netherlands (1994-1995), I wrote and received about 365 letters. That seems unbelievable now.
I remember my parents coming to visit me and bringing along a new used computer for me, and setting me up with an AOL account. A short lesson from them, and I was up and running on the internet. Remember the screech from the internet connecting to the phone line? I also remember going into a chat room for the first time and connecting with people from all over the US or world!
I worked at a tire manufacturer in 2012-2014 where I worked in the shipping office, and we used a dot matrix printer every day with the wide green and white striped paper with the perforated edges! And the 38 year old computers we had to use to run the DOS-based inventory program did not use mice! To get to a different field on the screen, I had to use the TAB key, or press SHIFT/TAB to go backwards!
My husband helped to establish an internet company with .... dial-up. He left because they refused to "grow" with wireless. Their reason - that will never replace dial-up.
I love the ability to have daily contact with family and friends in far-off countries. Instead of making tapes (VHS), we can just watch on facebook or our phones the events our grandchildren are in or watch our son as he plays his music.
Gaylene
I'll give you 5 Points if you can remember what the Indiana Wesleyan student email service was called.
Natasha - I LOVE SNAIL MAIL! I used to be quite the prolific pen pal. I still am in some ways now - but just email. I do still love sending real cards, though!
Tracy - I remember that green and white striped paper!! Flashback!!!
Gaylene - NO WAY!!!! I'm assuming the company eventually either changed their ways or closed? And praise the Lord for no more VHS. Ohhhhh eaten tapes....
Whitney - Barnabas, right? At least that's what's stuck in my mind!
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