Tech talk
I remember when my father brought home his first calculator. It was a largish brown and black box that fit uncomfortably in one hand, and it was capable of adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing. That was it, no more, no less. The little red numbers glowed knowingly from the black display and I couldn’t believe how smart the little box was. 7,981 x 2,111? No problem. I was in awe. I can’t remember the exact price, but I seem to recall it was more than $100. It was 1972.
Now, calculators are much smaller, far more powerful and are given away in Happy Meals. Technology has exploded into every corner of our lives, and the things that were once luxuries have become necessities. Microwave ovens, answering services, iPads, iPhones, cars that park themselves… it’s all here. Can the jet-pack and the time machine be far behind?
Maybe I’m just getting old. Old enough to appreciate the technology but too old to care, most of the time. My cell phone is off, I dont IM, I haven’t joined Facebook and I still haven’t ascended to the ranks of the twitterati, not yet. Sometimes it seems that even the simple things are complicated.
This morning, I just feel like going paddling.
About Ken Campbell
New Release
A story of sea kayaking and science on the rugged coast of Alaska. Coming – Spring 2014.
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