Do you remember the day we thought that computers were going to save time? Don't you find that funny now? I think they have actually caused us to be a lot busier. They definitely have made me more impatient than I used to be. I want it NOW. Do you find yourself tapping your fingers on the table when you are waiting for the computer to find your destination. Don't you often want to just grab the computer and somehow insert your hand into it to extract what you are looking for? This reminds me of when I first started typing. It was on the old Remington (manual). Wow, that was a long time ago. Anyway, shortly after, they got these 'electric' typewriters on which you did not need to throw the carriage when you finished a line (in other words, a carriage return). I was always throwing the 'imaginary carriage'. It took some time to get out of that habit. We all know that typing becomes automatic after awhile. Your fingers just head to the right keys (usually!) and away you go! There was no searching, or googling, or surfing, or posting or downloading or dragging or pasting (unless it was cut and paste after you printed)! Now you can do so much more and you always try to as well - which is why it takes longer. I am learning to do Powerpoint and I just never seem to be satisfied with what I have. I always want to add 'one more thing' or 'correct one more thing'. Maybe it is just me? All that being said, it is amazing that we can find so much information right at our fingertips, sitting at home in front of this little white window! Or that we can forward our pictures and letters and greeting cards, etc, etc, to our friends and family and even strangers. I guess we should not forget though about 'personal contact' - in your face or more politely, "in person" contact. We need to do that even more often now as we get tied to our computers or tv's. Make it a daily habit to see a friend "in person". It's not that easy!
On another note, totally unrelated....I was reading Philip Yancy's book "The Jesus I Never Knew" and he said an interesting thing. Quote: "When I switched on my computer this morning, Microsoft Windows flashed the date, implicitly acknowledging that, whatever you may believe about it, the birth of Jesus was so important that it split history into two parts. Everything that has happened on this planet falls into a category of before Christ or after Christ." Unquote. Interesting. Just a little food for thought.
Well, better practise what I preach and go and visit a friend. Take care.
Psalm 73:Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
1 comment:
I remember working one summer in an office where everything I typed required several carbon copies. And every time I made a mistake it then meant that four sheets of paper and 3 carbon copies were ruined. Of course, my anxiety about this increased and one day I almost had a full garbage pail full of rejects. I was so embarassed that I put them in a bag I had and took them home! I was also using the arm that you pushed and I remember many sore arms and necks from that exercise. Maybe I just swung it too hard and too fast? I was a floater and eventually I ended up on the executive floor where I got to use an electric typewriter! WOW!
When I taught at school we used a mimeograph that could only run off at the most 100 copies and then they were lightly printed. Or for things we wanted more copies of we could use the gestetner. Now we would just quickly photocopy what we need. It would be an interesting exercise to give two people the same amount of projects and compare how long it takes using old technology and new technology! I think your right - the new technology may take longer since there are so many ways to keep making improvements! No perfectionists could partake in this experiment!
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