Thursday, February 03, 2005

Technology and my mother...

I' m wondering what it is about older people and technology. I wonder if someday Hannah will bring me some contraption and I"ll be apprehensive of it. The other day I was telling Mom that Gary & I were thinking about signing up the business with Stamps.com or Epostage just to make our lives easier. She looked at me and said "What are you talking about?". "You know, Mom" I said "To print our own stamps". She nodded and said "Oh I know, a postage meter". I replied "No, Mom, not a postage meter. We'd be able to print our own stamps and mail packages using a postal scale at home". You would of thought I was asking for the the square root of the equation for the theory of relativity. It was priceless. Now, Mom, I know you're reading this and I am not making fun of you (not too badly anyway!). She always calls a VHS tape a VCR and a DVD a CD. I know it's just what someone is comfortable with, but it really is funny. She'll say to me..."Come look at this on the tv". So, I'll go into her place and the tv is not on. She's really wanting me to look at something on her computer monitor.....you know...the tv. When I think about all the changes in technology, even since I was little, it is staggering. We had 2 phones in our house...both rotary. I used a rotary phone somewhere recently and thought I would loose my mind...espeically after the number was busy and I had to redial it twice. What in the world did we do before cellphones, pagers and text messaging and had to reach someone? Gary wants me to start carrying a pager so he can get in touch with me anywhere. It's already to the point where I am lugging a cellphone and a cordless 2 line phone into the bathroom with me...just in case they ring (which they magically do upon the ass hitting the toilet seat). I think all this technology truthfully makes us lazier. In the 'olden' days before this, we actually had to think about things we had to do, quite possibly even write them down (on paper [GASP!], not in a PDA). Imagine having to tell someone your day....."Honey, I am going to go to the grocery store this morning around 9am and will probably be back around 11am. Is there anything you want me to add to the list? Oh, I'll pick up the drycleaning too and fill the car up with gas for your trip tomorrow. Could you pick up the kids after practice at 4pm? Don't forget we are going to the Smith's to play Canasta tonight at 7pm. Thanks - have a good day! See you after work!" It's almost too easy and sure eliminates those frantic last minute calls.... "You want me to pick the kids up? Why the &^*&$ didn't you put it in my PDA or page me to remind me? For Christs sake, now I have to turn around and take a different way home. I don't suppose you remembered to put gas in the car for my trip tomorrow? " If it's not engraved in stone in a PDA, it removes us from our responsibilies and accountability?

4 comments:

Sue said...

You can always move back to Greenville! I haven't seen anyone around here with a PDA, not yet anyway. We do have DVD's now, and cell phones, but they don't work everywhere. Like not in my house anyway, but if you go stand out in the driveway you can get 2 bars. Good luck with the pager thing!

Anonymous said...

My cell doesn't work in the house either, sometimes if you hop on one foot and stick your tongue out just right ya might just get a bar or two, this just kill Bre, who is never more then 2 inches from her Cell....I guess that she wants to be prepared just in case Publisher's Clearing House call. Still not smart enough to figure out a PDA, the kids bought one for Lloyd for his birthday last year...what a joke, he still uses a dry erase board to keep his appointments "organized"! I do notice that now that I use the computer for just about everything that my penmenship is dreadful. Mel

Sandi said...

Mother is still not comfortable with her computer, and all of the snow birds down here are just trying to figure out there new lap tops.
I personally believe that the cell phone industry and the land line industry got togeather and decided that they both needed money so they would not make the cell phones work within any residence. HA HA HA

Jane said...

I can so relate to this post! When my Mum sends me an email, she sits on the couch and tells my Dad what to write and he sends it! This is one woman who will NEVER use a computer!

Love your writing!

Jane