Wednesday, September 8, 2010

I Love Modern Technology . . .

Technology has changed so much in my lifetime.  The first black and white TV we had when I was a kid didn’t even have UHF (and didn’t need it, since there were no UHF stations in our area).  I can remember going to my grandparents’ house on Sunday nights in the early 60s so we could watch Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color – in color. 

But oh how times had changed by the mid 70s – we got our first color television in 1975 and could pick up lots of channels with the rotor antenna on our roof.  At my high school’s alumni banquet 25 years later, I read a series of numbers (2, 5, 7, 9, 12, 16, 19, 22, 48) and got a laugh when I identified the series as everything we could get on our televisions when we graduated.  By then, with the advent of cable, it didn’t seem like much.

Then came the internet, with live streaming, and now it seems like everything is available instantly at the click of a mouse.  But it’s a sign of my advancing years that sometimes I forget . . .

I got an e-mail from Harriet Swindell last week after I posted the note about her Reincarnations and the craft fair she and her friends are doing this weekend.  It seems the local Fox affiliate in St. Louis had heard about the craft fair, looked at the vendor list, and invited Harriet and Peggy to be on their morning show.  When I got to work this morning, I found out that today was the day and they were going to be on in less than an hour.  And my first reaction – again – was “I really wish I could see it.”

It was at least five minutes before my brain engaged and I realized that Fox 2 in St. Louis probably streams their local news shows.  Sure enough . . .

harriet

That’s Harriet on the right, Peggy in the middle, and several of their little friends in the foreground.  And I got to see the whole interview live.  As I said, I love modern technology.

But my wheels of change turn slowly.  I found out last week that my brother and his wife gather around the web cam every Sunday and have a face-to-face conversation with their son (live from his college dorm) on Skype.  Not sure if I’m ready for that one yet . . .

2 comments:

  1. Hubby and I were recently discussing the wonders of technology. We have a brand new baby granddaughter who is more than a short drive from us. Through the wonders of a Flip Camera, we are treated to almost daily videos of her progress. What a treat to see her first smiles, coos and this week, watch her find her feet. Life is good!

    ReplyDelete
  2. lol; fun post. I don't recall Disney's Wonderful World of Color (I was born in '65), but I do recall Disney's movie of the week and other Sunday night movies. Now, I don't even own a TV :)

    ReplyDelete