The "Life With Technology: Part I - Love It Or Hate It" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Sitting in front of my desktop iMac sharing it with someone on the phone from Apple.  I placed the call since I can't get rid of this stupid box that sits on the right side of my computer screen.  How they can visit with me on my computer still amazes me, but on the other end of my phone is a guy telling me to do this or do that so I can get back to work again without the box getting in my way.  I have made calls to Apple for help with my iPhone, my desktop computer as well as my MacBook Air laptop.  And, every time I call, they know exactly what to do to correct my problem.  One time it took close to an hour, since they had me upload the newest operating system which I should have done when it was first available, but I didn't think it was necessary to do so.  I can still remember buying our first computer that drove me nuts.  After using a typewriter for years and years to do just about everything, to have a computer that could do even more for me, but drove me insane in the process, was at times more than I could handle.  Well, I survived and I know I will continue to survive, but its not always easy for a "senior" to do so.  You may have noticed that some of the stories I have posted over the past month might have large type one day and small type the next.  That's not on purpose, but because I haven't the slightest idea why it is happening.  I know at one time I must have hit a specific key on my keyboard for that to happen, but since none of the keys light up when I make a mistake, I have no idea which key to blame.  I know...I should get back on the phone with Apple, but they have to be getting tired of me calling.  And, perhaps you enjoy reading 14 point one day and 10 point the next day.  And, I'm not the only "senior" who has that problem.  Yesterday I opened the "Together" section of my newspaper and there was my favorite author, Robert Olson, telling his readers how he hates his computer some days.  He writes..."How it is a frustrating piece of junk, useless to the nontechnical person, and extremely irritating when I have a deadline to meet."  My sentiments, exactly.   And, its' not only the computer on my desk or the one I hold in my lap.  It's the phone I can't figure out some times as well.  And...the car dashboard and the microwave oven and the home alarm system and the desktop printer and the stupid dishwasher and...I could go on and on.  

I know it's me, but when I had an electric typewriter I had none of these problems.  Of course, I couldn't send what I had just typed to a friend in another state, or somewhere around the world, unless I put the note in an envelope and put postage on it and gave it to my mailman.  Might reach them in a week instead of a second.  Now, I type my stories and with the push of a key you can read them, for which I thank you.  But, I will survive and I do find it neat that if I don't spell a word correctly, my computer automatically corrects it for me.  At least mosr of the time.  And, I have become pretty good at typing without having to look at my keyboard.  It was back in 1960 that Miss Morse, the old gray-haired teacher in my 11th grade typing class, taught me how to type. We used IBM electric typewriters and when you made a mistake you couldn't hit a back button and correct it.  It counted against your words-per-minute which determined your grade for the class.  I used to be able to type about 70 words-per-minute with very few mistakes and didn't have to look at the keyboard.  Actually got a good ride in her class.  While I sit here typing this story I am reading what my fingers are typing, but the fingers don't travel as fast as they once did.  I realize that my computers aren't going away with the return of the manual typewriter, so I just have to suffer through the dreadful phone calls to Apple.  Not that they aren't nice to me, but I can only imagine what they say to their other technicians after they get off the phone with me.  And then I think what's coming!  A car that you can climb in the back seat and it will take you somewhere by itself.  A robot that will mow the grass and rake the leaves for you.  Now that would be really neat.  A camera built into a pair of glasses that will take a photograph of whatever you are looking at with a blink of your eye.  A device you can hold in your hand and it will take a photo of yourself.  Oh, yeah!  We already have that, don't we.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.