Thursday, April 27, 2006

Twenty-first Century

When I was born, the hand-cranked Model T Ford was the standard mode of transportation.  Radio was a crystal and an earphone. Televison and Airlines did not exist. A computer was a circular slide-rule.

Yet, this morning, as this child of the twentieth century sat writing an e-mail to be transmitted instantly and wirelessly to friend, he was interrupted by a message on his computer.

"Hi, Grandfather, are you at your computer?"

"Yes. Where are you?"

"I'm on the bus on the way to the airport."

"You can IM me from the bus?"

"On my cell phone. The typing is very slow."

Yes, I guess it is. You have to punch the ten keys multiple times to get the letter you want to send, and you have to spell it out letter by letter. I was flabbergasted. What century is this? I am living in a future I could never imagined when I was young.

People send mail from the bus.  People take a bus to the airport to take a two week vacation in Europe. In Europe they cross UNDER English channel to attend a concert as casually as we used to go uptown to the Music Hall.  And what do they see?  They see their Dad giving a concert that he has flown to from U.S.A.

My Son-in-law is taking a weekend off work to give a single concert in England.  Later this year my daughter is going to England to conduct a week-end seminar in water color painting. 

Has the world really shrunk that much?  I guess it has  Last night my daughter and I played a word game online with a grandmother in Australia.  It was already Thursday there. Time has shrunk as well.

Did I mention that Scrabble hadn't been invented yet, when I was born?

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yep ask them about coal, lps, and what the hell was a typewritter?LOL! Have a great day!

Anonymous said...

I think for text messaging you need a nickname for GRANDFATHER -- like G-pa or Pops.  Now I understand why everyone writes u for you and all those other shorthand words.  Mrs. L

Anonymous said...

boy oh boy.... when they say time flys they really mean it don't they. My father in law made the first radio in his town and when we were in high school my boyfriend ( now husband) was lucky enough to have a car but he had to crank it to get it started ..... you brought back some memories. Thanks. Sandra

Anonymous said...

There's more technology to your story still....
the grandson forgot to tell the host in Europe who is picking him up at the airport what time!  So, the host called by phone to our house, but your son-in-law knew nothing either, so he had to cell phone and leave a voice mail to Mom.  So, since the grandson had already called home this morning, and mother PRYED the flight numbers out of him...she can EMAIL the info to the Europeans so they can get to Brussels on time to meet his flight.  If he calls Mom from NYC on his layover, he will get an EARfull on his CELL PHONE!  Mom has already tried to text msg him, but he must still be on the plane!
WHEW!  Technology has advanced...kids have not.  ;-)  Kate

Anonymous said...

Yes, this is a world of technology!  How different life is now for all people over the age of 40+!!  And to think at one time I thought a blow-dryer was the greatest invention ever!!  LOL
Jackie

Anonymous said...

yes sometimes technology just boggles the mind:)

Deb

Anonymous said...

Mrs. L, in a comment below suggests that my grandson should have used some abbreviations like G-pa for Grandfather and more.  Believe me. He did, I just UN-abbreviated them when I wrote about them, because I forgot that you up to date folks would understand them all.  LOL, just because I am behind the times, doesn't mean that you are too.

Anonymous said...

I know what you mean about changing of the times. My kids fly anywhere at the drop of a hat (they didn't say that, I did). I too play word games with my daughters and chat while we are playing. Such fun! The most amazing thing to me was when we all had a private chat room and discussed an event we were planning. I am so glad I lived to see the old way of things and also the new. Paula