Technology and my good friends!

So...I realized today that I am definitly not as without when it comes to technology as I had previously imagined. In past blogs I expressed some distress over my inadequacies when it came to the world of technology. I realized over the past week that I know somebody who is less savvy than I. Yes, you heard me correctly! Not only does this gal own a cell phone that she has had for 8 years, but she does not have a computer, and only recently acquired a DVD player. Until then she and her husband were merely subsisting on a VCR. They determined it was time to purchase a DVD player when they ventured to Hollywood video, only to find no videos , just little, round, shiny disk that do you no good in a video cassette player.
I remember that first weekend we fired up her " new fangled contraption!" She could not figure out how to get it to play, so I explained to her what to do. That was not too hard, but then it was comical watching her get frustrated about the big black lines on the top and the bottom of the screen and why they would not go away. Again I knew about widescreen versus fullscreen and filled her in on all I could.
Not only this, but her cell phone is seriously a dinosaur and I do not mean only in age. It is not only old, but enormous! I have to give her kudos though she has utilized it so infrequently that is works like it is brand new. However the day she needed to borrow my crazer phone was also a treat. She could barely keep a hold of it and when it rang she did not know you only had to flip it open to take the call.
There is more, she and her husband see no need to have a computer. She does not have email, never has and probably never will. They say it is an expense they do not need! Perhaps that is true, but seriously I am not techno savvy or rolling in dough, but I still enjoy an occasional go at the ol' Dell.
All this say I am so not the farthest behind when it comes to technology. That makes me feel better! I know I have a lot to learn and the class wiki and projects so far have already helped soooo much. I am getting there, however I do not think my friend is.

Technology and my new house!!!

Since August 9th I have been anxiously awaiting this moment, this weekend, this most exciting time, we are moving into our new house!!! On that hot day seven months ago my fiance, at the time, started cutting down trees on our newly acquired property. Technology played a large role that first day and has been participating regularly ever since. I remember going over that weekend and seeing Steve and his brother Scott standing in an extension bucket suspended high above the earth cutting down trees on our wooded lot. FIfty years ago it would not have happened that way, they would have been strapped to the tree in a very dangerous position sharing one jigsaw. I can say with absolute certainty we would not have been building our home there.
As things progressed on the house it was great to see how far we have come in the world of technology and made you wonder where we were going. I remember the day the water lines went in and we hooked up to the city sewer. Can you imagine life without indoor running water and a flushing commode? I do not even want too. Not only that, but what about our heating and cooling system. I have lived through a summer in a mobile home without an airconditioner, I do not recommend it. In some ways I am very spoiled, not everybody has these simple luxurious and I feel so blessed.
I think the one thing I am most excited about in our new house that is technologically savvy is my convection oven. It is said to cook things in half the time, something I will believe when I actually experience it.
Technology is everywhere! I see that now. It is so odd that when you are forced to think about something you see it in so many new and exciting ways. The house is technology that I am comfortable with, something I am excited about. Work is something I am familiar with, a routine, what I do everyday. This class is pushing me, is making me think, wonder, question, and it makes me squirm a little. This is not a bad thing, just something new to embrace.

Technology and me!

I have really been thinking a lot lately about technology and the part it plays in my life. If I look closer at my daily activities I realize that technology does play a larger role than I previously understood. From my daily activities at work to the task I perform on the computer when I get home, it is definitly there.
What I do not do with technology is actively pursue it. I do not try out the latest gadgets, I do not go looking for new and improved items on the internet and I am easily stymed by what I do come across. As I have sat in this class for the past month and listened to the conservations around me and the lectures, I am beginning to see that I am behind. That is a hard thing for me to admit! Here I am a graduate student in a field kept alive by the very thing that I have refused to embrace or even understand. I am sure I have missed out and side-stepped opportunities because I thought it was too much.
I have truly enjoyed the classes I have had in the program so far and I do not say that flippantly. I have done well and have watched my confidence bloom and grow with each passing assignment. Just ask my husband, I was so scared when I first began the program! I thought for sure I had made a huge mistake, not the case!
Do not get me wrong I still get frightened by an assignment every now and then, but I am more easily calmed because of the things I have done well on. All that to say I am ready to learn about technology, I need to learn about technology. It is all around me, it will be a large part of the job I one day hold and I cannot stay ignorant of it forever. I am hoping that my previous successes with other classes in the program will help me to have the confidence I need to do well now. I am excited to see what this semester holds and what new things I can discover on my journey.

Technology is not cheap!

My husband, Steve, is currently building our home. A few things that we hope to purchase when we move into the house is a new computer and television. The price of a new computer is not what I am concerned about, however the cost of a new t.v. is a little disconcerting. Steve has had the same t.v. since he was ten years old. Folks that makes his t.v. almost 20 years old which is okay, but it is a mere 19 inches. I can see us now sitting on the couch with our binoculars because we cannot adequately see the picture! Perhaps that is a little dramatic, but have you seen the new television sets that are out there. It used to be that going to the movies was a treat, a chance to get out of the house. Now for a mere $3000 you can go to the movies at home. After you spend that cash, you won't have any money to go the movies. Oh and the things you have to know before deciding upon the one you want. Do you want to spend the money on the plasma? How many hours will the plasma last? How many p's are the tv? Is it at least 1080? Because if its not you are wasting your money? And once you decide on a high definition, plasma, 1080p tv you have to call your local cable company and sign up for the high def channels. No sense having a high def t.v. and no channels to enjoy it on. It is really confusing and it gets expensive. I want a nice t.v., but I refuse to go broke getting one. Perhaps that 19 inch will work, with the price tag of technology I think I can make it work.