Technology and My Kids

No on can deny this is definitely the "Age of Technology" and the rapid spread of information. . . and misinformation.

A joke I heard a long time ago went along the lines of: A thousand monkeys banging on keys could produce the works of Shakespeare, but thanks to the internet/www, we now know this is far from true.

I liked it. Too bad I can't properly remember how it goes. I'm not the one for telling jokes, that would be Hubby's job. He can probably remember every joke he's ever heard, and retell it. I love that! I can't do it to save my life, but you can always depend on him to have another joke at the ready.

Technology rate has sky-rocketed. Just ask any Baby Boomer! I'm not exactly an imbecile when it comes to computers, but it seems now-a-days Boy has to help me with gadgets! I can't imagine what the future holds for technology and information.

Last month I bought myself a new laptop, all-in-one printer (my other one doesn't even have software upgrades any more-- and I believe there were 3 installation CDs, which is still better than the last printer I had, which had floppy discs for installation!), and external speakers (I listen to a lot of music, and I don't like to break my groove to change discs-- welcome technology), and all sorts of cool gadgets. I switched "brands" for the first time in... um, about a decade, thus the reason for updating all the firmware, too).

Due to circumstances, I have finally connected my new printer to the new laptop, though I was going to wait to run my laptop through the dishwasher to see how it would hold up. There's a 21-day warranty on this baby. . . initially I was having severe problems with the space bar, so I thought I was going to have to send it in. First, I went through normal trouble-shooting 'procedures', considering I was military intelligence (a long time ago!), then checked the website for ideas, then finally called the customer service. I cannot fully explain how exasperating that was, given I have a hard time hearing speech as it is, not to mention when an accent is involved, and this is made worse when it's over the phone (no subtitles to help me out!).

Anyway, the whole problem did turn out to be that the space bar wasn't fully "seated," which I discovered on my own after putting in a return request thingy. I figured, "Well, if I break it, they're going to fix it anyway, so might as well see if I can fix it first so I don't have to uninstall all the software and games I just got done installing. . . or certain documents." Now I must say here, that the very first laptop I purchased was a "refurbished" laptop, and I got only one day of use out of it! I was livid. It was a keyboard issue, and the manufacturer told me out to "reseat" the connection, but the laptop sort of fell open too far and snapped even more pins-- though some pins were already missing, which was the problem in the first place. This happened after I'd put some incriminating evidence on the hard drive, so I've never been too keen about the whole idea of "sending it in" for repairs, and by the time I got around to looking for a replacement keyboard, well... "refurb." I will never buy a refurbished electronic. That entire incident turned me off to laptops until about 2 years ago, when I purchased my first new laptop. Love it, but it's just not fast enough for my needs.

See, I've been teaching myself web design, and then there's the whole being a computer gamer thing, and whatnot. And, well, I saved up my money and treated myself (a combo of "they forgot my birthday" and a Christmas present to myself). Not only that, but it's allowing us to "down size." Desktops take up a whole lot of room, and I am constantly in search of how to decrease my "office" size. A laptop allows me to do what I need to do, without taking up a spare bedroom-- which we currently don't have, so it's not an option. In six more years, though. . . . .

Okay, so back to the whole printer deal. I just connected it and was loving the fact I could select the language, because it started out in English! The other printer remained in German, and um, well, never could figure out how to change the language settings on that thing! So, this new one faxes (not that I have a fax line. . . or a phone line), copies, scans, and prints. It was amazing-- it could 'sense' the lack of ink cartridges until I got them put in, then it 'sensed' the lack of paper in the tray (nothing new there). Then it was able to sense that I put something on the scanning bed! Wow! Cool... but wait... I need to fart. Will it sense that to? And if so, what will it do? Wrrrrpppp frrrrpt. Not a beep from the all-in-one, to my satisfaction! At least it's sensors aren't that delicate, or they'd be fried in no time. So, I'll be able to fart in my office... if I ever get one.

In the meanwhile, I have been thoroughly enjoying the new technology. My screen is so shiny that I can style my hair! I don't like all the reflective glare, honestly (and we all know that I'm a very bright person *wink wink*), and do prefer the matte finish, but what 'cha gonna do when the rest of the populace demands "High Definition" for viewing pleasure? The real question is, does it provide subtitles so I can understand what's being said?

No matter how much technology increases, I'm with the crowd that says, "Let's not buy the latest and greatest viewing thing (this was as Blu-Ray was becoming popular) so that there's no demand. I'm tired of replacing everything that I just collected!" Yup, I'm totally there. Besides, DVDs now cost about $5, and a lot of the movies we like to watch will have more than one movie on the disc. Why go Blu-Ray? I have subtitles and a good t.v., so I'm happy. Besides.... there is that whole "collection" thing to think about. That's quite an investment. I think I need to up my "Valuable Personal Property" insurance.

I'm also fairly confident that no matter how technology increases, it doesn't mean the information will get any better. I have no complaints about the ability to share my thoughts and feelings to those folks that I've given the link to this blog, or the quickness of email (I recently read an online article that stated "today's generation" thinks email is too slow. What?). And I love the ability to see and hear and type to Hubby during his deployments! That makes a huge difference for our family, particularly for the children-- it helps them to 'see' Dad, though they also look forward to snail mail to see if they got anything.

My poor Boy and Girl! They don't have cell phones like their peers, and they're not allowed online unless I'm present (they're allowed to Skype w/ Dad, of course, but I don't let them cruise around the www unattended). So they're unable to "text" (which is originally a noun, not a verb). They don't have email addresses, so they don't get that, either. And given their peers have probably only ever heard about snail mail, they don't get a whole lot of letters. But when they do, boy do they get excited! "I got a letter/card! Who is it from?" and then there's the sound of paper ripping as they tear open the envelop to see what great thing they got in the mail.

I have to smile just thinking about it. My kids don't need electronics to be entertained. They still get excited about earth worms (I lifted the grass 'lid' of my first compost, and saw a bunch of worms squiggling around, to the delight of my daughter), chopping wood with axes and a machete, shooting a bb gun, watching ants crawl, watching the cats watching birds and insects, staring at the sky and finding images in the clouds, riding bicycles, going on hikes, fishing (particularly with Dad), and a million other things that don't involve technology.

Their recent field trip with the homeschool group was to "Funtasia"-- a place where they got to play laser tag, ride in go-carts, bumper cars and bumper boats. For two days I heard stories about that trip (I did not attend), and how they can't wait to do it again, and they want to take Dad and go and.... I thought they would have been very tired at the end of that day, but then Boy asked me if he could go outside to clear an area in the back yard so he can "burn" (you can burn yard waste here, though often others decide to burn plastic and other trash as well). I told him, "Okay, but you need to realize that there's a lot of work involved before you get to the burning part." He nodded, grabbed his gloves, and got busy in the backyard. Then Girl begged me to let her go mow the lawn with our "man powered" (or woman powered) mower. I explained the yard needed cleaned up first, and the pieces of wood moved so the mower wouldn't get dulled or broken. "I know, it's okay!" and she dashed out to get busy. They both happily worked until I made them come inside for dinner, to my gratitude.

It's good, I think, that my kids are learning what should be 'basic' skills for country life. Many of their peers are left without guidance or direction, or they are sat in front of "technology" and allowed to have their brain cells decrease in size. They don't know how to do any. . . life skills!

********* Parent bragging rights to follow-- you have been warned! ************

Both of my kids can cook fairly well-- eggs, mac & cheese from a box, hot dogs, nachos (without a microwave!), quesadillas, caramel (without any corn syrup!), and other foods that require stove and/or oven use. They can chop wood and start fires (scary, I know). They know to put on more layers if they're cold, or to get under the covers for a little while to warm up. They know to run cold water over a burn, and that lavender oil helps speed healing and is a topical anesthetic (though they probably don't know that term). When I gave myself a second-degree burn, Boy said to get my hand under cold water, and Girl calmly got out the box of medicine stuff to pick out what I might need (she held up the gauze, which I did use later). On the times when I've gotten migraines (which I get fairly frequently), they quickly turn off anything that is noisy (but they sometimes forget their own noise!) and close the curtains and turn off any lights and tell me to rest for a while. On the rare occasion that I'm sick with a cold (haven't had the flu in years) or otherwise not feeling well, they'll let me rest, make me tea, and even make me toast with butter and honey on it. *big smile*

Obviously, I'm very proud of my little Booger Butts. Children are an enormous responsibility, and for the most part, I do not like children. So, I consider myself pretty doggone lucky that I got the kids that I did. That Boy fights his hormonal fluctuation so that he can still be who he is, and he struggles to keep his temper under control. That Girl is very thoughtful and caring, particularly when hostessing or when someone is ill. I'm incredibly grateful that on my "bad days," they choose (usually) to behave and try to make it a little easier on me. Basically, I'm grateful I haven't screwed my kids up yet!

Kids. One day, they'll be helping me not only with sniffles or taking out the garbage and reminding me to eat (I often forget to eat), but they'll be teaching me about the newest technological advances. I just hope that I can teach them how to learn, and how to apply knowledge. If I can teach them that, then they'll be able to go far in life.

This entry is far longer than I anticipated or planned, but I needed to brag on my kids for a bit. One day, they might find out that I brag about them, and maybe they'll one day understand just how much I love them and try to do the right things in life so as to present a good example, and maybe they'll one day understand just how hard that is to do! Could be the technology that leads them to the understanding.

~Cedeham~