We have a regular, old school, phone with cord in our bedroom. We bought it so we'd have a working phone when the power goes out and the cordless wont work.The other day, we were all upstairs when the phone rang. I sent Max to my room to answer it. Evidently, for the first time ever. I heard him say "Hello? Hello?" and then hang up.
The phone rang again but this time I came into the room to see what was up. Max was standing holding the phone with a bewildered look on his face.
"It's not working! I don't know what button to push!!!"
Turns out, he'd just hung up on my friend because he was trying to find the "Talk" button and didn't know what to push. Whoops! It reminded me once again that my kids are growing up in a totally different world from the one of my childhood.
See, I still remember the first time I learned about the Internet. I had heard about it before, but it wasn't until after my Freshman year in college that my brother the computer geek (and malicious blog hacker) explained it to me. We were standing in my Mom's kitchen in Carlsbad. He said, "You'll be able to read things and see pictures and movies from people all over the world." It seemed so...unimaginable. I couldn't quite wrap my brain around it. (Still can't, actually.)
I remember the first time I heard about a "video phone". We were still living on Camino, so I must have been 11 or 12. I was in the kitchen (next to the phone with the REALLY LONG cord) while my dad talked about this implausible invention from the future. I remember picturing someone calling and seeing me in my underwear because I'd inadvertently answered the phone not knowing THEY had a video phone. (I was obviously a little fuzzy on the details.) Now I sit in front of my computer every single day and use the Internet to talk to people face to face. Some right here in Japan, some on the other side of the world.
Sometimes I'm in my underwear and have to leave the video off.The McQuinn family were the first (and only for quite a few years) people I knew with a car phone. It was large, and clunky, and extraordinarily expensive to make a call on it. Like, way more than regular long distance. (Which then was extraordinarily expensive and paid for by-the-minute.) The lucky car bestowed with such an awe-inspiring status symbol? A white convertible with faux-wood panelling.
Brandon the geek also introduced me to another new-fangled invention. He told me he had a program called "GPS" on his (awesome!) new Palm Pilot that could tell me where, exactly, I was in the world. Incredulously, I pushed a button on the screen and a window opened that said "You are here!" followed by a big, black X. Very funny, computer geeks of the world. (GPS wasn't available to the general public at the time.)
In elementary school, we used our in-class computers solely for playing "Oregon Trail". (rocked that game.)
In middle school, I listened to mix tapes on my Walk-man but listened to my collection of 5 C.D.'s on my very bulky new "Two Tape Decks plus C.D. Player" at home.
In High School; I upgraded to a Disc-Man, took "keyboarding" and learned to type on a fancy electric type writer, and used our home computer to play "Mine Sweeper".
I didn't get my first e-mail account until my Freshman year of college (ahh, Emzer@Juno.com! I thought "forwards" were so funny and clever back then!) and didn't get my first little Nokia cell phone until two years after that. (It had that Snake game on it where you tried not to run into your ever-lengthening tail. Used to play it on the bus ride back to Provo from UVSC.)
I started my blog shortly after having a couple of teenagers at church explain to me what a blog was. That was in 2005. One of the girls, Connie, had a shirt that said "I'm blogging this." I want that shirt.
Those were the days! So tell me: What are your fondest technology memories? Leave a comment or do this Meme on your blog and then comment with the link!
Technology Meme
What kind of phone did you grow up with in your house?
What is your first memory of the Internet?
--What was one of the first sites you remember visiting?
Do you remember the first time you heard about cell phones/car phones/or "video" phones?
Have you ever owned a tape deck? Boom Box?
Did you own a Walk-Man?
--Disc-Man?
What was the first C.D. you owned or purchased?
--What did you play it on?
How old were you when you got your first cell phone?
How old were you when you got your first e-mail account?
Do you blog? If so, how old were you when you started?
Do you Skype?
--Ever called anyone in Japan???
What's your craziest technology related memory?
The first time I went on the internet was at BYU, probably 93?, because someone told me the internet was a great place to get free guitar chords. That person was right. I wrote out some Matthew Sweet chords longhand cause I didn't have a dime to print it.
ReplyDeleteThe first email I had was also at BYU. My best friend was in rabbinical school in Israel, and we wrote back and forth every day.
The first tape I bought was Beatles Revolver. Or maybe the Annie Soundtrack.
Our first computer was an Apple IIe. It only had enough memory for an 8 page document, and we thought it was the bomb.
hahaha! poor Max! So funny!
ReplyDeleteI remember that we were having a yard sale and some guy was trying to call his wife about an item. He was using one of those giant Zak Morris cell phones, and it barely worked well enough to get his wife's answer. I remember thinking how cool he was... lol!
My first cd player was a cd/tape combo and wieghed about 15 pounds and was huge. I got it in 8th grade. We only just recently gave that to charity...
My first email was right after high school, as was my first cell phone.
I also remember rocking the Oregon Trail (I was one of two in my class that made it all the way to Oregon!) good times...
oh man, I totally forgot about Connie's shirt. super cool.
ReplyDeleteBut mostly I'm here to say: yessss Oregon Trail :D
Love the post. I think I'll share a bit on my blog. Usually I use my blog as a place to put pictures because I struggle writing. But you've given me some great "starter" for writing. Now I just have to do it!
ReplyDeleteI find all this phone technology almost overwhelming. I come from the era of picking of the corded telephone and having an operator place your call and we had party lines. It was a time when nosey kids would listen in on extended conversations by some senior ladies. They were better than the newspaper. When I was about 8 years old, rotator dials were introduced and we went from 3 digits to 7 in our phone numbers.
ReplyDeleteMy job introduced to the computer and it was a struggle, even in the controlled world of work with some serious support through IS. Our family had to talk computer for a year before dad would listen, the schools finally announcing that they would not accept hand written papers anymore. Our first computer was a big one--almost 120,000 bites! We actually thought it would last forever. That is about 2 term papers worth. Several school friends came by to type up their papers and use our reference materials--we actually purchased a set of encyclopedias.
Today we have a package deal with our server and have free long distance phone service(love that)and good internet access. No videocams at present. Progress is good, but sometimes painful, but without the discomfort of learning, we don't--move forward.
I remember in college writing an editorial about how we don't need cell phones and how they should be banned while driving. The next year I got a cell phone of my own and can't imagine NOT having one (although I still don't use it while driving!)
ReplyDeleteI didn't find out about facebook until I was in grad school - 2005 maybe? I remember thinking I would never get on ... again - I am totally on now!
over from mmb
www.keepmovingforwardwithme.blogspot.com.
I have thought about this SO often as I watch my 4 years old son cruise PBS.org like he's from MIT.
ReplyDeleteI remember the sound of internet dial up...the waiting... it makes me laugh so hard!
My First Tech Tools: computer(desktop)-1998, ISP-1999 email-1999, cellphone-1999, text-2002, website-2003, blog-2005?, laptop-2006. tweet-2008?, YouTube-2008?, FB-2009?
ReplyDelete