By Staff
When I was young, I thought older people were too judgmental. Often they didn't even try to understand new things.
When did I become the old person?
Before writing my column this week I decided to do some research.
I had heard some pretty bad things about the free Web space site, MySpace.com.
Young people were getting into a lot of trouble putting all this information about themselves on their own personal Web site that anyone, even a bad person could enter and read.
I knew my daughter, now quite grown up, had a page at this location, so I used her site as a test to see what I could find.
Well, I found a long blog (like a journal written in cyberspace) about how scared she was when she learned her boxer, Kendall, which I had given her six years ago, had cancer.
I saw photos of her friends – all were clothed.
I could read a list of all her animals she owns.
And if I wanted I could easily link to her and send her an instant message.
Doesn't seem too terrible to me.
Like everything, this too can be abused and evil people can use it for no good. But that in itself doesn't make the Web site bad.
I can't live without my cell phone. One morning I forgot it in the charger and felt strange all day. I kept wondering how I ever existed before it was invented.
At a recent lunch with friends, I found one woman had this small phone receiver, which she fitted over her ear, so when she drove into Chicago she could still talk on the phone. Talking on a cell phone in your hand while driving is illegal in Illinois, she said.
I tried the phone and felt like my words were just dissipating into the air. How strange, but easy. By just saying the name of whom she wants to call, she can get connected.
Not a bad idea, if I can get used to people walking around looking like they are talking to themselves.
How much smaller so many things have gotten. My kids still laugh about the big Beta disks we would rent with the machine to watch movies at home on our television.
Now thin CDs are used and the players are so affordable some people have portable ones.
I am sure tiny CDs are in our near future, just like computers, calculators and cell phones have gotten smaller and smaller.
Roger pushes buttons on his television controller and "tapes" shows he wants to watch later.
I can't make heads or tails of all the arrows and buttons.
I admit I don't know how to download music, nor do I have something long and thin hanging from a cord around my neck. I am lucky to remember to wear a necklace.
I saw some children receive a stack of DVDs for Christmas. One was a little three-year-old. Somehow the thought of her sitting in front of a television all those hours bothered me.
Will she be playing pretend mommy in the future? Will she be ready to read when she enters school?
Sometimes not all advances are good.