Modern Technology and IT

Albeit having been a privilege, a must, or whatever. NO. I haven't just recieved the telegram from HM. I still have a few years to go. Thinking back over my life. I can remember being a little tot in school. I was five years old and the second world war had just ended. Strange really when thinking about it. Here I was, as a tiny tot on the threshold of learning. Hey! I'm five years old. Don't you know that. Science etc has discovered that in the first five years of life, a child actually learns more than he/she will learn in the rest of their life.

Today I often make the claim to having a photographic memory. I can remember scenes of the last war, in glorious technicolor. I can even remember many of my court cases as a cop. Back to school as an infant. I remember in the afternoon, we all had to lie down on camp beds and have a sleep. Time swiftly passed, infants to junior school. Now life started to become interesting. Hey my friends and neighbours weren't the only ones on planet earth. England wasn't the only country. WOWEE! Truly I love this life. I loved learning, studying and researching. Me tiny , mortal man. Here I could stand amid shelves forest like collections of books, books that contained the recordings of many great persons before me.

I grew older and took up the eternal pattern of marriage, parenthood and the like. My passion for learning continued and often increased. I built up a fine library. Now I like so many of the worlds populus. I have a problem, relating to plants and gardening. Hey Ho Silver! No problem. The new era of technolology is here. A few click here and there and. Whazz Bang Wallop. Here's all you need to know.

Back to school. The teacher asks. 9x12 =. In past times many tiny brains set to work. 5nine are 45. 7 nines are 63. Now kids are allowed to use computers etc. What happens when the power is cut offfffffffffffff?

OK I use the internet a lot for research simply for speed. I still value the printed word.

 

Mike when I was at school they were just introducing calculators into exams and we had the first IBM computers and the good old basic language.
We use to use CB radios and send basic commands to our friends who owned the ZX Spectrums and you could record the sound and play it back on your tape recorder connected to the Spectrum. Was amazing just to see a simple word like HI appear.
Then BBS appeared and we used that which was just a simple computer connect and then the net appeared.
I don’t mind the net but I will not have a smart phone, I can surf the net at home but when out and about I like the fact for me it’s techno free.
I’m not sure I like the way things are heading, some times the old values are far better and I’m kind of glad I’ve past most of my life.

 

Remember "Log Books"?

 

Thanks for your comments. CB Radios and Log Books. I remember fitting a CB set into our P6 Rover. Val called in at my place of work the next morning. Do you want the good news or the bad news first she asked... Good news, please. They didn't break the window. Bad news. The CB radio has been stolen.

Back to the main subject. Such rapid advancement has taken place with IT etc. Yes that is good, but I find it also has a downside. Whetherornot it is a good or bad thing. I appear to have what might be called a 'photographic memory'. Memories of wartime Britain, schooldays, leaving school and starting work. Time served as a police officer. Even now I can bring to mind many of my court cases, in great detail. For some strange reason. I love research. I love books. Yes, I use the internet for research. Researching, using books. I find that I learn and remember so much more, it's as though I get an alround picture. Using the net. I find I get just the poignant parts.

Going further. People of all ages are now going about looking like space aliens, earphones etc. You can see the general picture. Then. I like TV quiz programs like Mastermind. University Challenge and the chase. Oh what a let down. So the question master asks. What is your occupation? I am a university student. So. Your questions begin. What does the term, terra mean? PASS. OK we can all come up with loads of questions. Today so many rely upon modern technology that resorts to the internet etc. Take the iPods and smart phones away and the computers. Now as in my school days. Sit down in spaced rows and confront the printed page of General Knowlege questions. There are 80 questions and you have one hour max to complete. Please Sir. Can we use our calculators and mobiles?????????????????????/

 

Modern tech is good, i know some one that was learning to drive, they wouldn't speak or talk, so all instructions had to be done by text message

 

Ahhh log books. In my early years at comp school (late '70's) we used log books and then were allowed to use calculators. It didn't make maths easier, it accelerated our progression.

I still remember the smell of my first calculator - a wedge shaped thing powered by a PP3 battery. It had a memory button and a % button - that was about as technical as it got.

Looking back, I wouldn't know how to use log books now. Some of the stuff we did around standard deviation and the likes may as well be written in a different language. I guess its like a lot of things - use it or lose it.

 

or

I used them for something that I can't remember, but still Google Sin/Cos/Tan values for a quick 2D/3D geometrical calculation.

I have powerbanks (plus a petrol generator) for when the internal batteries run out, including one of these heavy duty powerbanks with an integral inverter that will power mains devices like laptops and Wi-Fi routers (and is very handy for campsites without electrical hookups).

I used to find nothing more frustrating/wasteful than getting back home to a laptop and reading alerts confirming my delivery to pickup location had been ready to collect, a price drop alert item was out of stock because I was too slow to order before my return, etc., etc

 

Some years ago my old neighbour who was in the merchant navy explained sin cos and tan to me in physical terms rather than numbers. Unfortunately it was on the way back from the local and, interesting as it was, I cant recall the detail. I do remember the phrase 'Seven Old Horses Clumsy And Heavy Trod On Albert' being on the wall of the maths classroom throughout my time at school​

 

Sometimes i wonder why dementia is so rife nowadays, maybe it's because many people have "forgot" how to use their brains?

As for mathematics, at school I decided that as there are only 10 numbers compared to 26 letters, maths had to be easier?

 

I still use a slide rule but I really enjoy designing spreadsheets incorporating macros etc. A software firm approached me to let them use my software. I refused because I do not wish to service this stuff.

I love the internet. Meeting here, looking up recipes, checking out all sorts of goodies... no, nothing fleshy..

I must admit I don't care much for smart phones. They're so demanding and can make friends a nuisance!