We have lived through the Technology Renaissance. When we were kids, people had black&white televisions, and mostly AM radios. Then cam color TV and FM radio... and not much else. When I was working on my doctorate, the old Apple II and Apple IIe computers were just arriving at the UGA. This was a BIG breakthrough! In fact, I was among the first, if not the FIRST to type his own dissertation and print it for review. Drafts were printed on tractor-feed paper, and tearing the paper apart and removing the edge holes was a LOT of work.
When I arrived at UA, no faculty had computers. I remember saying, at least once, that I didn't want a computer, "...after all I wasn't a typist!" I also remember writing a paper longhand, giving it to the secretaries to type, proofreading the paper, then giving it to the secretaries to correct, then reading and repeating until the errors were minimal an acceptable, then MAILING the manuscript to a journal! Whew! Right after that I changed my mind about wanting a personal computer to do my own typing.
In fact, having PCs probably saved my career... or at least made me a lot happier. I am NOT a detail person and being ADHD repetition is extremely annoying - ask Brenda about that. At any rate the advent of personal word processing meant that I could slowly and steadily reduce the number of errors in whatever I was writing. It also meant I could write ONE reference letter for a student, then simply make changes to it to fit the new job, avoiding having to start anew with each new job app.
As a visual learner myself, I immediately was smitten by PowerPoint. Now I could SEE what you were saying, I could mentally capture images which helped me recall major points. As a speaker, I could put a few words on a slide, typically with a picture, and speak for 4-5 minutes, then go to the next slide. I NEVER wrote out my talk on PP, and then read it...boring!
Being able to store things on paper tape, no I mean cards, no I mean floppies, no, I mean 4", no I mean zip drives, no I mean cloud storage; has been a great benefit to me. I have trouble finding stuff, and the large number of files I generated each semester, could be stored in multiple copies, multiple places.
And the WWW went from only being available on campus, to dial-up, to modern wifi, that seems to get a bit better each week. Not to mention the convenience of making cell calls, then smart phones, then phones so smart they could replace a lot of PC stuff.
I have never been a "cutting-edge, early-adopter" guy. But I have greatly benefited from these improvements. And, looking back, I thank the dear L^rd for PCs!
When I arrived at UA, no faculty had computers. I remember saying, at least once, that I didn't want a computer, "...after all I wasn't a typist!" I also remember writing a paper longhand, giving it to the secretaries to type, proofreading the paper, then giving it to the secretaries to correct, then reading and repeating until the errors were minimal an acceptable, then MAILING the manuscript to a journal! Whew! Right after that I changed my mind about wanting a personal computer to do my own typing.
In fact, having PCs probably saved my career... or at least made me a lot happier. I am NOT a detail person and being ADHD repetition is extremely annoying - ask Brenda about that. At any rate the advent of personal word processing meant that I could slowly and steadily reduce the number of errors in whatever I was writing. It also meant I could write ONE reference letter for a student, then simply make changes to it to fit the new job, avoiding having to start anew with each new job app.
As a visual learner myself, I immediately was smitten by PowerPoint. Now I could SEE what you were saying, I could mentally capture images which helped me recall major points. As a speaker, I could put a few words on a slide, typically with a picture, and speak for 4-5 minutes, then go to the next slide. I NEVER wrote out my talk on PP, and then read it...boring!
Being able to store things on paper tape, no I mean cards, no I mean floppies, no, I mean 4", no I mean zip drives, no I mean cloud storage; has been a great benefit to me. I have trouble finding stuff, and the large number of files I generated each semester, could be stored in multiple copies, multiple places.
And the WWW went from only being available on campus, to dial-up, to modern wifi, that seems to get a bit better each week. Not to mention the convenience of making cell calls, then smart phones, then phones so smart they could replace a lot of PC stuff.
I have never been a "cutting-edge, early-adopter" guy. But I have greatly benefited from these improvements. And, looking back, I thank the dear L^rd for PCs!
PC's I was shown my office (moved into management) at age 41, after 22 years of building and equipment repair...(My first experience w/ a PC)...All of a sudden I was grateful for my 10th grade typing class...About your adhd...I've studied it quiet extensively the past several years....And you have in my opinion the two most vital tools a person must have, to get through life and relationships w/ the least amount of issues: **A Holy Spirit lead Conscience** & **Ownership** Blessings, I love your blog..:)
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