By ED HUNGNESS
I can't imagine writing this column every two weeks without the use of my computer. My handwriting has never won any blue ribbons, and so I usually print more than I write cursive. I like to blame my poor handwriting on the fact that I'm left-handed but in all honesty that's just a convenient excuse.
Some writers I know still like to use pencil and paper to express their thoughts. They claim that using the computer disrupts their creativity. Maybe I'm just lazy. In writing, there are always corrections to be made in content, grammar and spelling. I'm afraid I would go through a small fortune buying legal pads and erasers with all my revisions. With the computer, I simply hit the backspace or delete key. I am also thankful for tools such as spell check and grammar check.
I started using a computer in the '80s. Up until a few years ago I kept up with advances in new technology. I can still hold my own, but I feel like I'm being left behind in a wasteland of outdated programs and equipment.
Maybe it is common among seniors but I don't have the desire or the need to keep up. I am quite satisfied with what I have and its ability to do the job at hand. I have a theory that the never-ending advancements of computer equipment and programs are nothing more than efforts to create sales for Apple and Microsoft but I can't blame them for that.
I was getting along quite nicely, I thought. I've stayed in touch with friends and relatives and enjoy being greeted each morning with "You've Got Mail!" It was great to hear from everyone.
Then along came Facebook, Twitter, and SMS (Short Message Service) otherwise known as "texting."
My kids all said, "Dad, you need to set up your Facebook page!" I started receiving e-mails telling me how there were eight "friends" inviting me to join them on Facebook. I told everyone who asked me that I didn't want to be on Facebook. I also don't want to Twitter or send text messages. My plate is already too full.
Over time, I noticed a drop in the number of e-mails I was receiving except for the never-ending flood of advertising, which I immediately send off to spam world. Now, I am marooned on what might be considered a desert island in the sea of technology -- abandoned by my own children and loved ones in my world of solitary e-mail neglect. Oh woe is me!
My dear wife, a proud owner of an iPhone, tells me to ditch my "old" cell phone, which I purchased less than two years ago. She, like the rest of the clan, has happily joined the millions of other souls who are sending over 75 billion text messages each month. This number has grown by 250 percent each year for the past two years. It's no wonder the various phone companies spend so much on advertising. The latest statistics that I could muster up indicate that there are 265 million mobile phone users in the U.S. and half of them are exercising their thumbs sending text messages.
Statistics indicate that people now send more text messages than make regular phone calls. The "typical" user sends or receives 300 messages per month compared to 200 phone calls where the human voice is heard. Texting has become popular across all age groups, including grandparents! Among aficionados, the claim is that it saves time and is more efficient than making a phone call.
Recently, I was talking to an acquaintance about his summer. He was bringing me up to date on all of the company they had during the season. I was expecting to hear stories of great fish caught, kayak adventures and wienie roasts over the campfire followed by gooey s'mores. Instead, he related how two of his visiting grandchildren sat on opposite ends of their couch, mutely conversing with each other via cell phone text messages. Finally he handed each one of them a fishing pole and told them to go outside and get some fresh air.
Technology is a wonderful thing. Maybe at some point I will adapt to the latest in communication gadgetry. For now, I won't be telling anyone that they are my "BFF" or texting "UR 2 good 2 B real." Call me a dinosaur but I still enjoy the sound of my children's voices as well as my friends and relatives whether it be on the telephone or in person.
Ed Hungness and his wife owned their cottage on Fife Lake for six years before moving there after his retirement in 2005. He can be reached at edhungness@yahoo.com. For more of Ed's columns, log on to record-eagle.com/edhungness.
