Technology
Posted by Erich Shelton on Monday, October 12, 2009
Under: Comics
If you are alive, you have undoubtedly experienced at least to some measure the frustration of new technology. Though it is often thought of as an "age" thing when frustrations occur, I know from working with university students that they too have problems figuring it all out.
It is like the quote, often referred to the opposite gender (you fill in the blank)…"_______, you can't live with them. You can't live without them."
So it is with technology. As soon as I figure out my old 35 mm. I am given a digital camera. As soon as I learn how to use my cell phone and make an outgoing call, I am told I need to text. I finally make sense of this software and they update it and give me something new, moving around all of the palettes. And the list goes on. This is even more true for those who work in such a field as mine.
I lost count on the number of self-tutorials I have had to do over the years. How many '______ for Dummies' books can one hold on their shelves? I suppose I will just have to build new shelves as somebody out there is never satisfied.
While giving a lecture recently I came across a slide I had inserted into the Powerpoint which noted information about the first Apple computer, The Apple I, introduced in 1976. It had an initial price of $666.66, it used a cassette tape and had about 4KB of RAM. Hmm…I wonder if anybody else picked up on the significant numbers for the price tag? Can anybody say "BEAST?"
A regular television and a keyboard were the only additional accessories that were required to operate this computer. Thinking of 4KB of RAM makes me roll with laughter. A simple e-mail uses more than this. It is amazing that we have computers at all. I am surprised somebody didn't give up. I read somewhere that this would have been around $2500 in today's market. Apart from its incredibly low memory capacity, the high price made it unthinkable to most people; especially the ordinary consumer. WOW. We have really come a long way in such a short time. I wonder what is next?
(Don't get hung up on the BEAST comment. I'm sure it was purely coincidental.)
It is like the quote, often referred to the opposite gender (you fill in the blank)…"_______, you can't live with them. You can't live without them."
So it is with technology. As soon as I figure out my old 35 mm. I am given a digital camera. As soon as I learn how to use my cell phone and make an outgoing call, I am told I need to text. I finally make sense of this software and they update it and give me something new, moving around all of the palettes. And the list goes on. This is even more true for those who work in such a field as mine.
I lost count on the number of self-tutorials I have had to do over the years. How many '______ for Dummies' books can one hold on their shelves? I suppose I will just have to build new shelves as somebody out there is never satisfied.
While giving a lecture recently I came across a slide I had inserted into the Powerpoint which noted information about the first Apple computer, The Apple I, introduced in 1976. It had an initial price of $666.66, it used a cassette tape and had about 4KB of RAM. Hmm…I wonder if anybody else picked up on the significant numbers for the price tag? Can anybody say "BEAST?"
A regular television and a keyboard were the only additional accessories that were required to operate this computer. Thinking of 4KB of RAM makes me roll with laughter. A simple e-mail uses more than this. It is amazing that we have computers at all. I am surprised somebody didn't give up. I read somewhere that this would have been around $2500 in today's market. Apart from its incredibly low memory capacity, the high price made it unthinkable to most people; especially the ordinary consumer. WOW. We have really come a long way in such a short time. I wonder what is next?
(Don't get hung up on the BEAST comment. I'm sure it was purely coincidental.)
In : Comics
Tags: humour
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I currently teach graphic design and illustration at the University of Southern Indiana. I really love teaching and the challenges which this provides me. It not only keeps me young, but forces me to be that ongoing learner; sometimes referred to as a life-long learner. This goal of continuing to learn as finally brought me back to the role as a student as well. Some years ago I started and MFA, but due to an automobile accident was unable to complete it.
I have just been accepted as a student at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and will finally be able to work on the MFA. The great thing is I can continue working at USI and will visit the AAU in the summer. The rest of the time I am able to take my courses online.
Like technology and life, it is constantly changing and evolving. What a joy to be part of it all!
