Am I analog, Or digital?

I recently had a series of experiences which made me think of this post.

A few weeks ago my daughter was asking, “what is your earliest memory?” Then a few nights ago while I was listening to the radio the host said that he came from an analog generation and kids today are raised in a digital generation.
The two concepts merged in my mind and I thought about it musically. One of my memories from my childhood was of me getting up VERY early in the morning and going to the living room and listening to a record on my portable little turntable in the corner of the living room. (I liked a “story” record titled the ballad of Hector the stowaway dog.)
And then I thought about the way we have listened to music over the course of my life. I was listening to records when I was a child then when I was a youth Walkman’s were all the craze (and “boomboxes”) But there were also 8 tracks still floating around. Then in the ‘80s we started seeing C.D.’s coming into our awareness and now we have mp3’s and digital music.
I thought that it was interesting that within my lifetime there have been so MANY changes in the way we listen to music. (And watch movies and communicate.) But as I thought about it I realized that there has been more change in the past thirty years than there really has in the 100 years before that.
Think about it. When I was a child, things were a LOT different than they are now. Car seats were little more than an automotive booster seat, now they are practically self-encapsulated modules, which only need a little adjustment to be space fairer worthy. (They need to be enclosed the rest of the way and have an oxygen pack.)
The idea that you could tell what gender your baby was going to be was tantamount to witchcraft, and while people thought we would have flying cars by now they really didn’t consider how they might be fueled.
Nowadays we have “Eco friendly” cars like hybrids, we have sciences and arts that would be totally foreign in concept to any of us IF THEY WERE PRESENTED TO US BACK THEN.
We can download a song to our computer or I pod or I phone or whatever.
I remember the only way to get those songs individually as a young man was to hope the radio would play it and I could record it with a tape deck. Of course I could always go out and buy the tape in the music store.
And that’s another thing what about our shopping? I remember we had a few options for shopping when I was a kid. We could go to J.C. Penney or Sears or Montgomery wards, and if they didn’t have what we wanted… well maybe they could find it in a catalog to get it for you.
NOW??? Oh hey let me look at Amazon (or Ebay or …) and wham bam thank you… and here it is. You might have to wait a few days but there it is.
With digital it is even more instant. Want a song? Click it’s yours. How about a book? Well with your Kindle or nook (or other device) again click there you have it.
I know that in other post/s I have praised some of these devices but really there was something enjoyable in the wait, the anticipation would be almost as pleasurable as the owning.
With the old ways, even if they could order it, it still would take a few weeks to get to you. Weeks of dreaming what it would be like to open the box to take out the ____________ (fill in the blank), and then to use it. If it was clothes to wear it, if it was music to listen to it if it was a book to read it…!

So I really understand what the guy on the radio was saying. My dad, God rest his soul, Never had the chance to see a digital player. (But he did have quite the collection of 8 tracks once). And I have to wonder… there are entire generations of people who didn’t see any real significant changes in technology like this.
For a couple of generations the only real option people had for storing and archiving their music was records or phonographs. Another generation had the added potential in audiotape.
But in just MY own one generation we went from records and tape through to an mp3 small enough you could mistake it for a pack of gum. (Or smaller).
Now that is pretty amazing. But it does bring up a concern for me. Oh not a worry really but… well, My children will never remember what the world was like without Blue rays (let alone D.V.D.’s) they will never realize what a party line was, at least not like you would if you experienced it. And they will not get to know the ticklish anticipation of waiting for that special something you ordered to get there.
That last sentence reminds me of the scene in the Music man, where the whole town is crowded in the street singing “the Well’s Fargo wagon is a coming”. But really that is what we are leaving behind. Is it good? I don’t know for sure.
I miss records and the memories, which spring from the pops and hisses of the needle in the grooves. I would love to own a record player still today. And it kind of makes me sad to think that A LOT of my experiences are now only going to be “shared” by “history buffs” but on the other hand music has NEVER been so portable.
And it is really nice, as I get older and I want to use my time more wisely, to have the opportunity to get what I want to read or hear NOW instead of waiting for it.
Well Que sera sera. I suppose that the future will be just as amazing. I can’t wait.

Kindle-icious

Relatively recently I got a Kindle.
At the time of the purchase I was a little bit leery but they enticed me with one simple statement; “you can store up to 3,000 books on it.”
That sounded like a good deal to me. See here is the thing I am a rapacious reader, I LOVE to read!
And the thought of having access to several books at once STRONGLY appeals to me.
I have been known to go through a book a day (literally) and some books only take me a couple of hours.
I must say I am very pleased with that aspect of the Kindle! I hear a lot of people complain about the idea. “oh I like the tactile sensation of a book, the paper the contrasts…” (My mom) or “who wants to read that many books at once? Besides it must be hard to read in the sun.” (a radio talk show host).

I want to address my mom’s point. I like the sensation of turning the pages and I will admit there is something very satisfying about closing the back cover on a book you just read. And yes these things are slightly lacking on a Kindle. BUT I do NOT like having to fight with a book because it was bound to tight and keeps trying to close on me. I do NOT like having to glue my paper back books together because the bindings break too easily. And I do not like how after a few hours my thumb starts to hurt trying to hold a book open while I am totally engrossed in it.
I also don’t like when I reach a point where I am really into the book and then I drop the book or I put my book down and the kids knock it down and lose my place.
All these points that I do NOT like are negated in the Kindle.

As for the, “who wants to read that many books at once…”
Let me use this scenario, I am going on vacation to visit my wife’s family in New Jersey… I want to take along something to read. What will I want to read for the week that we are there? I might want to read Sci-Fi or a western or a mystery. Do I want to carry 14 or 15 books in my luggage? NO!!! But with a Kindle I can carry all of these and more so I have some choice.
More than that I can find “hard to find” or “out of print” books easily, I can instantly find the sequel to the book I just read and I can do it all without having to wait an interminable time or wasting my gas trying to get to the bookstore.
I also like that I can receive newspaper subscriptions/magazines wherever I am.
It is lighter to carry and easier to deal with. It is just like reading a regular book in appearance and I have yet to find a really glaring problem.
The battery lasts a long time on a charge, and over all I think it is a great device to have handy. I would change a few things though…
(1) I would make it lighted/light-able for nighttime use.
(2) I would give people the option to customize the pictures that are on the screen when it is in standby mode.
(3) I would automatically include a protective cover. (It costs $140.00 give me something to protect my investment.)
(4) I would like to see the “5-way” buttons easier sized for someone like me who’s fingers are not the size of a molecule.
So there you go. That is how I feel about it.

Ooopssie

I realize that there has been a hiatus from my blog/s of late.
I would like to apologize for that hiatus.
Really there were a number of contributing factors including the break down of all the computers in our house, and a lack of motivation on my part.
The good news is I am back; and while I may not be to strenuous about posting to my blogs for a while at least you know I am still here and I will be trying to get my words out there again.

OF PUBLIC SERVANTS AND HOLIDAYS:

Today I want to talk about the people who make life worth living.
I know the title is a little misleading in this but what it means is our police officers, firefighters, paramedics, ambulance techs and EMTs, the doctors and nurses, the security officers and the power workers… in short all the people who work every day of the year so that you can be warm and safe and have the nicer things.

See I think we don’t think about them often enough. Remember I said they work every day, that is the crux of the whole thing here… EVERY day.
When you’re kids are out trick or treating, and you are at your party/ies, they are standing by to keep the predators away, while you are sitting around your thanksgiving feast they are waiting for the call to come rscue you from the food you are choking on or to save you from your stupidity in trying to deep fry your turkey, when you are around your Christmas tree opening presents they are ready and willing to come out to save your home from burglars or fire.
And while all these things are going on they are also out there making sure you have the electricity to see by in your house or to light your ornaments, they are guarding your place of employment so you have somewhere to go back to work at after you are done with your frivolity. Often they are sacrificing time with their own families and friends in order to do this.

The thing is, we never really think of them. We don’t think about what they are doing until they drop the bell for a few minutes or we have to rush a loved one to the ER or we need someone to come and save us from our folly. Then they see US when we are in the worst circumstances possible, in the midst of crisis and fear.

And we seldom appreciate them for what they do. We rail at the policeman who in stopping the crook knocked over our snowman.
We scream at the doctor or nurse in the ER because we HAVE to know what is going on with the loved one who was brought in with third degree burns because of the stupid deep fryer. We berate the firefighter/s who took too long to get to our house to save our favorite Christmas ornaments.

So this holiday season I am asking you to go out of yourself. Think about the “public servants” around you in your life.
And not just the ones I listed here, all of them have thankless jobs where we are to ready to gripe and complain about them and we seldom offer any encouragement.
Think of your child’s school interactions, get a present for the teacher for Christmas yes, but don’t forget the bus driver who got your child to and from school safely all this time.
Think about the school nurse the classroom aid and the principle.
What about your mail carrier? Maybe he or she could use a lift of encouragement with a Christmas card just for them, and a small gift would be nice too. (please check if there are any restrictions against gifting first though.)

If you see a police officer regularly (or even better the security officer at your work) bring him or her a thank you note for the safety they provide in your everyday life.

Let these people know they are valued for the service they give. Let them know that they are not laboring in vain.
I am sure if you think of it you can come up with ideas too for things you can do to let them know how you feel.

IT’S MY PARTY I CAN CRY IF I WANT TO

So last week we celebrated Megan’s birthday. (for just about the whole week.) Her Grandpa came to visit (for the whole week) we planned a big party, and we (she) opened presents.
After all you only turn 5 once right?

I was struck by this song and it’s lyrics during her party though, when she lost the second game of musical chairs and had a meltdown. Tears flowing freely and unashamedly down her face, she decided she didn’t want to play musical chairs anymore.
This caused me to think. I have had a few bad birthdays in my life; some of them I would dearly love to change. Is this a trend that she has inherited from me? Is this just a natural issue with birthday parties (so stressful they cause us to break down when we are young) or what?

Now I could attribute it to selfishness; But I am more inclined to believe that this is a stressful situation which a younger person hasn’t got the skill sets to deal with, and so an emotional overload happens.

Of course THAT causes me to wonder; Does this mean that she will be less able to cope with stressful changes than a peer who handles a party like this more calmly? I certainly hope not.

I know there are moments in my life when I have not been as calm as I ought to have been, I have overreacted, and gone ballistic and I have broken down in tears too a time or two.

Of course part of my problem is that I tend to dwell! And I could still tell you in detail most of my bad birthdays and what made them bad. It would be harder for me to tell you what birthdays I have enjoyed.

Well I guess that means I hope that she doesn’t take after my negativity, but I do come by it naturally. I am human and most humans seem to have that streak in them.

Oh well, maybe the next party will be better. She has a new skill set now. She’ll know what is coming up next time an event like this happens.
Until then I hope you all have a great day.

THE CLIMB:

This is the first in my series of musically inspired blogging.

This song (performed by Miley Cyrus) is one that inspires hope. An acknowledgement of trials and strife to be dealt with while also noting the dream that drives [us].
For me I like the tune, some of the lyrics are a little… odd, but they are ok. (“I may not know it but these are the moments I’m going to remember most…”) uuuummmmm yeah if I don’t know it then how am I going to acknowledge it?

But really this song does speak to me. It gives me hope. I like that.

Life today has so little to hope for it seems. The threat of terrorism, the diseases, which while not what my grandparents had to endure they still exist, the tough times ahead and the recession we are in now.
But this song helps us to remember that life IS struggle. The bird, in order to live, has to struggle it’s way out of the egg first. This struggle makes the bird stronger and enables it to survive later.
The butterfly has to struggle out of the cocoon, that struggle gives it’s wings the strength so that it can fly. All of life has to struggle to be.
And “that which does not kill us only serves to make us stronger.”

So today’s song choice is The Climb. I hope that you will remember to keep on struggling… the alternative might not be so nice.

SONG TITLES:

I have recently thought of something, a little experiment I want to try. I am going to use some of my favorite song titles to try to come up with themes for future blogs here.
Maybe that will help me to come up with the blog postings I want to put in here.
We will see huh...

maybe it will cause me to open myself a little more.
Anyway keep watching here for the first installment.