Issue 28.12
It is easy to hearken back to the “good old days” and remember what was better about them. It is also impressive to look at the new technologies that have changed our lives – some ways for the better and some for the worse. Waxing philosophical, I feel like sharing with you this week some of the things that I have noticed in my 30 years plus in the technology business.
I remember, for example, how our phone bill when I was a teenager was about $25 a month and the phone company would fix anything that happened to go wrong for free and even gave us the phones to use in our house. They were built like army tanks and if you still have one it probably still works. I also remember how upset my mom was when she got a bill for over $150 because I called my new girlfriend who lived less than 25 miles away and talked for hours, running up long distance charges that I didn’t even know existed. Compare that with two phone systems today. Basic telephone service is still about $25 per month and includes more features and all of your long distance in the US. Even foreign long distance is much less than it used to be. On the other hand, cellular phone service is a major expense in most homes, since everyone seems to think they need a phone they can carry everywhere. Many people pay over $200 for their family cellphone service. I think back and realize that 10 years ago, had someone told me that I could have a phone with me all the time and that I could call my kids no matter where they are, but that it would cost me $200 per month or more, I would have thought, “No way would I pay that much for simple convenience”. My, how times have changed.
Television was free back then and a similar level of service still is basically free if you put up an antenna. Most areas had 5-7 channels and there was not a lot of choice about what type of programming you could watch. If you wanted to watch a movie on your TV, you usually had to wait until Sunday night and watch whatever the network chose to play. Now there are literally thousands of channels available through cable and the internet and at any one moment there are hundreds of movies available at the click of a button and thousands more watchable through video streaming companies like Netflix, Hulu, etc. If you missed an episode of your favorite series, you might get to watch it the next summer if it showed up in the reruns, but usually you just missed it. People planned their activities around the TV schedule so they wouldn’t miss Dallas or the A-Team or General Hospital. Of course it costs for all this choice and convenience. You can DVR (Digital Video Recorder) any show that airs and watch it when you want – for a price. You can subscribe to hundreds of channels showing anything you can think of – for a price. Again, if someone told me I could watch hundreds of channels any time I wanted twenty years ago, but that it would cost me from $50-$150 per month, I would have passed, but now I do it every month.
The first “IBM PC” computer I bought was $4000 and was so heavy I could barely lift it. The screen was black with green letters and numbers. It only had access to what you either bought and installed or what you entered yourself. Compare that to the small Android computer I bought recently for $25. When connected to my TV as a screen it gives me access to the world and has more computing power than that old PC did. Everything is in full color and the sky is the limit as to what I can do. Of course, high speed internet is in the $50-$100 range per month, but I pay it willingly because of the wealth of information and opportunities that it provides me.
The advent of all the new technology is neither good nor bad in my view. It is simply about what you really want and what you can afford. There are days I think it would be good to go back to simpler times with more family and friend interaction and less busy-ness and technology. Then I realize that I missed an episode of Castle and have to decide – should I head for my DVR while checking my email on my smart phone or play a game with my kids? While I decide, always remember to back up anything that is important to you.
Shaun McCausland has worked in the computer industry for over 30 years, 20 years of it locally with Bits ‘N’ Bytes and Musicomp and currently does in-home and on-site computer consultation, service, training and repair. If you have questions you can reach him at 435-668-7118 or through his website at www.bitsnbytescomputers.com.