Monday, August 20, 2012

I'm not a Luddite, I just play one in real life

The irony of this piece is that it's on a blog. I'm not a techie person. I don't care if I don't have the latest gadgets & gizmos. I don't actually have a computer at home- these posts are made from my mother's house, work, and/or the library. If I did have a computer, I'd spend even more time fooling around online and get even less sleep than I already do. (I'm firmly convinced the creators of the internet were all fellow insomniacs) Amusingly, for all that I DON'T know about computers, I'm one of the most techno-savvy people in my office. (One of my coworkers actually called IT when she couldn't figure out how to change her background picture. They were not amused)

My cellphone is mainly used for just that- a PHONE. I do text a lot with my friend Laura. We text a lot more now that I finally got a phone with a QWERTY keyboard. Didn't do so much before then becasue cycling through the buttons to get a message typed out was a pain in the proverbial. I don't stream music through my phone (although it's an option for an additonal $20/mo), and while my phone isn't a smartphone, I recently discovered I *CAN* use it to do limited things on Facebook. This is NOT a good thing. The fabulous Jen Lancaster shares stories with her fans about taking her ambien and then gonig online, usually to comic effect. I was recently alerted to the fact that I also apparently have done this and posted a truly odd message about a blue cat, my feet being funny and "goingsleepiebies" now. Laura and a few other friends thought it was hysterical. (although some of the boys did drop by the office the next day just to make sure I WAS ok) Some family members thought it was a cry for help and called my mother. Oops. Facebook is now signed off on my phone.

I must admit to one guilty pleasure on my phone. I downloaded Ms Pac-man and Jewel Quest and spend far too long playing both of them. Which means I charge the damn thing just about every day.

I don't have a GPS. Don't like them, don't trust them. When you consider that most of them are programmed by the same geniuses who create directions for Map Quest and similar programs, and the number of one-way streets I have been incorrectly routed on, it's not worth it. And I don't listen to my passengers giving me directions, so why would I listen to a robot? (we won't go into the passenger/s forgetting to give me directions, or telling me to take the next turn as I'm passing it)

I have a kindle, but only becasue someone who should have known better inisted on buying me one. I mostly play games on it, too. (Slingo, and several word games) I still prefer holding an actual book and turning pages, but I DO have to admit the e-reader was WONDERFUL for traveling with when I flew out to visit my cousins in washington state last spring. It beat the hell out of hauling a tote bag full of books around.

I don't care about the latest & greatest home video technology. Pick a format, leave it alone for an extended period of time (decades would be just fine), make sure I can get all my favorites on it and I'm good. Ditto for music. (although I can make you a great deal on VHS and audio cassettes if you need some, I refuse to buy my entire collections on another format again)

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