I finished my lunch, a keto-friendly bread, turkey and cheese sandwich, black coffee, and an apple. This morning I surfed the web, went on social media sites, streamed one of my favorite movies, sent some texts on my smartphone. I checked the status of my home generator online, looked at my security cameras to see if the mail had come. Then I paid some bills, balanced my checking account, and ordered a part on eBay that was unavailable locally.
As I sipped on my hot coffee, I wondered what we did before all of today’s technology? It’s incredible how much bandwidth we use just operating out of our homes. Everything can be connected. Our smartphones, televisions, computers, sleep apnea machines, refrigerators, Alexa devices, washing and drying machines, toasters, coffee makers, video doorbells, gardening devices, Smart Water Filters, smart ovens, coffee makers, personal chef Robots (Yes, they have those you can buy), window blinds, outdoor grills, and the list goes on. WIFI enabled home hubs to control them all. Most wireless devices can connect to 255 devices. It seems like a lot, but when you start adding them up, I’ll bet you will be surprised how many you already have.
Many of these devices enhance our lives and may improve our daily tasks. I enjoy moving my laptop around different rooms and out to the deck. I multitask, and technology helps me to accomplish this time-saving activity. Alexa is always ready to tell me the current weather, play some songs or answer almost any question. I decided to take my nap in my “Comfy Chair.” I love the deep relaxation time that occurs just before you drop into REM sleep. I do my best thinking at that time.
I began to think back to my childhood and wondered how I connected to the world back then. We did have television 5 different channels to select from, a far cry from the hundreds you can stream today. Radios came before tv and still exist today. We had landlines that you could use to call and find out what the correct time was. The weekly newspaper and, in some areas, daily papers were chock full of information. The local library was the place to go to find information. If you understood the Dewey Decimal system, you could find whatever book you sought. For historical news, you could look at the microfiche system, a piece of film containing microphotographs chock full of information. All of this took a lot of time. Time to realize that you could only find your answer at the library, then you drove there or were given a ride there and a time to be picked up. You might ask for help from the librarian, and they often directed you to resources that would help. Libraries are a great resource today. They also have online services. And the Librarians are very skilled and can help. Some families bought huge encyclopedias; they were good reference sources, but many could not afford them. I must have fallen asleep, confirmed by the fact that I woke up. I looked around the family room. I saw an Alexa, my smart tv, iPhone, security camera, atomic clock that keeps time by remote signal, and my laptop, smart thermostat, and Kindle. It’s nice to look back at a less complicated time. Humans have adapted to new technologies.
“Remember, every day is a gift! Some are just a little more fun to open than others. – © Joel M. Vernier 03/26/2023 Author of: “The Guinea Pig In The Freezer.” joelmvernier@aol.com
