Geeks Don't Have to Rule the World

Seriously, what did we do before the internet? Monday was my last day of work before the long-awaited summer vacation and what do I come home to? A computer without an internet connection. Of course, the Xbox seems to be working fine. Just my luck…maybe Matt has something to do with this…

Normally, when our computer acts up, I wait for Matt to get home to try to solve the problem, but because I’m on VACATION, it is vital that I get this problem solved as quickly as possible. Also, because of the generation we grew up in, our combined knowledge of computers really is quite minimal, maybe equal to that of a current 2nd grader. Most of the time we pretend to know what the problem is so we click on several different icons thinking that we can solve it on our own, but if one of us does fix it, it's usually a result of sheer luck.

This time it is only minutes before I am on the phone with a Comcast technician. Thankfully she can’t see me trembling from nervousness as I try to pretend that I know what she’s talking about and that I know what I’m doing. First, she tells to me to click on the “tools” button and I immediately go for the “start” menu and cannot find tools. She’s already onto the 3rd or 4th step and I’m still looking for tools. We’re only 30 seconds into our conversation and I have to admit to her that “I can’t find tools.” She tells me that it’s located on Internet Explorer and of course I look in the top right corner of my screen and immediately feel like a moron. Great. There’s no redeeming myself after this one. Next, she has me telling her which lights are flashing on the modem and the router. Really, I am just relieved that I was able to figure out the difference between the modem and the router without having to ask. Alas, after following through with a few more orders, I realize that we (and by “we” I mean “she”) cannot diagnose the problem. I will not have internet access today. My vacation is ruined.

It has now been 5 days and we still do not have internet access because Matt’s “guy” is on vacation and Geeksquad costs $79 for one hour! Right now, I am at work just to check email and type this post.

The internet has become a crutch for people around the world. Kids today do not know a life without the internet. And it’s quite evident; I have witnessed, first hand, how much they rely on it (Stop plagiarizing already! You’re gonna get caught!). I, on the other hand, DO know a life without the internet and, believe it or not, I am grateful for that time.

I was first introduced to a computer in elementary school. Once a week, we would go to the computer lab to play Oregon Trail. I remember the terrible graphics and assigning my own family members’ names to each character in my wagon. In hindsight, I’m shocked that more students didn’t end up in the guidance office in tears after playing this game. After all, it’s got to be a bit traumatic having your brother die of cholera on the Oregon Trail. I also remember the teacher (when she was in a good mood) allowing us to make 10-page long “Happy Birthday” signs in which each letter was made up of several smaller versions of the same letter and the paper had the perforated edges that you had to tear off.

My computer use was pretty consistent all the way up through high school. In middle school, Mrs. Reber taught us how to type using "QWERTY" in between reminding us that her name was a palindrome. From middle school to high school we had one computer in each classroom and student use was typically limited to “lab time.” I knew only a few people that actually owned a computer and, unfortunately for me, it wasn’t a priority for my family (although we had every single video game system that you can imagine).

When I started having to write long papers in high school, I actually asked for a typewriter one Christmas. (Of course I got the damn typewriter because we always got everything we asked for.) Even in high school I was pulling all-nighters, typing papers while lying on my stomach on the living room floor, bottle of white out in hand and papers strewn all over the room (usually ripped out of the typewriter in a fit of rage over a margin mistake). I look back on this and simply laugh. If I had a computer, I could’ve written those papers in ¼ of the time, gotten a good night’s sleep and maybe even stayed for the entire school day the following day rather than get dismissed after turning in the paper.

Then came college. Unlike every freshman entering college THIS fall, I arrived at UMass without a computer. My wealthy roommate, whose parents were both doctors, obviously brought one of her own and graciously allowed me to use it. We were given our own email addresses when we arrived, but I can’t recall using it or giving it out until junior year. Junior year was the same year that one of our “guy friends” got a DVD player for Christmas and I watched a DVD player for the very first time. The cell phone, believe it or not, did not come until AFTER my college graduation.

Why am I reminiscing? Well, I’ve recently come to appreciate the generation in which I grew up. Maybe I will never fully understand the ins and outs of a computer and I’ll always have to rely on someone else to fix my computer problems, but I’m okay with that. I like the fact that I knew a time without a computer, without the internet, without a cell phone. Things seemed a lot simpler then. Don’t get me wrong, I’m certainly grateful for each and every groundbreaking technological advancement (a big shout out to Apple, especially, for making the iPod), but I feel very privileged to have experienced a time without these “things.” And I’m hopeful that, when given he opportunity to raise my own kids, I can bring back some of the simplicity that I experienced as a kid and so vividly remember as an adult.

Have a happy 4th of July!
I will be away all week in a beach house with no computer.
And, suddenly, I’m looking forward to it.