Friday, November 15, 2013

3am on Decaf...

So, it's a little after 3am and I'm awake, in my little kitchen, on my laptop because I need to stay awake all night for some test tomorrow. A sleep-deprived EEG. Most people would be upset about having to be up all night, but I'm actually grateful for the chance to get a little stuff done...

Time is a luxury. I'm a full-time Mom who lives in a very small space with my family. I have a laptop which only comes out of my closet maybe 1 or 2 times a week. I'm with the kids all day and at night, I work. I usually don't have a lot of "me" time. But I'm not complaining... my kids mean the world to me :)

That being said, there is a lot of technology out there that I'm completely ignorant to. A friend was telling me that there is a new phone that comes with software where you can literally do your drawing/sketching directly ON the phone, and even has the capability to color and adjust it at will. A PHONE. Only a few years ago, people were clamoring to get into colleges to learn the latest Photoshop and Corel... now you can do that stuff on a phone. It is incredible.

I still don't have a definitive way of storing my files. God forbid something should happen to this laptop, and a lot of my pictures (of my children AND artwork) would be gone. One of these days I'll get around to doing what is necessary to putting everything where it belongs. It's funny how people take space and equipment for granted. I share one bedroom with my 2 children (lol)... I have to cut back on art supplies and what not because I've simply no room to keep them. And as far as what I've on my computer, I would need a lot of computer time to go through everything and try and categorize/organize what I've got on there, and then decide what to keep, and finally, HOW to keep them. I don't have a scanner, nor a printer. I don't even have a PC. These days, most of the previously mentioned items are standard in a household.

And don't even get me started on apps... there is an app for everything. And the popularity of things like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. is astounding. I was online last month at a Dunkin Donuts and EVERYONE was on their phone... even me. Talking to someone? Oh, no... typing or whatever on it. It's as if all the latest gadgets have become greater extensions of ourselves... an extra appendage, if you will.

Christmas time is vast approaching, and a commercial I just saw featured a young boy talking about presents. He basically showed two items: a scooter, and a computer tablet. Then, he pretty much said NOT to get the scooter for your kids this Christmas, because it won't be used. He told the parents to get the kids the electronic device because that is something that WILL be used. I'm not exaggerating... this commercial was LITERALLY promoting getting your growing child an electronic device rather than something that they can use outside, to keep healthy, and have fun playing in the fresh air and sunshine like we used to when we ourselves were kids... oh, the times, how they have changed. The more technology advances, they say the better it is for us. I'm not so sure.

10 comments:

Patrick Brennan said...

yeah, things seem to have sped up in many ways. i was thinking the other night that i was born roughly nine years after we landed on the moon, an event that seems in my mind that was a lot longer ago than it actually is. the 20th century saw some of the greatest advances in technology in recorded history, those apollo mission module relied on less technology than an automobile that was made in the ninties... woah. we forget that calculators used to cost hundreds of dollars and had only basic functions and computer programs were made up of punched paper cards.

there are law's, like moore's law that talks about the number of transistors in intergrated circuts double every two years, this trens seem to me to echo the advances we are seeing in storage space as well.

as for the future generations, it is unfortunate that we are seeing more kids in front of tv's than books or running around outside scraping knees and throwing dirt clods, but technology has always been a lure to the youth, kids have always wanted to leave the farm, explore the cities and the world, etc. is this different?

maybe?

yeah, it is pretty cool the things we get to do, there is a bit of irony that we are so much more connected through social media and yet never talk to one another, i've watched people, standing a few feet away from one another sending pictures and images back and forth, what ever happened to leaning over and showing someone something.

i think tho, in the end, we have to understand that keeping out kids from these advance will ultimately put them in a disadvantage, at least in the way things seem to be going right now. and while it seems that our technology out paces our social evolution, there are going to be problems.
im sure that gutenburg made sure he printed bibles first so that the press wouldnt be considered of the "devil".

what it comes down to, what it always seems to come down to, in my opinion, is that parents need to take a more active role in teaching their children,preparing them for a chaotic world, and not depend on society to raise them and complain about how their children turn out.

okay, i think i broke my brain on this.

bananaorangeapple said...

I think I would like to draw on my phone, but not as much as a pen and paper.

You ought to back up your laptop somehow - do you have an external hardrive for it?

Unknown said...

I need to come up with some backup system too. It is amazing how technology has progressed. I remember working at a payroll company where we had a keypunch staff and all the payroll updates were done with stacks of keypunch cards. At the newspaper I work at -- I remember when the pages were put together by hand cutting and pasting the news -- then photo plates were made and then the paper was printed. -- Advances in photography alone have changed our lives so. All photos had to be developed using a dark room now of course it's all electronic -- so much is done by e-mail.

Kim said...

yea, you know my opinion on this . .I would MUCH rather see kids outside playing and using their imagination. When I was teaching kindergarten I discovered many of my kids had no idea how do imaginary play . . .because they were indoors all day playing video games . . .at age 5!!! augh! :(

I do love all the new advances in digital photography . .love playing around with photos :) BUT I will say I don't have a fancy smart phone, an Ipad, a kindle . . .I still like reading books the old fashioned way ;)

sammysgrammy said...

Jen - have missed you - I feel similar to you about technology - it seems to be spiraling out of control - I just have a "passing knowledge" of it all - desperation drives me to throw myself on the mercy of my kids for tech. help.

Rafael y Nelly said...

I understand where you are coming from, and I enjoyed Patrick Brennan's comment too.

I have a 5 year old boy who knows more about my phone than I do. I struggled to let go of my old one which only had talk and text capabilities, now I struggle to find the button to make a call :(. Only 7 years ago I was helping my 80 something year old boss write emails and attach documents, and repeat myself patiently every single day. Today, I am feeling more like him...

KarenW said...

Holly got to play with the Richmond Symphony last month which meant a 2.5 hour practice time that most of the parents sat through. Most of them were on their phones or ipads. I felt a bit strange sitting there with my knitting!

Kathleen said...

Doh! Get the scooter!!!

Pam of alwaysartistic said...

Jennifer,

I hope the test went well and you have caught up on your sleep. I am glad you got to get some work done while you were awake!

Hopefully one day you can safely organize and backup your photos and files.

Yes there are so many gadgets out there, Christmas is changing!

~Pam

Tetris Planner said...

You can back up the laptop on Carbonite or Google Drive both of which work well.