Changing Technology

Sometime in the mid 1990s we purchased our first real computer. I say real computer because we actually bought a Texas Instruments TI-99 computer prior to this, but I never considered that a real computer - all it was ever used for was to play games. The first real computer we bought was a Macintosh computer. We purchased it primarily so my oldest daughter, who was then entering junior high school, could keep up with the junior high Joneses. My husband and I had no idea how to use the thing, nor did we really care to learn. At that time I was a stay-at-home mom and he was self-employed, neither of us thought we needed a computer.

Shopping for the first computer was an experience. I remember likening it to purchasing a car if you had never even ridden in one and having the salesperson ask if you wanted power windows. Who cares about power windows if you don't even know what a steering wheel is for! We basically relied on our salesman at the computer store to tell us what we needed. To this day I am not sure if he ripped us off or made us a good deal. He did seem to enjoy talking over our heads and making us feel extremely ignorant. Not much has changed with computer salespeople over the years.

Our daughters were quick to figure the computer out once we got it home and slow to bring their parents into the new world of computer technology. Gradually we caught on; I learned how to email, and my husband (who still doesn't much like the things) learned to trouble-shoot whenever there was a computer glitch - which seemed more often than not in the early days. Before we had our new computer paid for we learned it was obsolete and a new new computer was in order. And so the computer upgrade game began. Just when I would finally figure one out (or pay for it) it was time to buy a new one. Then they each had to have their own. Then it was time for college and a laptop. The only good thing about all of this computer upgrading was I got the hand-me-down. I always had the third best computer in the house!

Of course there were other electronic items associated with each computer purchase. There were printers, and scanners, and once even a fax machine (my husband decided this was one electronic purchase he could use). I lost track of the number of desk-top computers, lap-top computers, and printers we have purchased over the years - until this week.

This week we uncovered a computer graveyard in the garage. Even the TI-99 was in there. Why did we save these? Did we think they were going to come back into style? Did we think the computer fairies would find them and wave a magic wand over them making them no longer outmoded? Did we think they would gain antique status and suddenly be worth more than we paid for them? I have no idea why we kept them. That is what we do. We keep things. That is why I am writing this blog.

They are gone now and my garage is that much closer to being clean. However, I still have the third best computer in the family - maybe it is time for me to upgrade? I promise I won't stash the old one in the garage.