A really neato thing about Google Buzz is only having to remember one (1) username and one (1) password. This is especially effective for my step-daughter who does not have a Twitter or Facebook account. She can email, chat, webcam, track her calendar, and now, update her daily status all via Google Buzz.
I'm not going to pretend it doesn't completely trip me out that an 8 yeard old knows how to email. Or type. Or use a search engine. Or even turn the computer on. It's a bit crazy to watch but I refuse to become my generation's version of "those darn kids and their rock and roll music". I refuse to let this shock me.
So, I walked into her room the other day and she was voice chatting with her best friend. I peered over her shoulder and her best friend yelled, "Hi LANI! My mom wants to say hi!" Her mother and I could only stare at each other in amazement.
What did we have when we were 8 years old?
The only forms of communication I can think of (other than sitting my ass on my banana-seat bike and pedaling myself over to my best friend's house) were passing notes in class and using the telephone. Notice I say telephone and not phone or cell phone. I feel telephone is a more appropriate word to describe the device that sent interrupted electrical pulses (known as pulse dialing) to the telephone system. It was OLD SCHOOL. I nearly had a conniption fit when the NKOTB came to my town in 1991. I spent three hours on the phone trying to get through to ticket master!
Why not use redial?
What a novel idea! And I would have except in 1991 I hadn't even heard of redial! I spent 3 hours rotating that stupid dial clockwise and all I got was a bad case of carpal frickin' tunnel!
As demonstrated in the screenshot below, I am delighted that my step-daughter, Arwen, will never have to experience such pain....
Actually, if you have a land line they're handy to have. Those old phones are usually the only thing that works when the power goes out. We kept one around at my folk's place for just that reason.
Posted by: Dan | February 11, 2010 at 02:08 PM
You know what place doesn't have rotary phones? Mars. You better get your ass there.
Posted by: Young Park | February 11, 2010 at 02:18 PM
The changes I have seen in my lifetime have been amazing. From rotary phones when I was a kid to my lovely iPhone I have now. What a difference! And here I though a touch-tone phone was awesome when we first got one... lol. We even had to pay extra to use the touch-tone service at first! Imagine when I was a teenager and discovered three-way calling! heh... good times good times.
Posted by: Doc_from_Bloop | February 11, 2010 at 03:51 PM