I remember a day when one would get in trouble for passing handwritten notes in class! I also remember the first time a girl passed me one—be still my heart! Yes, I also remember black and white TV with a dial for 13 VHF and UHF channels if you were lucky enough to “receive” any with aluminum foil-enhanced rabbit ears.
I remember cars with no air conditioning or cruise control and only AM radios. I remember being sent to my room when “Laugh-in” and “Love American Style” was on. I also remember our first color TV, an RCA, and when it “gave up the ghost” one summer—what’s a guy to do!!! Well, my parents had bought a full set of World Book Encyclopedias, so I started in “A”. I didn’t read every word and it certainly did not help me on my SAT score later on! But my eyes were open to a whole wide world (the first www) that had before been so far away. For a fifth grader those transparency drawings in “H” for human body began to really educate me.
I remember Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus fondly. I was quite good with math and formulas were solved “long-hand” and on paper. As a senior in high school I was introduced to the marvel now vaguely remembered as a slide rule. I am still amazed how that thing actually worked. Who figured that thing out?
I remember college chemistry class and having to formulate and calculate before I had a calculator. In fact, it was Christmas of my freshman year of college asking for a pocket calculator with scientific notation. You would think I had asked for a Corvette Stingray. Those little gems, manufactured by Texas Instruments, cost a fortune. Luckily Santa Claus found a Montgomery Ward model of the TI calculator for about half the price and I passed the last half of Chemistry.
I typed many of my college papers on a portable manual typewriter. In seminary I was allowed to use the church’s IBM Selectric typewriter with backspace correction. And, let’s not forget Kate Turabian?
I remember meeting my future father-in-law who had his very own Apple MacIntosh computer in their home. I remember the first PC I had in my office in a church—it had the most impressive dark green screen on which bright light green letters would flash up when I typed!
Fast forward now into the twenty-first century. (I remember when I thought it was so far, far away, too!) I have a PC and a laptop computer in my home, my wife has an iPad, and we both carry on our hips “smart phones”—all of this keeps us instantly connected to our world. If we have a question about a topic or wonder where an expression comes from, we “Google” it and obtain the knowledge desired. We post on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media our updates and we send and receive our emails—instantly.
I’ve caught on to the craze. I’m hooked. I have expanded my sphere of influence, or those who know what I’m up to, a hundred-fold with my posts and updates.
This morning I found it interesting that Twitter CEO announced enhancements to come as a result of users wanting their profiles to be more personal. I say, “Duh! Read my update.”
I have to remind myself constantly that even though this world is flying by, God still whispers, “Be still and know that I am God.”
