It’s Magic
Please, my friends, as you read this, remember, I was born and was even out of high school before there was such a thing as a personal printer, GPS, a smartphone, or a computer. So what younger people take for granted, knowing that all these items can be explained, I still find them as completely magic. However, technology has given us other kinds of magic also. For example, I own a 2013 Chevy Malibu. I can stand at my kitchen sink, press a button and the motor of my car will start. That means some “magic” spark travels down the hall, through a closed door and ignites the engine. That’s amazing!
A friend visited me wanting to share some knitting projects. As we discussed patterns, we found one of mine she became interested in using, so she said, “Would you mind printing a copy of this pattern off for me?” She assumed I owned a printer (which I do). I never use my printer so I am not totally aware of how it works. My parents would have loved to have such a device in their home, yet I know the thought of having a personal printer in your home was beyond their wildest imagination. A personal printer in a private home? Preposterous!
Yet a later event, even more, astounded me when our son stopped in with an article in his laptop computer he wanted me to have. He tapped the screen of his laptop a couple of times and my printer came alive and began printing! No outward connections between laptop and printer, yet in a few moments, I held in my hand a copy of what our son wanted me to have. Incredible!
I know that GPS, Global Positioning System, has something to do with satellites, but it is still magic to me that a voice (and I have a choice as to whether I want a male or female voice) tells me where I am now and how to arrive someplace else, plus it lists restaurants, gas stations and motel/hotels along the way. This voice can be heard from my phone or from my car. Mindboggling!
My smartphone, a 4x6, quarter-inch tool, contains all kinds of magic. Two “tricks” truly astound me: 1) the translator. I just finished reading a book that had many Spanish words. I do not know Spanish, but my phone does. In fact, I can translate any foreign word by just typing it into my phone and the English word pops up on the screen. 2) Facetime. Our granddaughter “calls” me and my phone becomes a camera showing my great-grandson, in motion, playing with his toys. Not only is this video in full color, but there is also sound. As I watch, I can hear our granddaughter’s voice. Miraculous! Among other “magic tricks,” I use my phone as a calculator, a camera, a timepiece, a dictionary, a spell check, and a metronome. My phone has many other magical conveniences, many I do not completely understand, but the good news is that I can still make a phone call.
I will not ever comprehend a computer. Sometimes I wonder what is it that a computer cannot do rather than what it can do. I only know that the computer has become so much a part of our lives that I must learn to work with it. And, at my age and with my background, it is a challenge.