A Lightbulb Moment

[mrsl]

Over on the Western thread a discussion is going on about the similarities between Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Wild Bunch.

lzcutter said: "The west is changing, perhaps too quickly, and these men can not keep up. Both films deal with men out of step with the times they are living in".

That statement caused a lightbulb moment for me. In just the 9 years since I returned from Las Vegas, the midwest has changed enormously. When I came back little girls still wore clothes that covered their navels, and little boys still wore pants around their waists. At that point only 'tough' kids wore excessively large pants that barely hung on them. Very few people had cell phones, and no kids under 18. I remember the commercials for texting and people saying "if you have the phone in your hand, why would you type out your message"? Also, during this time frame both my parents passed away, as did one of my daughters, my sister, and my favorite aunt, and my oldest granddaughter spent weeks in and out of various hospitals. That all called for lots of time spent sitting around commiserating with just family members, and little interaction with the rest of the world. These are not excuses, but reasons for falling behind and having a hard time accepting all the changes that have come about.

I noticed that people of my generation and my kids, still say, 'buckle up' when they start the car, but kids under 15 wouldn't dream of taking off without being buckled up. My daughter practically had a coronary when she saw some old family photos with my Dad smoking. "I didn't know Grandpa ever smoked!" Hah, the man never moved without a cig hanging out of his mouth. My little granddaughter asked me what the lady was doing when someone was dialing a phone in a movie. In my 64 years I've seen a lot of changes occur but most of them took years to evolve e.g. from operator, to dialing, to push button, to cell phones, to texting. Lord knows how our parents and grandparents handled cars, planes, phones, etc. Again, most of the changes took years to slowly creep into daily activities, but the last 10 years have introduced changes so quickly, you barely get used to one thing, and another comes along to take its' place.

I am not directing this to anyone, nor do I mean it to be any kind of message to anybody. It was just a sudden awakening on my part as to why sometimes I get so upset over the things I see in today's movies, and hear in today's music. But that doesn't necessarily mean the old gal is ready to move over quite yet.

Have a good day all.

Anne

[klondike]

Great thread, Anne, and a very well composed opening post.
I've read it through twice already, and will probably go back to reread it several times over the next few days.
I'll definitely be posting in direct response to the elements you've shown a light on (ha!, you called it a , I see it as a flashlight!), but I want to take the time to gather my thoughts carefully, so that I can express them as clearly as you have.
Carry on, Friend!

[bryce]

The single most interesting thing about the progress of the last decade or so is that it is the direct result of almost a hundred years of invention and innovation, with the great bulk of it having taken place in the last 40 years. LCD celebrates its 45th birthday this year, but you wouldn't have even known it had been around as long thanks to bullheaded RCA political infighting. Likewise, the integrated circuit turns 50, and the man mostly responsible for where we are today, Alfred Cho, gets inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame tonight. His MBE - molecular beam epitaxy - gave engineers free reign to design circuits however they see fit, and everything from cell phones to computer processors to DVD lasers exist almost single-handedly because of his invention. Bell Labs was also another 20th century anomaly - may it rest in peace, 2009, and sadly an outfit of its ethics and R&D devotion may not be seen again for many, many years if the current social, political and economic climates are any indicator - in that it was the world's greatest R&D outfit. You signed on, you were given a desk and told to get crackin' on something. They truly recognized that at the heart of all technology - especially the most profitable ones - was invention.

I was very happy to read your post late last night. Despite the fact that you have endured so much in the last ten years you still choose to interact with the world and actively engage in its progress and that's amazing. While we most often associate technology and change with the results that are right in our face - cell phones, big ultra-thin LCD tvs, iPods, etc. - the most fantastic changes are the ones that we only come to realize exist when we need them the most. Thanks to folks like Bush and other people who fear progress (and do so whilst claiming "moral superiority") we're about ten or twelve years behind where we should be, but soon, thanks to all of the same inventions and innovations that gave us the everyday utilities and entertainment devices that have changed our lives, we'll have the earliest cures for cancer, diabetes, paralysis, AIDs, the common cold, Alzheimer's and God knows what else. Within a hundred all those ills will just be memories. We'll have those cures thanks to advanced gene therapy, nanotechnology (did you think that even before you were born scientists conceptualized electronic micro-organisms running around in our body fixing things? yikes!), embryo gene and DNA filtering and the likes, stem cells, and so much more. Yes, color me a tech utopianist, but it's what I believe in, and wouldn't it be amazing?

[Birdy]

Nice topic idea, Anne.
Just a short note now, later I'll try to compose my thoughts into something longer than a 'tweet'. That's the 140 character limit on "Twitter, the internet/phone site that allows a user to send posts out to hundreds...millions of people simultaneously. No, I don't use it and don't intend to, but the way I've reduced my power of written expression to nothing short of a 'blurb' makes me think I belong there. I think it's indicative of our times that people want to get to their point with the least effort, and even avoid response if desired. I don't text either, although I understand it's handy for people who sit in a lot of meetings and have teenagers. Believe it or not, I still write letters and send them with a real stamp. (Even though that costs a fortune, now!)

I have a huge nostalgic side, but prefer movies about my grandparents generation. I love to see old clothes, old appliances, old cars, old buildings and to hear old sayings. I love feeling a connection to the past, even though it's not my past. Movies about my own time usually just make me sort of sad.
B

[silentscreen]

Well just a "tweet" from me to say that while technology is wonderful in some ways, it does tend to make you very lazy. I can't remember the last time I wrote a letter, or more than a couple of sentences on a card. Putting that extra effort into something does make it more worthwhile. Doing everything faster and faster doesn't make it better. For instance, I'd much rather talk to someone on the phone rather than just text message. The age of technology has broken down a lot of interpersonal relationships to the point where they almost don't exist any more. And in so many ways, it hasn't made the world a better place.

[bryce]

Wait, so, let me get this, in the one thread I thought I'd never see, where Anne comes out and admits bewilderment/amazement at the present and its technology, someone else decides to jump on the old curmudgeon bandwagon? Sheesh!

Can't we have - just for once - a positive thread where we look forward as opposed to backward?

[silentscreen]

I don't think it's just "the old curmudgeon bandwagon" to admit that there are good things as well as bad things having to do with technology. That's true of practically everything. It's just being realistic.

[rohanaka]

Hello mrsl....

I just want to say... wow... what a thought provoking thread. And I also want to extend to you my admiration and respect for your ability to overcome so many tragic obstacles. You were dealt some very difficult blows.. all at once... but you appear to have come out on the other side of them with a good perspective.

I am always amazed at the many changes that have happened in our world, just in the last few years. And I imagine someday.... instead of "lightbulb moments, our grandkids will be having "laser beam moments" ha.

And at the risk of taking this thread in a direction you may not have intended, I just want to say that it is a good thing to embrace a lot of the new technology and the many great advancements that have been made in recent years. but it is also a good thing to embrace the simpler things in life too. And my OWN lightbulb moments lately have been in thinking that perhaps it is an even better thing still if I can find a way to do both.

I am in my mid forties, and I have a 6 yr old child (I am an old fogey mom, ha) And the world is a MUCH different place now than I ever dreamed when I was my daughter's age. I have to confess to a little bit of "technophobia" (oh... who am I kidding... I have to confess to a LOT of it...ha. I am usually the LAST person to update to the latest ANYTHING) But I want my child to be able to operate in this ever changing world to the best of her ablilty. That is only responsible parenting. But I also have enough "old school" still in me, that I want her to understand and appreciate the simpler side of life as well because... I view that as being responsible too.

One thing that my husband and I have always commented on is that if you look at the pyramids... people have ALWAYS had a level of intelligence that allowed for a great deal of progress over time. But I guess the more you progress... the more momentum you might gain as you go... so things do seem to be moving at an ever quickening pace nowdays. In many, many ways... that is a very good thing... but I think we have paid a price as a society... because we have become far less able to wait for things or to be patient w/ one another as everyone gets in a bigger hurry for everything. Drive through windows, remote control TV, and microwave ovens have taught us for decades now that we don't need to WAIT for anything... so people in society (in general) have come to believe that this is true.

And now we have also found countless ways to connect with one another at lightning speed and we have more access now to almost EVERYTHING than we have ever had in human history. Yet people don't seem to know (or even care) how to interact with one another in a "non-technological" way. And they also don't seem to have any concept of history or the vast treasure they have in learning from their elders... because they are so focused on the here and now that they don't care about the past. The "what can I get and how fast can I get it?" mindset has become the order of the day.

I don't mean to sound negative. Again, I want my daughter to learn all she can in order to function in the changing world around her. I just think that helping her to learn about other aspects of LIFE is going to take much more effort now that we have made so many things easier for ourselves. Things were a bit more simple... when they were harder to do... (ok... not sure if that made sense). ha. I guess what I am saying is... the things that USED to be hard for us... have been made easier with technology.. but the things that USED to be much easier (such as people knowing their neighbors and interacting with one another on a personal level) have become much harder.

NO... I don't want to go back to the stone age. I don't even want to go back to the "pre- microwave oven and VCR in every home" sort of days.. ha. (It hasn't been THAT long.... by the way)

I just am trying to make a concerted effort to focus on some of the simpler things in life for my daughter's sake. Teaching her to be patient and wait for ANYTHING (much harder than it sounds, by the way) and showing her how to do simple acts of neighborly kindness... and even just getting out to appreciate and enjoy nature and being w/ friends and family... just visiting) are all very precious to me now in a way that I did not expect them to be before she was born.

I hope this made some sense... and again... not trying to sound "anti" technology... I just have been having a few "lightbulb moments" myself lately, so thanks for letting me share.

And PS... I say again... very thought provoking thread.

[mrsl]

Great post Rohanaka:

Bryce: if you would just once read my posts with an open mind, rather than looking for hidden messages, you might find I am giving MY opinion, and don't expect anyone else to live by my decree. I do, however, mind being called names repeatedly. I have friends here who have teased me and I laugh right with them, but when you constantly take umbrage at my posts, and rail at me, it is an insult when you refer to me as a curmudgeon because you have not acted in a friendly way, so there is no humor in your comment.

Beyond all of that, the very idea of calling it a 'lightbulb moment' was a full explanation that I had been enlightened, and re-considered today's technology and other facets of change. The point was today's kids don't need to be told, it is second nature to them to 'buckle up'. Dad's gone now, but it was a shock for my daughter to realize he had smoked for 50 years before she was born. Unless kids watch old TV shows like Little House on the Prairie, they don't know that at one time, there was a tiny woman who lived inside your phone and made the connection for you to your friend's house (that's what I thought). You see Bryce, WOW lightbulb moment, maybe these new things are useful, and should be re-examined; but then, . . . I'm sure you got that :!:

Anne

[Ollie]

MrsL, thanks for this topic and fine writing. Interesting points that I think about, too.

[bryce]

Anne, perhaps if you would have read my post you would have noticed that I wasn't referring to you in the first place, I was specifically addressing silentscreen. What little I did mention you was in a positive light.

Regarding the pros and cons of technology, silentscreen: you cite didn't cite a single one, you merely railed. Merely stating opinion, ill-informed ones at that, about the destruction of interpersonal relationships thanks to twitter, isn't the same thing as impartial analysis.

[movieman1957]

Bryce said:
"Can't we have - just for once - a positive thread where we look forward as opposed to backward?"

What did you have in mind?

[silentscreen]

Anne, perhaps if you would have read my post you would have noticed that I wasn't referring to you in the first place, I was specifically addressing silentscreen. What little I did mention you was in a positive light.

Regarding the pros and cons of technology, silentscreen: you cite didn't cite a single one, you merely railed. Merely stating opinion, ill-informed ones at that, about the destruction of interpersonal relationships thanks to twitter, isn't the same thing as impartial analysis.

Bryce,

You're entitled to your opinion. So am I, whether you like it or not, or think it ill-informed or not, is immaterial to me. I wasn't in any aspect "railing" as you put it, but as you correctly said, stating my own personal opinion. I certainly don't agree with everything you say, but I'm not rude to you. I cited this one example as a con to technology, but if you had read my complete post, I said there were good aspects as well. If you can't see that having real conversations with people in person is more personal than impersonal ones with twitter, then your social skills are indeed sadly lacking. Just another con to technology, in my oh so humble and ill-informed opinion, is the fact that lots of people sit at a computer all day interfacing with the outside world that way instead of getting out and meeting with people one on one as they did before the Great Technological Age. I didn't start anything, so I'm not sure why you're so upset, but it certainly is about something else, and has nothing to do with an innocent and honest opinion from me. Sorry guys, I'm not trying to start some kind of flame war here, I'm merely defending myself.

[charliechaplinfan]

Wait, so, let me get this, in the one thread I thought I'd never see, where Anne comes out and admits bewilderment/amazement at the present and its technology, someone else decides to jump on the old curmudgeon bandwagon? Sheesh!

Can't we have - just for once - a positive thread where we look forward as opposed to backward?

Bryce why do you have to take such umbrage and someone else's opinion. It something I can't understand and for me completely takes away form the eloquence of your earlier statement.

Anne this is a great thread which will encourage differing opinions. How I feel is very much how Rohanaka said, I think we have things in common, we both have a child of a similar age, I have one a little younger and at the age of 38 another one on the way. I want to be able to understand their world, I don't want to be like my own mother who can't tune the TV to different channels. I want them to feel that Mum is at least slightly in touch, even tohugh she harbours a terrific nostalgia for the past. My gateway to understanding new technology is my husband who embraces it as second nature and then has to explain to me as he would explain to a four year old how to use it.

Only two or three weeks ago I found out that sending a text message in capitals is the equal to shouting at someone. In my defence I text very little, mostly to my husband who can't come to the phone whilst he's at work. It usually comprises off 'can you get xxx on your way home.

I feel so much for people who can't keep up with technology and feel completely swamped by it. My job these days is a teller at a bank, everyone is encouraged to use ATMs these days but each week we have the same older people who come in a queue patiently to cash their cheques. How else has technology left them behind?

[knitwit45]

Alison, my older son remarked once, "If telephones had been invented AFTER the internet, just think what the reaction would have been..'You mean I can actually TALK to the person at the other end, and HEAR HIS VOICE???'".
My little friend (87) who is still sharp as a tack in most areas of her life, is completely flummoxed by computers. She loves trying, and knows how to play Solitaire, but when you start talking about Email and Google, etc, her eyes just glaze over. Sticking a check in a 'box', and trusting it to find its way into her checking account??? NO WAY. She wants to see the teller stamp it, and put it in the tray for processing.
I used to be a whiz-bang techno nerd when it came to programming digital anythings around the house, hooking up new toys, etc. I have a 2 yr old VCR/DVD player that I cannot properly program to record. My DVR box that came with the cable package is all I use, I've had 4 'lessons' from my younger son, but he buzzes thru it too quickly, and is usually a tad impatient. I think the impatience comes from the realization that I am getting older, and therefore more vulnerable to the vagaries of "old" age, and it scares him a bit.
I understand Bryce's impatience with us, but I wish he would try to understand that we come from a slower, more leisurely-paced time, when personal relationships were valued more than technology, when waiting for something often made it more enjoyable and valued.