Technology answers the call

Do you enjoy watching your favorite television show only to be interrupted by not one, not two, but numerous back-to-back commercials?

I'm old enough to remember when there was a break at 15-minute intervals by a 60-second spot to sell advertising by a single sponsor at a time. Today, that is certainly not the case. We see ad after ad after ad, selling everything from male enhancement drugs to a cure for baldness. At least learning about the age-old cure for diarrhea comes with a little jingle a half-heart attempt to entertain us.

The worst commercials are the ones by drug companies. How many of those have caused naive television watchers to go to the doctor to ask for a drug only to learn that it was later recalled because it caused heart disease or kidney damage? Some people are so gullible that they believe the drivel they see on TV. They believe the actors who are paid to make certain claims, even if they are untrue. How stupid!

Technology's answer: Use your DVR and Tivo. Either record it to watch at your convenience. Or, if you want to watch the show and not the commercials, simply hit pause when the show starts. Do something else for a little while. You have some time. When you come back to it, just watch your show and fast-forward during the commercials. If I forget to hit pause, I will simply let the show go until I'm ready to watch. Then I rewind back to the beginning and watch as usual, fast-forwarding through the commercials. As long as you give your DVR a head start, it will let you control your television viewing.

Speaking of marketing, have you ever been preparing dinner, doing six things at once, when all of a sudden the phone rings? You drop what you are doing and pick it up only to find an unfamiliar voice asking questions about your product usage? Often times you have to strain to hear because the pot is boiling, radio is blasting, husband is talking, and your mind is on so many other things. It is easy to recognize the voice on the other end of the phone is unfamiliar. To make matters worse, the caller has such a heavy accent that you can't understand what they are saying. You want to be polite, but frankly you have no idea what they are saying or why they are calling you. Eventually you realize it is just a marketing consultant. You try not to be rude, but no amount of explanation will get rid of them. So, you hang up, knowing they will probably call back. How rude!

Technology's answer: Caller ID. What a wonderful invention. When you see the 800 number pop up, you know not to even bother picking up the phone.

Now, if only someone could find a technological answer to 'stupid' and 'rude' people, we would really have something. C'mon all you geniuses out there, get cracking on that one.

Good to be a computer geek

I have come to the realization that I simply love my computer. I don't know if I would or could be a writer without it. It has allowing me to make a living over the last 20 years. I cannot imagine trying to hand-write a story or type one on a typewriter. I think 'cut, copy, and paste' has revolutionized writing. The ability to move thoughts from paragraph to paragraph makes writing so easy, allowing for concentration on the story instead of writing mechanics. Of course typing is a must, but I learned that years ago.

I love the social networking sites. It has been fun to meet up again with old friends on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. Just this week, I re-connected with an old friend I hadn't seen in years. We live miles apart now, both having moved away from the old neighborhood where we used to talk on the sidewalk, literally for hours. Our young children played together. Now, we are grandparents. And we can share pictures. That is one of the best parts about today's technology. I wouldn't think of going anywhere without my camera. My job as a reporter got me into the habit of carrying a camera, and I continue the practice even when not covering a story. Recording moments in time is now second nature, evidenced by the thousands of images that clog my hard drive.

Yesterday, I watched a movie on Hulu.com. Who would have ever thought you could use this little box on the desk for such activities? I admit to having wasted hours and hours on computer games. I was addicted to Mahjongg for a time. It was the ultimate self-competition until my daughter got involved. With her youthful agility, she beat my score by fractions of seconds. And her winning record will just have to stand. Now I love word games. I don't know that it has helped my vocabulary at all, but it does offer great competition. I love Upwards, and Scrabble too. One of my favorite games is Mind Your Marbles, but that is strictly for relaxation purposes.

I wouldn't be without technology, even though it certainly can be infuriating sometimes. Over the years, I cannot imagine all the hours I've spent trying to solve computer problems, although that was the best way to learn. Trying to solve a computer problem can be annoying, frustrating, aggravating, and time-consuming, but never futile. There is no better feeling than conquering the little box that thinks it knows everything. It is easier to solve problems these days, since typing in the problem into Google will usually yield thousands of people with the same problem. And they tell how they solved it. Thank goodness for a world full of computer pioneers, always anxious to help.

But the best part about today's technology is the ability to communicate. It is fast, easy, and satisfying to connect with others, to share information, and to inspire learning. And then there is blogging ...