We all know what this is, right? Skype? I love it! I love being able to See the people I am talking to, especially since most of my friends and family are far away.
I find it pretty easy to use but I have to be honest, Tim set it up for me. All I have to do is a couple of clicks, make sure the camera and sound are on and voila! I am looking at the people I am talking to. Amazing and wonderful! It's still very Star Trekkian to me. But I love it. Still I cannot honestly say that I know what the heck I am doing anytime I am in front of a computer. I mean I can do stuff. I know how to do whatever I need to know how to do, but I cannot veer off course even a tiny bit. If something goes awry I am in big trouble. Luckily for me, I have an in-house computer guru/tech support/I.T. guy in Tim. Tim will remind me periodically when I gush over something computerish, that I was dragged kicking and screaming into the world of technology. In fact, I didn't have the vaguest idea how to use a computer until (many many) years ago now, when I was looking for work and was finally offered a job. Almost as a last minute aside, after offering me the job, they said, "You are of course proficient in.....(I don't remember but it was something computerish)" . And because I was desperate for work, I lied and said. "yes". Then I went home in a great panic. But the job offer came on the Friday of a 3-day weekend and Tim spent the next three days doing nothing but teaching me the very very VERY basics of using a computer. When I started the job I knew enough to get by and then blindly fumbled and bumbled my way through learning anything else I absolutely HAD to know. It was trial by fire for sure. So basically, even now, if you show me exactly, step by step, how to do anything, I can duplicate it. I am a quick learner. Usually if you show me once, I have it. But I don't know anything more than that one thing unless I am taught. I do not deviate from my path. For me, technology is so far from intuitive that it is laughable. Every time I am told that a particular techie thing is "User Friendly" I chuckle because I know that they are absolutely not talking about me. I am not the user it is friendly to. To Tim, I'm sure. To anyone under the age of 60 for sure. But me? No. It is not user friendly to me. Even my cell phone is... Ok well, I'll back up. First of all, I resisted getting a cell phone for so long that finally Tim just got me one, set it up and said, "Here". And I bumbled and fumbled once again and eventually figured out how to text (horribly and to this day I am the worst texter ever) and then how to make or receive a call. Once I learned it had a camera it was a different kettle of fish and I was delighted! I have very few apps (although I am tickled with my step counter). I do play the occasional game of Candy Crush on it and check emails but that's it. I know the phone can be used for a lot more, but I do not. Every time I need a new phone I panic because I have to learn an entirely different way of doing the same thing I was doing before. And once again, for me, it does not come instinctively or easily. So what the heck was I thinking, when my friend Jan back in Colorado said that she wanted to learn how to Skype so that we could see each other while we talk and I said, "Sure I'll help you". What seriously was I thinking? I can barely do it myself...how on earth am I going to help someone else do this? My old friend is even more technologically backwards than I am, if that is even possible. And somehow I think I am going to be able to talk her through setting up and using Skype? Excuse me a minute here: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Ok I'm fine now. Well we decided that we would have this call yesterday at 3 o'clock my time, 1 o'clock her time. There we are, both of us on our cell phones to each other while sitting in front of the computer and I'm saying things like, "Do you see the thingie that looks like an old fashioned movie projector?" And she is saying things like, "No. What colour is it?" And I say "It's up in the right hand corner" And she is looking in the lower left corner. And well, Tim got involved on my end and her husband on her end and eventually taadaa! We were seeing each other face to face. Well sort of. She accidentally screen shared with me so I actually was seeing me and she was seeing me, but we were seeing somebody and that's a good start. We will do better next time. Meanwhile, I have to say that while I still don't really know what I'm doing half the time, I'm kind of proud of us for at least trying. It does not come easily to us but we are struggling through bravely and eagerly and, albeit slowly, learning. I know that nowadays kids are practically writing code in the womb and are able to hack into the Pentagon before they are potty-trained. BUT can they read an analog clock? Nope. Can they diagram a sentence. Also no. Can they write cursive? Noppitynope. So I refuse to feel bad about my lack of computer skills because I have other skills. Unrecognized as important these days, but still, skills. And, as I said, at least I continue to try to learn new things. I don't know anybody trying to learn to read an analog clock.
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AuthorYup, this is me. Some people said, "Sam, you should write a Blog". "Well, there's a thought", I thought to myself. And so here it is. Archives
April 2024
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