Before we all had computers...

[amid chaos]

With Norah going away to college next year, I have been thinking of times in my life that email, instant message and online communities would have made a big difference in my life. But the technology wasn't there yet.

I think that when DH and I were engaged and he spent a year in Switzerland how nice it would have been to use instant message on a daily basis. I missed him so much and the letters and phone call on my birthday were just not enough.

Or when we moved from Virginia to Vermont when I was 5 months pregnant in the middle of winter. That was such a lonely time for me that email and instant message to my far away family and friends would have made that winter a little warmer.

Or when we moved so far away from family to the Virgin Islands.

I think how technology has changed the connection with families as children move on with their lives.

Thinking back....when would todays' technology have made a difference in your life.

 

[klombar]

So very true! When I was at college it would have been great to chat with my girlfriend and family.

Plus
How did we men ever function without a remote!

 

[Dan Murphy]

Certainly with research and the Internet. Everyone has the knowledge of the world, vitually at their fingertips, updated in real time. It is amazing what is on the Net, or maybe rather, what is not on the Net.

 

[helenabear]

I agree... computers have made a lot of things in life very easy. It would have been wonderful to have what we do now when my dad was in Germany working 3/4 of the year while we were back in the States living and moving. In general with my dad traveling as much as he does, I know how much easier it is for him to send a quick e-mail now from India instead of trying to find the right times to call us to let us know that he is okay. In college I had computer access, but my DH (then boyfriend) didn't have internet access while at home so we would have to rely on letters and phone calls to keep in touch while he would go home for the breaks. I've been around computers most of my life, and even in the last 10 years things have changed a lot that make keeping in touch with others even easier and I am so glad that the technology exists.

 

[PandyPaws]

hmmm...very interesting question, Vanessa!

Since I've moved around a lot in my life...I think if there were computers 'back-then', I'd have been able to keep in touch with more people. There are many school friends from various places that I miss, or would like to hear how life has treated them.

Also, my siblings: I'm the youngest of 3, with 5 years between each of us. My oldest brother left for the airforce when I was 8, and after his 4-years of duty he moved to California. We we worlds apart by age and distance, and communication was only sporatic. I did visit out there a few times, but it wasn't until he finally bought himself a computer that we really reconnected and keep in touch regularly.

And what I think about most is if we had PC's a lot sooner my mom might have one today. She's a resister to the technology though...thinks she's 'too old' to learn

 

[Serena]

I can't think of a time when computers wouldn't have helped me in some way or another.
Research and typing in school.
IM's with my husband when he went to germany.
research for moving to germany and georgia
Having a support group when my kids were little.
All kinds of reasons and times.

 

[DixieDreamer]

Could have started keeping "connected" with my brothers and sisters sooner. We hardly ever call each other - but we visit online quite often. Prior to that... we just grew apart.

 

[nativetxn]

Too many times to mention, really. 1965 when my sister and I were forced to leave Arizona and live with our grandparents in Texas. How sweet an email or instant message from my mother would have been.

1965 when my stepfather took my other sister and hid her from us, if she could just have had access to instant messaging things would have ended up so differently.

1974 when dh left me pregnant in Houston while he took a masters degree at MSU, boy-- would it have come in handy then.

When I moved to Michigan leaving all of my family in Texas, sahm with an infant, that would have helped so much.

We are so lucky to have computers and instant messaging etc now.

 

[Kitty 34]

If we had computers back in the "olden days", I would definetly kept up with friends more as I moved to Chicago and Colorado from my little town.

 

[bumcat]

I have been with the same co. for 26 yrs. I deal with around 120 nursing home facilities which means I am in contact with that many or more office managers.
What a pain it use to be to try and contact them by phone. I would leave message, they would leave messages, phones would be busy, etc.
Thank goodness for email!! It has made my job so much easier.

 

[Marla Hellwig]

Typing all of those college papers would have been so much easier -

 

[Towncrier]

How did we men ever function without a remote!

We had an old black and white TV set in the 1960's that had a remote control. Of course, all it could do was change channels, mute commercials, and turn the TV on and off.

I want to know how I ever managed without a cell phone.

 

[ncligs]

Originally posted by Towncrier
I want to know how I ever managed without a cell phone.

Very true Towncrier..........and how about Genie's(garage door openers)??

 

[daughter_of_amid_chaos]

Mom I don't leave until August...It's too soon to get sappy...

 

[snuggles]

Moms reserve the right to be sappy at any time. Especially when her child is about to graduate from high school.
I would have saved a bundle on my phone bill if we had been able to use IM when dh was just starting teaching and I was still in college. It was before we were married and we would talk for hours at night. Ahh those were the days.

 

[dalepool]

Computersand internet---Bringing the WORLD a whole lot closer.

PattyN

 

[janette]

It's really been nice for our family. We are in much better touch than I think we would be otherwise. All 11 siblings and my parents use email and at least some internet. Others more than some

I've started a bulletin board for our family using ezboard.com and that has been an added bonus. I told them it didnt' seem right that I knew more about the day to day lives of some of my on-line friends than I did some of my family members. I haven't gotten everyone involved but it has been a good way to keep in touch with some of them. Just signed a few more up tonight so hopefully we'll all start using it more.

 

[AngieBelle]

I can hardly remember life before the internet! I don't know what I did with myself during the day. hehe. I think I just watched tv. The internet makes it so much easier to keep in touch with people. The year before my family first got it, I had bunches of penpals because I had my address printed on the fan letter page of a disney comicbook series. Most of those people I have since lost touch with because I couldn't keep up with all those letters. Also, I never had such good friends before the net. It makes it so much easier for a shy person like me to meet people. I have had the most awesome experiences because of people I met online! I got to meet and correspond with my favorite actress, Susan Egan. I can buy stuff I've wanted that hasn't been in stores for years. I've met people who share things in common with me that I've never had in common with people before. And internet research has rescued me with school projects on many occassions.