This morning, I went shopping for a new external hard drive for my business. It is amazing how I now have run out of space on a hard drive that I once considered to be the master of space---- a year ago. What do I say when I look at my old hard drive? "Clunker." "Junk." "Busted." "Time to go." This is because I am just as much a part of today's "buy and bye" culture as our kids. As a teacher, it would be an embarrasment --and my professional suicide, not to keep up with them. So I have been keeping up (or at least I think I have!) with the latest technology: scanners, Photoshopping (notice the capital P here), and of course, blogging. I am also always working on building presentations for my students, because this is how my digital natives learn best. Paper and pencil were ripped and broken, respectively, in the 1980s. The only time they are used today is for testing.
I remember a time when my parents used to keep every old electronic thing-- just in case the parts became useful for something new. Today, people toss things away like used coffee spoons. (Important to mention, my mother has a hard time even throwing away plastic spoons. She puts them in the dishwasher, and reuses them.)
I felt alone and unsure of what I was going to find when I walked into the local hip-tech amusement store- what I call the Worst Buy mega-electronics-store. I found the correct aisle, and as I was examining the external hard drives for my needs, I noticed that many of them had increased quite a bit in memory capacity since I last purchased one. I felt a sense of awe and excitement come over me! "Back with the program again!" I thought. I can do anything with more memory! These hard drives were 320GB, and 500GB. Wow! More than anyone would ever need! I grabbed the 500GB for around $100. I even thought that was a fantastic price for such a bundle of memory.
Then, a teenage boy with one of the storeblue vests seemed to turn, look, and run my way. All smiles. Oh dear!
He shouted over at me, "You know, I wouldn't spend my money on that. For the same money you could have one tera, and you could be having so much more FUN!"
I thought, "What a smart ass." "How does he know I am into that?" I thought that "OneTera" sounded like the name of yet another GAME.
I replied, "I am not really into gaming."
In retrospect, for just that moment, all of my personal rules went out the window. I was the presumptuous smart ass. I left the store, and decided to hold off until tomorrow on buying the hard drive. I felt a sense of satisfaction that I didn't buy the hard drive before actually researching its reliability and reviews. "MORE points for me," I thought at the time. But, it was at this time that my thinking took a turn. I wasn't happy with how I responded to that kid. I wondered what "onetera" was, and my curiosity was eating away at me. I had serious doubts now, that this "tera" thing was a game.
I got in the car, and the rain kept on coming down. The weathergal was predicting flashbulbs in the sky all afternoon.
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I got back to my little comfort zone at the computer and dried my clothes and hair. The fact that I got so wet should have been a sure sign that I was a fool.
In a matter of teraseconds (which in real time I have since learned is appoximately 17 minutes), I managed to research the word "tera" at my computer, and found not only its definition, but its WORLD. I was convinced that someone decided to open this new age and not tell the dinosaurs of the giga era. The young little shaver at Worst Buy had thrown more than laughter in my face-- as I had known at the time. He had kept me from my own extinction.
Knowledge is the differential. I found out that a "terabyte" (for those who do not know-- like me) is 1,024GB. That is an amazing amount of memory! We have pushed into new territory. For those who think in terms of money, imagine: moving from a MEGA millions jackpot to a GIGA millions jackpot! THEN.... just when you thought you couldn't imagine any more money... along comes TERAmillions.
I say... "Who needs all of this?"
I feel like an old coffee spoon today. Please save me and run me through the dishwasher.
Eastern Standard Time: OLD FASHIONED Analog CLOCK
©2009 BLOG POST by Bella Joffre
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Comments
I do agree with the new world of today. Paper and pencil is just gone. Replaced by a keyboard and a monitor screen.
But yes, you are right. We use things and then toss them away. Things improve too quickly to make repair economical for electronics these days. monkey fingered.