Skip to main content

Friday Family History: How Has Technology Changed Your Life?

Last night, I heated some pot pies in the oven (in honor of Pi day).  I explained that I could have microwaved them, but decided to use the regular oven instead.  John joked that I must have cooked them for 3 hours at 1400 degrees.  I explained to the kids that those jokes originated when the microwave debuted, as cooks across the world had to adapt to increasing cooking times when they cooked more. 
The kids, of course, don't remember pre-microwave life.  They don't remember the conversations around the dinner table, debating the safety of this new appliance.  

Similarly, I can only imagine the exciting conversation that took place in my parents' families when the outhouse was traded in for indoor plumbing.  If I had to choose between having a microwave and having indoor plumbing, I would definitely choose plumbing.

Our kids view the advent of the internet to be the most life-changing technological advance of their lifetimes.  

"Can you imagine writing a research paper without the internet?!"

Yes, I can imagine.  And I can even imagine having to type it on a typewriter, too.  

source

What advances in technology have made the biggest difference in your life? 
  

Thanks for microwaves, indoor plumbing, and the internet.



Photobucket
Sew Darn Crafty Party, Find a Friend Friday, Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop, Show Your Stuff, The Wildly Original Link Party, Wow Us Wednesdays, Down Home Blog Hop, Tuesday Archive Link Up, Linky Tuesday at Freemotion by the River, Grandparents Say It Saturday
The Creative Home Acre Hop,  Best Blog Post Ever, Grand Social,
Crafty Garden Mama

Pin It

Comments

  1. DebbieMarch 15, 2013 at 7:02 AM

    I think the internet. I have learned so much from just surfing and if I want to know about something, all I have to do is look it up. In addition to knowledge, friends (like you Kristi). I have made a lot of online friends who share the same passions as I do and are just so darn creative!

    ReplyDelete
  2. NancyMarch 15, 2013 at 9:02 AM

    My top three: GPS, the internet, and digital cameras.

    ReplyDelete
  3. ChristineMarch 15, 2013 at 9:05 AM

    Just last week in preschool we were talking about the letter T. I had a typewriter stamp, and stamped each of their papers with it. When I asked them what they thought it was, the only two answers I got were "computer" and "cash register".
    We still have the old outhouse on our property. I cannot imagine having to go out there each time, especially with the weather we've had this winter. Brrr.
    Computers and the internet have certainly changed lives. Funny how we see it as life-changing, but our kids don't even know of a time before they existed.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Cathy CMarch 15, 2013 at 9:12 AM

    CELL PHONES! I remember when I was 18 years old -- my friend and I took a trip half way across the country. Without cell phones or GPS! We had to actually use a map and stop at pay phones to check in with our parents. I can't imagine letting my 19 year old go that far with a phone or GPS. I would be so worried.

    ReplyDelete
  5. BiancaMarch 15, 2013 at 11:01 AM

    Number one for me would definitly be the Internet. I can stay in touch with people on the other side of the planet, visit places I will never see 'live' and re-visit places I did see 'live'.
    I also like the cellphone, because I now can call my hubby to hear where he is and he can call me when he wants to and not have to wait for a pay phone....
    I hardly ever use Gps, I'm still an oldfashioned map-girl. I love maps. Reading them, exploring them and set out routes with them. Although we use GPS when we are in the US (now we find motels much more easely) but I supervise with my map. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. JennaMarch 15, 2013 at 6:37 PM

    This week I have been scanning old photographs and I keep saying aloud, "That is so cool!" Every time I scan a collection of pictures, my printer/scanner/copier separates each image into an individual file. So easy!! I wrote a whole blog post on this because I thought of a lot!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Conversations are so much nicer when more than one person does the talking. :-) Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts; I'd love to hear from you!

Popular posts from this blog

Ten Things of Thankful: Live from Oregon, part 2

stock photo of old computer monitor When I was 10 or 11, I remember sitting next to my dad in our living room and reading computer code to him as he entered it into an Apple computer. We would finish the exercise and he would hit enter (or was it "run"?) and wait expectantly for the green type to appear on the screen. If we were lucky, the whole conversation would occur. Most often, there would be an error either in my dictation of the code, or in the typing of the code. We would then go painstakingly back through the lines, character by character, to find and correct the error. After what seemed like hours (and might have been), we would succeed and the computer would finally run the entire program. It was magical! My dad designed and built an earth-sheltered, passive solar home decades before solar panels were commonplace. He also was on a 9-month waiting list for a Prius, when hybrids were not seen on every street.  While my dad is definitely on the cutting edge of technol...
5 comments
Read more

Monday Mentions: Equate Crutches

Have you ever needed crutches? I hadn't, until a week ago.  I'm pretty sure I strained a muscle while running a half-marathon.  (That sounds kind of cool, doesn't it? I'm not actually that cool; the last time I strained a muscle it was from carrying too many shopping bags at once.) In any case, I found myself in need of some crutches. I sent my husband to the store to get some. Photo: A pair of crutches leans against a wall  Not that crutches are all that complex, but because I hadn't used any before, I wondered if I could figure out how to adjust them to fit me properly. I shouldn't have worried. John came home from Walmart with their generic store brand of crutches, complete with instructions. First, I needed to take out a long bolt that went through the hand grip. Then I needed to find my height range, push down two metal pieces, and slide the crutches until the little metal pieces came up in the hole near my height range. (Having two people for this...
4 comments
Read more

What a Wonderful World! (An #AtoZChallenge Post): Z is for Zion National Park

  Visitor Center sign in Zion National Park My husband recently re-retired, and we are front-loading travel. My #AtoZChallenge posts this year will explore our adventures--some pre-retirement, some post. Today's location: Zion National Park in Utah.  Zion is a bit of a shibboleth. People from outside of Utah (or those who are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) tend to pronounce Zion as "ZIE-on." Locals (or tourists who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) use more of a schwa sound, pronouncing Zion to rhyme with lion. However you choose to pronounce it, it is an amazing, beautiful national park and has some amazing hikes. The last time my husband and I visited Zion National Park, we entered from the east, and traveled through the mile-long Zion-Mt. Carmel tunnel. It is an engineering marvel, completed in the 1920s. Before we passed through the tunnel, though, we spotted a group of bighorn sheep, including some babies...
8 comments
Read more