The Magic for Me in Technology

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Do I use Facebook? No. I did have an account to handle my music touring some years ago, but I have since placed my account into hibernation. Do I text and have one of those smart phones? No. I do have an old style flip phone style cell phone. I have sent one, maybe two, texts in my lifetime. Do I use the internet? Yes.

One thing that bothers me with today's technology is the preoccupation of time that people spend with them. For example, I am amazed at how many people I see conducting their everyday lives' activities where they are working on their smart phones, Ipads, or whatever they are (I seriously don't know what all these things are and what they do), and texting or whatever. I get upset by cars coming at me crossing over the center line because the driver is texting. Come on ... really?

I find magic in old technology. The hum of an old 16mm or 8mm movie projector showing home movies on an actual silver screen in the living room is magical to me. The heat off the projector bulb and the smell of the silver screen was a wonderful experience for me to behold. Those old automated electronic organs (Kimball, Lowrey, Hammond, etc.) with those analog and transistor sounds and auto-rhythms were magical to me. My long focus Sears refractor telescope from decades ago was magical to me -- no computer clock drive was magical to me. It is an 80mm f/15 design ... not even sure they make that kind of refractor much anymore. There was a certain aroma that these old telescopes emitted that I don't find in today's models. I miss using my Zenith Allegro 1000 stereo system from the 1970s that played vinyl records and 8-track tapes. That was magical to me. There are so many others, but this will do for now.

Sorry, I just wanted to rant and then reminisce.