Interview

                                        Computers.

Computers have been around for a while, and it seems with each year they are more and more versatile in what they can do. However, if you are a baby boomer, this may not be the case. You may see a computer as a foreign object.

I interviewed my dad who has only had about three computers his whole life. He started with a computer in the nineties because he needed one for his business, he was a manager at a family run drug store. He used the computers to help keep track of bills and finances. Not anything else. I remember the first computer we got at our house. It just sat in the corner and did nothing. Sometimes we would play games on it, but most of the time it was just off. It was big box computer with only a black screen with green letters when you typed. He didn’t remember the brand, maybe Macintosh. He wasn’t sure.

He didn’t see the use for a computer and spent the last 20 plus years living without technology, except a TV. My mom got a computer (laptop) which is a Toshiba, and he didn’t see the point. She was excited to use it with Quick books, but he preferred his paper and pencil, and checkbook ledger way of doing bills. He still refused to do online banking; he only does because my mom talked him into it. He still does his bills with the checkbook ledger.  

Over the last few years, he has learned to use a smartphone. He still does not know how to use it entirely, and he can only send a few words in a text message. He only feels the phone should be used if he is not home or for an emergency. He does have a kindle, and he does love it. He likes to read books on it.

We did talk about the use of computers and how different it is that my generation and those younger are doing so much with technology. Pictures are one phone and computers, we don’t hold them anymore or must wait to get them developed. Everything is done on the internet. If you need to know something you can google it, or if they go on vacation they plug in their gamin, and off they go. It is amazed at how long we got along without these items before the nineties. We also discussed that all he needs in a computer is something that is very simple, whereas most of us would need storage, wifi, internet, office, etc.