I've been blessed with the ability to sing, act, stage manage, and write; learned to balance a checkbook and as Hilly sings in "On the Town," I Can Cook too," but ... I admit to being a technical "dummie," and the green-eyed monster lands on my shoulder whenever a friend brags about their absolutely brilliant, nerdy son, daughter or grandchild. The one they call whenever their computer does something that ties them up in knots.
When a problem and solution is nowhere to be found in Windows 10 or Microsoft Word for Dummies or scattered over several different chapters--well it could drive a person crazy (sorry Stephen Sondheim.) I am driven to making a cheat sheet and I passionately miss my old XP--it was so easy to find what I needed. Microsoft discarded the program because of age--isn't that discrimination?
I heard the new Office was much like the old XP--just prettier--but remember that old cliche, "pretty is as pretty does?" I suppose if this generation was my generation, I would love the games, the streaming, the music and the myriad choices of social networks but what is--is--and technology has opened a whole new world so each day I take a deep breath, open the "help" books, use the "Tell me what you want to know" feature, pick up a pad and pencil and adapt.
Finally managed to begin a new article, transfer stories and sold pieces to my new "friend," and try to climb the next mountain--transferring photos. Received gobbledygook when I tried to transfer photos from a CD-RW and while I can scan a photo, I can't transfer photos from my camera although the photos show in the little window on the printer and it reads PRINT. On my monitor a message appears asking whether I'm connected (doesn't that sound a bit like an insult?)
This week I will contact a member of the Geek Squad who will be--to me--this generation's answer to Sherlock Holmes. I will be relieved and my work will continue but I will also feel like a relic from a forgotten age. does anyone else ever get that feeling?
7 comments:
Haha. I feel like that every day, and get stressed when I update software or egads get a new computer. So many things don't transfer or no longer work. I lose best friends (programs that I spent hours learning and had become proficient in). Either that version no longer works and upgrading is like buying another computer, or that program is not longer available for newer computers. Sigh. I'm a slow, easily frustrated adapter. LOL. Life in the tech age.
I don't feel alone anymore, Sandy.
All I can say is I'm so grateful for my husband! LOL He's the techno-geek in our family, and it really helps to have one of those around in this day and age. :) If I had time to invest, I think I would love to study more about computers. I'm particularly interested in how people can hack them (not that I would, but more the how...I've always wanted to write a hacker character, but would feel WAY out of my depth there).
Anne Marie: Maybe you could co-write the book with your husband....
Oh my God, Sandy, you spoke to me
LOL I think I'm pretty savvy, but this is where I confess I'm terrified to update my PC because I'll have to accept Windows 10 as default! *WHY* do they have to keep moving stuff around just because they *can*?! It's a common cry from my household :D.
I feel like I'm on the hunt half the time. Just spent half an hour trying to download a public domain photo. I just know the minute I learn everything I need, a new windows will appear.
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