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Electronics? Who needs them?

By
Home Inspector with Burel and Associates, LLC

About an hour ago I received an email on my Blackberry. I read through it and placed a call (on my Blackberry) to reply to the mail. I arrived at the office, used my index finger on the scanner lock to fire up my computer, pressed play on my Ipod and logged on to the world wide web. Scanned and faxed a document, used my 5.8Ghz cordless phone to call an out of state associate via my VoIP. I have just now finished burning 122 pictures of Christmas for my mother and......................wait, wait, wait.

Who needs electronics? Me, you, him, her...................us! As we close out yet another year I started to realize some of the things that helped me get to where I am today. We are in a disposable generation, $79.95 for the first hour to repair a DVD player........$54.99 for a new one. We don't even realize when new, faster, better, smaller and more powerful things come along, we just buy them. We are creatures of habit. Here are a few things to remind us of times passed. 

 

The Beeper. Not a pager. A Beeper. If you don't remember, they called it this for a reason. "Oh that was two beeps. Call mom". Then you scrounge up some change and haul ass to the next item.

Beeper

The Pay Phone. This was your contact. Like a drug dealer on the corner, you push him some money and he returns with the product. Occasionally abused, kicked, slammed and whacked on the side but a friend none the less. Have you ever torn apart your car to finally find that quarter that seemed to have a God like light emitting from it?

pay phone 

We prayed to the phone gods and they delivered. The bag phone. The first bag phones need a second mortgage to purchase and maintain the .85 cents a minute charge. Besides the fact that you go coverage best when you were parked under one of the two towers in your state.

bag phone

The gods answered once more and this produced..........The mobile phone. Big as a small toaster but impressive to the chicks man.

cell

And last but not least...............The Portable Personal Computing Device. If you had the cash and the back to lug around 48 lbs you were the man. With 4MHz processor, 64kb of memory and 5mb of hard drive, how could you go wrong.

old pc

Raj Rajpal
Wells Fargo Home Mortgage - Staten Island, NY
NMLSR448051
we spend to much time on the time saving devices Some of them do help with productivity
Dec 28, 2007 05:30 AM
Chris Duphily
A2Z Home Inspections - Stroudsburg, PA
Stroudsburg PA Home Inspector

.

What, no love for the tape recorder? ;) 

I worked for a summer when I was 11 yrs. old just so I could buy a black and white tv for my room. I was elated to get a tape recorder for christmas that same year.

I played pong as a child .... now kids have computers, PS 3, Xbox 3060's - all $300 - $2,000

They definitely save time but I got through college with my trusty type writer with no problem.

Nice post. 

Jan 03, 2008 01:08 PM
Bob White
Woodland Home Inspections - Cartersville, GA

I got to carry one of those backpack portable comuters around with me as I flew from city to city to repair / test medical devices....

A backpack computer and a bright yellow toolcase on hand trucks.  Wearing a suit and tie.

I thought I was the bomb back then.

Now I crawl under houses for a living.......

Oct 24, 2008 06:22 PM