[ale] [OT] IT Nostalgia

[Lightner, Jeff]

The OP’s original point mentioned loss of “magic”.   To me that is EXACTLY the point in technology.   It allows everyone to do things that were previously restricted to only a few “wizards” by dint of the expense or specialized knowledge required to be able to do them.

I don’t think that is a bad thing.

Besides which – those of us who know the technology behind all these mundane tasks others can do have now become the “wizards”.

Years ago I worked in hotels and in the first hotel I worked at they had an electric (not electronic) cash register with a hand crank to use if the power went out.   All the guest accounts were handwritten.   Over the years hotels progressed first to electronic systems that would store totals for balancing and then to full-fledged computerized systems that post, store and print guest accounts.   It often amazed me in later years of that career how often people around me would act like the world had ended because “the computer is down”.   My question to them was always:  Do you think hotels didn’t run before the advent of computers?

Computers are tools that make life easier.   When I first sat down at DOS 2.0 running Lotus 123 version 1A to make a spreadsheet to replace the manual posting ledger sheets they’d had me doing in accounting I was hooked on computers but they never made me forget that they are things to help me do my job just like the pen/pencils/paper I used before.

From: ale-bounces at ale.org [mailto:ale-bounces at ale.org] On Behalf Of Jim Kinney
Sent: Sunday, February 24, 2013 10:57 PM
To: Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts
Subject: Re: [ale] [OT] IT Nostalgia

I give modern farming another 20 years before it's totally automated on a large scale. Large combines already use GPS and laser sigting for maximizing irrigation. It's only one more step to remove a driver.

Many old school crafts are facing a small resurgence of interest. Maker groups and artist conclaves are the hot spots of hand forging and wood working and community gardens are flourishing.
On Sun, Feb 24, 2013 at 6:58 PM, Damon L. Chesser <damon at damtek.com<mailto:damon at damtek.com>> wrote:
On 02/24/2013 06:38 PM, Phil Turmel wrote:
On 02/24/2013 06:15 PM, Justin W Elam wrote:
How many more professions are becoming lost arts due to digitalization and
technology?
Buggy whips, anyone?

I was going to say that, but since you beat me to it, how about corn harvesting, or planting, grain milling, wood planing, mining, metal working, etc etc.


Phil





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