FEATURE
ISSUE 22 2012
Harking back on technology when life was simple Where our parents reminisce on their first memories of television - arguably the biggest technology accessory of their time – our generation is spoilt for choice. Some of us cherish the sounds of internet dial tones, the doorbell to another world. Others remember the fierce competitiveness of playing snake on their first cell phone, muttering the worst words they knew (bums! Poos!) when the snake took a bite out of itself. Where our parents get all bright-eyed hearing the rustle and pop of a loved vinyl, we steal and horde our music carelessly in MP3 format. Where older kids remember the anguish of recording over their favourite VCR, our generation hit up pirate bay to pillage and plunder. It’s a different world we live in, shiny and micro, but I think we all remember our first experiences with the revolution of the binary code. We asked debate contributors to reflect on their early computer experiences and we find the memories a varied, funny and vivid – highlighting how quickly time flies in the world of technology.
What is your first memory of using a computer?
What is your first memory of using a computer?
What is your first memory of using a computer?
My family got the internet reasonably late compared to my other friends, so I played a lot of old-school DOS games in my early computing days – Wolfenstein, Sim City 2000, and my personal favourite, The Legend of Kyrandia, which I recently tried to code on my laptop so I could play it again and crashed the hard drive...oops. In my defence, it did work for about a week, so I'm not a complete failure.
Possibly the first time I ever used a computer would be with my dad when I was around five years old. If I remember correctly, we were playing computer games together. Though (and it’s a big distinction) I can’t really remember if we were playing Toy Story or Duke Nukem 3D. Possibly even both. Irrespective of whether or not Buzz and Woody were blowing up pig cops, that’s how nearly all my memories of early computers play out – with someone else and games. Obviously these early experiences had a huge influence on me as even to this day my dad and I play video games together almost all the time. On the flip side, my first memory of using the internet is less pleasant. Somehow in my wisdom as a six year old I managed to open the dial up window to connect the internet and erase all the details for said internet connection (which of course were not written down anywhere). This meant, joyously, that we were without internet for the next week or so due to me actually managing to ‘delete the internet’.
I remember making friends with a boy at primary school just because he had the internet at home. Kind of stink, I know, but I was way too keen for the Cartoon Network official website. We would sneak onto the computer and have to make loud noises to drown out the sound of the dial-up connecting. However, I was the first one in my year to get a cellphone. I was extremely proud of that. My parents bought it for emergencies because we lived a long way from the school. It couldn’t text, had three ringtones and was the size of a brick. I’d always get it out and pretend I was talking on it when really I was just checking how much credit I had.
What is one bit of technology you couldn’t live without? Sad to say it, but my iPhone. And I didn't even want one a year ago. Now I wouldn't be able to function without it telling me what to do. Especially since I crashed my laptop (see above answer), I use it for everything. It's very rare to not be able to contact me, which is good and bad at the same time. I also have a heart attack every time I fumble it, which is a lot. iPhones aren't made for clumsy people, but so far I'm prevailing!
By Alanna Caveney.
What is one bit of technology you couldn’t live without? What is your first memory of using a computer? My earliest memory of using a computer was when I was around four or five years old. I used to spend Friday nights with my uncle and to pass the time I would watch him playing computer games. As I recall, I would plead with him to let me play too. On one occasion, he finally gave in and taught me how to ‘kill the ugly monsters’ in the game Doom. Thus began my transition from a typical play outdoors type of kid to a video game geek. Friday nights became computer game night, which stuck for a very long time.
What is one bit of technology you couldn’t live without? I like to believe that I am able to live without technology but the truth is that I cannot go a day without using my laptop. Everything I do is on my laptop from watching movies to writing
I would like to make this answer super easy and just say my phone as it’s for texting and calling and blah, blah, wank, wank. But no, it’s my laptop. Simply because it has all my university work on it. Don’t fret, it’s backed up externally; but nonetheless if my laptop were to spontaneously be crushed by a 400 pound ox, my life would become incredibly difficult incredibly fast. Mainly due to the fact that my surplus of spare laptops (that still function) is oddly low…..
By Kieran Bennett
blog posts and e-mails. Of course, there’s also studying and university work. I’ve become so used to using my laptop for taking notes that I now struggle to keep up when taking notes on paper. Whilst my typing speed has increased, my writing speed has decreased quite significantly,
16
What is one bit of technology you couldn’t live without? This is a funny sort of question because most technologies have converged into the same thing. Nobody needs a ghetto blaster on their shoulder anymore because they can just pump out some cool as Nicki Minaj beats on their cellphones. Having said that, my iPod is probably the only thing that keeps me sane on the bus coming into uni. Whenever I forget it at home, I feel lost and confused. It helps pass the time listening to music. The best thing to do is stare out the window and pretend you’re in a music video. Number one song to do this with is Young Blood – Naked and Famous.
By Scott Moyes
which isn’t very helpful come exam time. This attachment is such that if I can’t access my laptop, I’ll use my smartphone instead since it allows me to do the same things while on the go. With such advances in technology these days, and the attachment people have to them, it’s a real wonder how people thirty years ago studied, having to conduct research in libraries using actual books.
By Dhayana Sena