I Love My Computer

I have to admit, it sure wasn’t ‘love at first sight’ when I sat in front of a computer for the first time. It was a treat for myself from a Boxing Day sale and it seemed real cheap so somehow I convinced myself to take the plunge and ‘computerize my life.’

A SCARY BEGINNING:

It was really difficult at first trying to figure out how to make the computer do things for me. I guess I was just plain intimidated by the computer screen and all the options that continually appeared on it. I suppose that comes with bursting on the computer scene late in life.(in my fifties).

HOW BOOKS SAVED ME:

Thank God I love to read. Also, I am very grateful for the entire series of books “computers for dummies.” These computer books at least gave me a start in the world of computers and I truly believe I would still be lost had it not been for them. I would recommend to any computer ‘newbie’ that a lot of reading be done instead of wandering aimlessley in and out of the dark corners of the world wide web with no real starting point.

YOU NEVER HAVE TO BE LONELY:

One of the greatest gifts of computers is that you are instantly connected with the rest of the world. You never have to be truly alone if you are in the mood for conversation. There are ‘forums’ for everything one could imagine. Forums where you can chat with people from all over the world who share your interests. I tried once to see if I could find something that did not have a forum up and running. Its pretty hard. You can take any make or model of car and there will be a car club or forum somewhere that discusses that car. Even my old beat up ‘91′ Firefly. I could not believe it. You want to talk about chess, stamps, hunting, women, sex, cooking, bird watching or anything else you can think of, its out there. Amazing!

SEARCHING MADE EASY:

The biggest single gift of the computer as far as I am concerned is the information highway. Using a search engine is truly a remarkable experience. Sure, many of us take it for granted, but I believe there are still those out there who are not clear on the concept. They ask me things like, “do you know when the date of this is?” Or, “do you know where I can buy a widget?” Or, countless other questions that are just at their own fingertips. They are just not clear on the concept of using the key words in their search. Most likely their search engine will come up with hundreds or even thousands of hits on just what they want to know. Several times I have even come up with prescription medications that I could try for certain ailments and my doctor had to read up on them. We would try them and they would work!