What's it all about?

Why am I writing a blog?  Good question. Maybe I think I have something to say, but you'll be the judge of that. I am a 50 something year old guy, so I've seen some things in my life time. I am hoping I am two thirds of the way through life. Hence, my blog name. Time will tell on that one. I have worked around the world, travelled a lot, have dozens of friends from these travels and may have some interesting stories to tell. Some stories may inform, some amuse, in the end, you'll decide.


I follow quite a few blogs, the majority are younger folks (like my kids age)  Most I can relate to, I surely remember what it was like to be in my 20's and 30's.  But can my blog be topical and relevant to folks today? I guess I will find out.


An amazing amount of things have changed in my lifetime. When I discuss most of these changes with my kids and grandkids, they always have an amused look on their face. I may be older than I think.


So, what's changed?  Seems like just about everything.

Creature comforts we take for granted today
Since I grew up in the 60's, and what life was like just a half century ago, how about this trip down memory lane:

Air conditioning circa 1950's

• No air conditioning- we didn't get our first window unit until I was in high school. I lived in the finished attic space with my brothers and it was hot as hell in the summer, freezing cold in the winter. Summers were really survival mode and I remember having a big fan I found in the neighbors trash going full speed. I still like sleeping with the noise of a fan to this day. My kids complain if it's hotter than 75 degrees in the house

• No credit cards, debit cards, direct deposit or ATM's - My first job with a real company paid us weekly. I remember getting a manila envelope with all the hours and tax information written in pencil. Inside the envelope was cash. No wonder you always read about small companies in those days being robbed of their payroll. I remember going to the bank and making cash deposits every week when I got paid. . You could pay your utility bill at the bank. Now I travel with no money all around the world. A few weeks ago, I left for Asia with less that $20 cash. I think I got home two weeks later with all the cash .
• Our tv was black and white and got four channels. I remember my dad got this plastic overlay that you taped on the tv screen that made it appear to be color. It was blue on the top portion and green on the bottom, maybe amber in the middle. So, if you watching a show that had outdoor scenery, the sky looked blue and grass green. Otherwise, it didn't work so well.  Our color tv came much later. There was no remote control, you had to get up to change the channel which was ok since you were also always screwing around with the antennae. Now you have 200 channels and it doesn't seem like tv is any better.

Soft Porn, Sears Style

 Our version of the internet was the Sear's Catalogue. We used to fight over it when a new one came out. I would spend hours looking through it. I hardly remember our bathroom growing up without a Sears catalogue on the toilet. Did you know you could buy a house from Sears and have it delivered to your lot? There still thousands of these houses around the US. 

For some reason I liked the women's underwear section. What 12 year old boy wouldn't?

No computers, no internet, no cell phone.

• I was an early computer adopter (I worked for a Manufacturing company and we made a pc in 1984) I started using the internet in 1993, I used email first during a two year stint in Europe and stayed in touch with my then girlfriend using Compuserv. Before that, it was the US mail. If it was urgent, a telegram was sent. There was no broadband so you used dial up
• Ten years ago, when I started working from home, the only access to email was by dial up modem. I used to log onto work and wait 45 minutes while my email downloaded. We got broadband a couple years later, what a difference!
• I used to carry a laptop around Europe in the late 80's made by Compaq. It was basically a desktop with a handle and weighed maybe 30 lbs. I have a funny story about what happened to that computer and will post later.
• My first cell phone in 1988 was a "bag phone" made by Motorola. It came is  small brief case and was analog not digital. Reception was spotty but in 1988 you really felt like a secret agent or something. 
• Before a cell phone, when travelling, I had a pager, after getting a page, you would use a calling card in a public phone to ring up my secretary.  She would update me with any messages. Remember phone booths? I have a funny story about trying to make a call once in France, I'll post that later.
• There was also no microwave ovens, compact disks ( we had record players, remember them) etc

Well, you get the picture. I could go on and on (and probably will in future blogs) but lots has changed for sure. Even in the last decade or so, technology has really accelerated in impacting our every day lives. I think the internet, as it is today, is the most significant technology event in my lifetime. It is the greatest learning tool ever made. I'll expand on that in a later blog. So what's changed since you were a kid that makes your life different or easier?