I had just start reading an article about Google Wave ( O'Brien: Google Wave Is like e-mail, only way more complicated ). When I read the introduction, I had to smile a little bit:
“In 1989, I was working for the student newspaper at Duke University as news editor. An engineering professor came up to our office with what he claimed was a story of great magnitude. He told me a fantastic tale about how an administrative glitch had cut off the faculty from something called the "Internet" and they could no longer access their "electronic mail."
I had no idea what he was talking about…”
1989! Only twenty years ago there was people in Universities that did not know what the Internet was. It is already several years ago that I would not be able to do my work if the Internet access was cut of. But it is not only the Internet.
My daughter is now four years. It just hit me that there is a lot of things she will never experience, and maybe only read about or see in a museum:
- Cassette tapes. She has never seen one. But she is playing CDs in her room, so it is not that bad. You know, she could have gone straight to MP3 player…
- Film. Missed that one as well. It is all digital. Even displaying the pictures is done on the TV in the living room, so she also misses the joy of a dias projector. That was fun. You always had to wait an hour before the family genius had set up the equipment. At least my daughter still can enjoy watching pictures upside down and sideways.
- VHS or Mini-DV. She might have seen a VHS cassette, because I have some stored away in the closet on top of the player itself. Even my camcorder is storing the video directly on a memory card.
- The polar ice cap. Well, I have never experienced that one myself either, but when I grew up it was at least there…