In preparation for leaving for one year, we have had to cancel the TV/Internet bundle. Well, we do not miss the TV very much, but the internet is another ball of wax. I found myself running in to check something on the 'net' only to be reminded that the 'net' is unavailable. Talk about withdrawal! Panic set in quickly - questions about "how many emails need immediate attention and I cannot access the net?", " Where else can I search for answers if I cannot access the net?" and other questions plagued me.
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I had to think of places I could go to access the 'net'. there are many Internet Cafe's here in our town but the chance of a virus creeping in the back door and fooling my antivirus program and infecting my computer is a very real thing. So I went down to the Family History Center and used their connection.
We have gone to I-phones and for $20 per month, we have a "HOT-SPOT" connection, which I am using as I write this. Tricky thing to first try to use, but once we have the circuits figured out, it works really well. Ah, what a blessing to be able to be on the internet again. This Hot-Spot is downloaded or activated to Bill's I-phone, and then we fire up our computers, and hey presto, we have access to the internet. They tell us that we can access the internet anywhere we go that there is a Verizon Tower. We pray for the Towers!
Last year I was introduced to this wonderful technology when one of the patrons came into the FHC and he could not access the net on our system, so her took out his hot spot technology and was able to be on the net. He told me that he got this wonderful little gadget for his particular laptop so that he could do wonderful things online while tramping around a cemetery and he needed to copy down the info he found. I was fascinated with the prospect of being out in the city, away from our desktop and modem, and using my computer to access the net. How is it possible? Well, after we severed our ties with the land line, Bill began to think of getting the Hot Spot for our travel across the nation. At least we would not have to go to the public computer at the motel, or log into the Motel connection with its little warning popup message that our computer may be at risk using their open connection. Another aspect of Hot Spot use is that we would not have to contract with any local company for internet connection, but could just use our own connection through the phone.
I wonder what is coming next in Technology? Perhaps a computer that will type the blog for me while I just speak to it? Perhaps a device that will store my thoughts for me so that I will not forget what it was I was thinking about - age has taken over and there is difficulty remembering why I went into a room to get something - why did I go there and what was I seeking? The I-phone will keep track of my daily appointments, tell me what time it is, what month and year it is, all my telephone numbers, tell me the temperature in the various cities that I have interest in, allow me to find where I am going in the car, acts as a walkie talkie from I-phone to I-phone with picture, provides time wasting games, allows access to the internet through Apple's 'Safari' so that I can check my email and a lot of other things that I don't know yet how to use. What did I do before we purchased the I-phone? Will our next phone do more? What?
Well, the technology age is here to stay and many wonders await us. In my wildest dreams I did not imagine such wonders.
Technology will figure greatly in our life during this next year - we may be using a Microfilm camera or even a digital camera to capture the images on the documents. Imagine! Imagine! Imagine! The technology age is here at my age and I am learning how to use it.
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