69 Ways Technology Makes Your Dumberer

If you cup your hand over your ear and listen carefully you can hear the echoes of my barbaric yawp and the sound of the sledge hammer upon the remains of my computer.

Listen closely and you can hear my maniacal laughter and then run far, far away because the end of the world is at hand. No, it is not the zombie apocalypse it is just the ranting of a man who has been pushed too far.

The line has been crossed, the chip has been knocked off of my shoulder and the dogs of war have been unleashed. Yeah that is me in my chariot following after the hounds of hell and we are wreaking havoc for no other reason than technical difficulties.

Technology Has Made Me Dumberer

I wanted to start by providing some math problems for you to solve.  It was going to be this cool little exercise in which you’d solve several equations and we’d reach our 69 reasons but then I remembered that very few people can do these exercises without the help of a calculator or computer.

Blame that insight upon the person at the store who couldn’t figure out how much change to give me when the register didn’t work. The bill was for $4.98.

I handed them a $10.

When the screen didn’t light up and present them with the answer for how much change to give me they just stood and stared at me, slack jawed and at a loss for words.

I watched him pull out his phone to use the calculator function so that he could give me my change and I tried not to shake my head. Technology hasn’t killed my basic math skills but it has killed my penmanship and I don’t know telephone numbers like I used to.

Technical Difficulties Are What Pushed Me Over The Edge

I used to the person who would crush you in Trivial Pursuit because I am good at remembering all sorts of information. That same ability is why I didn’t need a telephone book because if I called you once I remembered your number.

But somewhere during the past few years things changed and I dialing numbers because I punched in your name or touched your picture and the phone did the rest.

And the reason I spent time screaming today was because several technical difficulties took place not just consecutively, but concurrently and I was unable to complete my tasks.

Simple things that should have taken a couple of moments took far longer and I couldn’t do anything about it. Couldn’t dial a number I didn’t remember and a lack of net access meant I couldn’t look it up.

And Then The Blog Broke

Just when I thought I had weathered the storm the blog broke.

Perhaps it is more accurate to say it was already broken, a piece of it, that is. The Archives here aren’t working the way they are supposed to and I am not sure how long it has been down.

It is frustrating and sort of embarrassing.

There is a possibility that it is a new development and that it happened when I updated a plugin or changed a couple of things here. It is possible that no one has seen it, but it is also possible they did.

It is possible that someone tried to flip through the pages here to read older posts and discovered they could not because it is broken. That troubles me.

I am working on fixing it and hope that it gives me less trouble than some of the other issues.

But it is also a good reminder about why we need to poke around our blogs to make sure they don’t have any issues. And now if you’ll excuse me I am off resume trying to fix what is broken here.

Now if I can only remember the telephone number of that guy…

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By Joshua Wilner

Hi, I am Josh Wilner and I am happy that you have decided to visit my corner of cyberspace. I am a writer/marketer/friend and family man. My professional background includes more than twenty years in working with businesses to help them do a better job of connecting with their existing and prospective customers. More specifically I have worked with companies of all sizes from the Fortune 500 to the new start up to help them build, develop and grow their social media and marketing plans. I love spending time with my family and friends. I enjoy music, reading, writing, playing sports and laughing.

10 comments

  1. If tech were easy, I wouldn’t have a blog. If tech were tougher, I wouldn’t have a blog either. I broke my blog too. Thank goodness for Kim Castleberry. I locked myself out, even my dashboard was a white screen.
    I have a post written on this topic that I plan to publish soon and continue the conversation. In some ways tech has made us much smarter. In others, well, not so much…

    Reply
    1. TheJackB – Someone complained that this page doesn’t tell you what to expect to find here in this blog so I aim to rectify this with the next line. I am a father who writes about life, parenting, business, politics and fiction. I don’t use an editorial calendar because I don’t map out what I am going to write that far in advance. The primary focus will be on things that relate to children and parenting. But the nifty thing about that is that encompasses a wide range of things. Sometimes I work with companies on their PR/Marketing efforts. If they provide products or services I will disclose it. Here is an incomplete list of companies that I am currently or have recently worked with: Nintendo, Philips Norelco, Subway, Frigidaire and Mattel. Want to know more about me, keep reading. If I wanted to provide a professional description it would looks similar to this: Jack has a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from California State University Northridge. He has been writing for print and web publications for more than twenty years, covering a wide range of topics including: business, technology, parenting, politics, education, sports and religion. That is far too serious so I prefer to use something like: The Jack B. is a writer and author of 39 unpublished books and three screenplays. A former athlete and would be superhero he still fights for truth, justice and the American Way. Though he may look like a grown man, don’t fool yourself he is still a boy at heart. When he is not engaged in Walter Mitty like fantasies he is a husband, father and friend and blogs at TheJackB. Hmm…obviously I have since moved from Random Thoughts over to this place, but that is ok. This page is a work in progress which is a good description for me. I’ll probably tweak this on a regular basis so feel free to keep checking back in because you never know what might show up. I am a prolific writer and update frequently so don’t forget to scroll down the page to see what nugget of wisdom you just might have missed. Here is a short selection of posts to get you started. A Father Describes Parenting A Father’s Burden How Sister’s Helped to Train A Father of “Daddy’s Girl” Inside the Blogger’s Studio- A Dream, Er Nightmare The GermoPhobe What I Dream About I am In Love Becoming a Dad Dad’s Most Important Job A Decade of Dad Grandpa Donuts Why Your Post Sucks and Everyone Hates Your Blog A Letter To My Children- Things That Matter A Letter To My Children-2011 Dad Balances Fear Versus Reality Q&A With Daddy Blogger JackB Save The Last Dance For Me- 75 Years of Marriage An Uncertain Certainty Four Generations & A Wedding The Best Thing My Father Ever Said To Me 1 Foolproof Way To Become a Better Writer The Story Of A House- The Final Days He Died A Hero Twenty-Five Links That Will Make You A Better Writer/Blogger Thanks for coming by, I hope you like it. If you want to reach me use the contact form or try talk-to-jacknow-at-gmail-dotcom You can also find more information by clicking About Me and reading my profile there. Also, I encourage you to sign up for my newsletter using the form on the top right hand side of the page.
      Joshua Wilner/A Writer Writes says:

      wonderoftech Hi Carolyn. I haven’t locked myself out yet, but I fear that is coming. 😉
      Your blog is always a pleasure because you actually provide real information. Makes me crazy sometimes to read some of the others that provide regurgitated fluff that they culled from other places, but that is a post for a different day.

      Reply

      1. Joshua Wilner/A Writer Writes Thanks so much, Josh. That means a lot coming from you. 🙂

        Reply
  2. lori – Canada – I love figuring it all out and finding I was wrong, changing my mind, learning that I can get excited again about something I thought I was moving away from; changing life-long habits. Mostly I love my husband and my children; watching us all grow through the changes of life, family reunions and celebrations with a good bottle of port and a shrimp ring.
    Lori says:

    Ah Josh, I sympathize with you. Technological problems are SO frustrating! It is sad how people don’t know how to give change back, how to count it backwards into your hand from the amount due to the amount you gave them. It’s so easy but instead we all trust that the machine calculated it correctly and dumbly go our own ways.
    I’m having fun challenging my brain. I don’t program numbers into my phone but then I don’t  use a cell phone. I challenge myself to remember. It’s actually fun 🙂
    Good luck fixing the blog. I’ve discovered some of my comments are missing from old posts – one that I wanted to link to. I never would have noticed because I don’t tend to poke around. I guess we should.
    Lori

    Reply
    1. TheJackB – Someone complained that this page doesn’t tell you what to expect to find here in this blog so I aim to rectify this with the next line. I am a father who writes about life, parenting, business, politics and fiction. I don’t use an editorial calendar because I don’t map out what I am going to write that far in advance. The primary focus will be on things that relate to children and parenting. But the nifty thing about that is that encompasses a wide range of things. Sometimes I work with companies on their PR/Marketing efforts. If they provide products or services I will disclose it. Here is an incomplete list of companies that I am currently or have recently worked with: Nintendo, Philips Norelco, Subway, Frigidaire and Mattel. Want to know more about me, keep reading. If I wanted to provide a professional description it would looks similar to this: Jack has a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from California State University Northridge. He has been writing for print and web publications for more than twenty years, covering a wide range of topics including: business, technology, parenting, politics, education, sports and religion. That is far too serious so I prefer to use something like: The Jack B. is a writer and author of 39 unpublished books and three screenplays. A former athlete and would be superhero he still fights for truth, justice and the American Way. Though he may look like a grown man, don’t fool yourself he is still a boy at heart. When he is not engaged in Walter Mitty like fantasies he is a husband, father and friend and blogs at TheJackB. Hmm…obviously I have since moved from Random Thoughts over to this place, but that is ok. This page is a work in progress which is a good description for me. I’ll probably tweak this on a regular basis so feel free to keep checking back in because you never know what might show up. I am a prolific writer and update frequently so don’t forget to scroll down the page to see what nugget of wisdom you just might have missed. Here is a short selection of posts to get you started. A Father Describes Parenting A Father’s Burden How Sister’s Helped to Train A Father of “Daddy’s Girl” Inside the Blogger’s Studio- A Dream, Er Nightmare The GermoPhobe What I Dream About I am In Love Becoming a Dad Dad’s Most Important Job A Decade of Dad Grandpa Donuts Why Your Post Sucks and Everyone Hates Your Blog A Letter To My Children- Things That Matter A Letter To My Children-2011 Dad Balances Fear Versus Reality Q&A With Daddy Blogger JackB Save The Last Dance For Me- 75 Years of Marriage An Uncertain Certainty Four Generations & A Wedding The Best Thing My Father Ever Said To Me 1 Foolproof Way To Become a Better Writer The Story Of A House- The Final Days He Died A Hero Twenty-Five Links That Will Make You A Better Writer/Blogger Thanks for coming by, I hope you like it. If you want to reach me use the contact form or try talk-to-jacknow-at-gmail-dotcom You can also find more information by clicking About Me and reading my profile there. Also, I encourage you to sign up for my newsletter using the form on the top right hand side of the page.
      Joshua Wilner/A Writer Writes says:

      LoriHi Lori, I have been given incorrect change a couple of times recently which is part of what made me think of this post.
      It is easy to trust he machines, but I can’t do so blindly because sometimes things happen. I like your brain challenge, it is the kind of that helps keep you sharp.

      Reply
  3. Jayme Soulati Blogging at Soulati-'TUDE! – Jayme Soulati is a hybrid PR professional blending digital, content and social media marketing with core PR and message mapping. She is an award-winning professional blogger and author of Writing with Verve on the Blogging Journey.
    Soulati says:

    Uh-huh. Technology. The very sweet necessity we love to hate. Why? Because it’s evolving faster than lightening bolts in a rainstorm (took me a minute to find something fast).
    HATE when that happens, but then again, you’re a DIY’er and it’s bound to happen over and over again. Why? Because I am such an individual until finally I was wasting more time than being productive and knew I had to invest in the help. 
    Good luck finding that help, too. That could be the field to jump into, you know. Read a blog on Triberr last night about WordCamps. The guy became an expert coder and now attends WordCamps with all the cronies. Austin, Tuscon, your neck of the woods. 
    Just trying to help…now, can I find that blog post from last week i commented on? Oh, yeah, that’s broken…Heh…just teasin’ your ass ‘cuz you get so flustered and blustered.

    Reply
    1. TheJackB – Someone complained that this page doesn’t tell you what to expect to find here in this blog so I aim to rectify this with the next line. I am a father who writes about life, parenting, business, politics and fiction. I don’t use an editorial calendar because I don’t map out what I am going to write that far in advance. The primary focus will be on things that relate to children and parenting. But the nifty thing about that is that encompasses a wide range of things. Sometimes I work with companies on their PR/Marketing efforts. If they provide products or services I will disclose it. Here is an incomplete list of companies that I am currently or have recently worked with: Nintendo, Philips Norelco, Subway, Frigidaire and Mattel. Want to know more about me, keep reading. If I wanted to provide a professional description it would looks similar to this: Jack has a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from California State University Northridge. He has been writing for print and web publications for more than twenty years, covering a wide range of topics including: business, technology, parenting, politics, education, sports and religion. That is far too serious so I prefer to use something like: The Jack B. is a writer and author of 39 unpublished books and three screenplays. A former athlete and would be superhero he still fights for truth, justice and the American Way. Though he may look like a grown man, don’t fool yourself he is still a boy at heart. When he is not engaged in Walter Mitty like fantasies he is a husband, father and friend and blogs at TheJackB. Hmm…obviously I have since moved from Random Thoughts over to this place, but that is ok. This page is a work in progress which is a good description for me. I’ll probably tweak this on a regular basis so feel free to keep checking back in because you never know what might show up. I am a prolific writer and update frequently so don’t forget to scroll down the page to see what nugget of wisdom you just might have missed. Here is a short selection of posts to get you started. A Father Describes Parenting A Father’s Burden How Sister’s Helped to Train A Father of “Daddy’s Girl” Inside the Blogger’s Studio- A Dream, Er Nightmare The GermoPhobe What I Dream About I am In Love Becoming a Dad Dad’s Most Important Job A Decade of Dad Grandpa Donuts Why Your Post Sucks and Everyone Hates Your Blog A Letter To My Children- Things That Matter A Letter To My Children-2011 Dad Balances Fear Versus Reality Q&A With Daddy Blogger JackB Save The Last Dance For Me- 75 Years of Marriage An Uncertain Certainty Four Generations & A Wedding The Best Thing My Father Ever Said To Me 1 Foolproof Way To Become a Better Writer The Story Of A House- The Final Days He Died A Hero Twenty-Five Links That Will Make You A Better Writer/Blogger Thanks for coming by, I hope you like it. If you want to reach me use the contact form or try talk-to-jacknow-at-gmail-dotcom You can also find more information by clicking About Me and reading my profile there. Also, I encourage you to sign up for my newsletter using the form on the top right hand side of the page.
      Joshua Wilner/A Writer Writes says:

      Soulati | Hybrid PR Yes, I like learning by doing and I broke the damn thing three more times today. I might do it again too, kind of fun.
      Me flustered? Never, wound up maybe, but not flustered. 😉

      Reply

  4. Hi Josh
    Funny…old school stuff.  Never had a calculator when I went to school or a computer.  We had typewriters that you had to push to type a new line.  Did not have a copy machine like they have today.  It had to be inked up to work.  Carbon copies were available. Last year of school it was a big thing they brought in 2 electric typewriters.  Didn’t like them at all, maybe it was because we were so used to pounding on the keys to get letters to print, that the electric ones would type out 4 a’s with our “light touch”.  But I know exactly what you mean, people just can’t seem to figure stuff out because they have always had a machine to do it for them.
    We do depend on what we have become accustom to and it does hinder us remembering things or doing that little extra thinking.  Hope you have solved all your problems.
    Mary
    Latest post: http://necessityofchange.com/lessons/fretting-over-your-purpose/

    Reply
    1. TheJackB – Someone complained that this page doesn’t tell you what to expect to find here in this blog so I aim to rectify this with the next line. I am a father who writes about life, parenting, business, politics and fiction. I don’t use an editorial calendar because I don’t map out what I am going to write that far in advance. The primary focus will be on things that relate to children and parenting. But the nifty thing about that is that encompasses a wide range of things. Sometimes I work with companies on their PR/Marketing efforts. If they provide products or services I will disclose it. Here is an incomplete list of companies that I am currently or have recently worked with: Nintendo, Philips Norelco, Subway, Frigidaire and Mattel. Want to know more about me, keep reading. If I wanted to provide a professional description it would looks similar to this: Jack has a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from California State University Northridge. He has been writing for print and web publications for more than twenty years, covering a wide range of topics including: business, technology, parenting, politics, education, sports and religion. That is far too serious so I prefer to use something like: The Jack B. is a writer and author of 39 unpublished books and three screenplays. A former athlete and would be superhero he still fights for truth, justice and the American Way. Though he may look like a grown man, don’t fool yourself he is still a boy at heart. When he is not engaged in Walter Mitty like fantasies he is a husband, father and friend and blogs at TheJackB. Hmm…obviously I have since moved from Random Thoughts over to this place, but that is ok. This page is a work in progress which is a good description for me. I’ll probably tweak this on a regular basis so feel free to keep checking back in because you never know what might show up. I am a prolific writer and update frequently so don’t forget to scroll down the page to see what nugget of wisdom you just might have missed. Here is a short selection of posts to get you started. A Father Describes Parenting A Father’s Burden How Sister’s Helped to Train A Father of “Daddy’s Girl” Inside the Blogger’s Studio- A Dream, Er Nightmare The GermoPhobe What I Dream About I am In Love Becoming a Dad Dad’s Most Important Job A Decade of Dad Grandpa Donuts Why Your Post Sucks and Everyone Hates Your Blog A Letter To My Children- Things That Matter A Letter To My Children-2011 Dad Balances Fear Versus Reality Q&A With Daddy Blogger JackB Save The Last Dance For Me- 75 Years of Marriage An Uncertain Certainty Four Generations & A Wedding The Best Thing My Father Ever Said To Me 1 Foolproof Way To Become a Better Writer The Story Of A House- The Final Days He Died A Hero Twenty-Five Links That Will Make You A Better Writer/Blogger Thanks for coming by, I hope you like it. If you want to reach me use the contact form or try talk-to-jacknow-at-gmail-dotcom You can also find more information by clicking About Me and reading my profile there. Also, I encourage you to sign up for my newsletter using the form on the top right hand side of the page.
      Joshua Wilner/A Writer Writes says:

      Mary Stephenson Hi Mary,
      I used an old Smith-Corona for a lot of my school work so I understand intimately the difference between that and an electric. White Out used to be my good friend.
      Slowly but surely I am getting the kinks worked out, just slow going but I am pretty good about sticking with things so…

      Reply

      1. Joshua Wilner/A Writer Writes Mary Stephenson  
        White out!  Never had that when I was in school the best you could hope for was that the eraser didn’t make a hole in your page.  LOL

        Reply

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