“I’m not going to do that!”

It all started innocently enough. I consider myself to be both technologically literate and a responsible member of the cyber community. In this household we have an internet connection, two computers, two smart phones and an ipad. Our friends and relatives are spread far and wide, we are not as mobile as we once were, and especially in this time of quarantines and isolation, it’s safe to say that we interface with the world as much through technological devices as through in-person, face-to-face interaction.

I also like to tinker with technology, a tendency that led me into a career of helping others, especially teachers or teachers in training, to use techology as a tool of their profession and to enhance their own lives. I have been retired for twenty years now, but I still try to keep up with the technological universe. Part of that job has always been keeping my phones and my computers up-to-date, secure and safe.

I live in a community of seniors. Many of them have simply given up on any heavy use of smart phones or computers, and perhaps the majority of these folks complain often of the problems they have connecting to the internet, printing something right, or using a particular piece of software. I have also heard a few scary stories from seniors about being scammed or hacked. I thought I knew quite a lot about avoiding hacking and scamming. Rules like “Don’t click on that link if you aren’t sure it is safe,” and “Don’t pay any attention to that threatening phone call from the alleged government representative.” are second nature to me.

Imagine my total surprise and shock, then, when I was hacked, scammed, and came within an inch of being taken for $10, 499. In looking back at the events of the past several days, I can see how I was being led, partly by my own willing participation, just like cattle to slaughter. And while the saga is fairly drawn out and complex, I decided that I wanted to put it on record for any benefits that might accrue to me from writing it or to some reader.

Tech for Me

I love technology. I always have. I love technology like marathon runners and rock climbers love physical exertion. Like politicians and fast traders love money. Today I am indulging my passion over coffee and a cream cheese bagel at Panera. I am attempting to write a blog post using only my iPhone.

Up until now I have been using my laptop to do this. WordPress is my blogging platform. It’s like a combination of a word processor and web publisher. With WordPress you just type up your article, and then with a press of a button, you send your article to the Internet. Then people can see what you’ve written and respond to you. And you can talk back to them about the topic. That’s blogging in a nutshell, and the community of bloggers is called the blogosphere.

On Computer Maintenance

Warning: this blog post is long, it may sound to some like a rant or self-advertising, but I assure you that there are a few morsels of “wisdom” to chew on herein.

I love my computer. I see my computer as a part of myself, indeed, a part of me that extends and enables me in nearly countless ways. And <<blush>> I actually feel more at ease with my computer than I do with people, generally speaking. People who know me, though, know that I am no introvert or anti-social misfit. So here is the story.

Reading Zero History

“She watched as he sank instantly into whatever it was that he did on the Net, like a stone to water. He was elsewhere, the way people were before their screens, his expression that of someone piloting something, looking into a middle distance that had nothing to do with geography. p. 179, Zero History

New World of Social Networking

A lot of my contemporaries register reservation, frustration or even contempt for the evolving world of cyberspace. For example, in one social group that I belong to, the median age is about 75. We meet monthly. A couple of the members have just given up on even email. Others struggle bravely with Google, cell phones, or even online commerce. Crashed computers, online failures, and virus problems are rife. Just a few, mostly dragged there by their middle-aged children, are registered facebook users.

I am widely known as a computer guru, but that is quite far from the truth. I really don’t have a quick answer to most problems that people have. Rather, it’s more like, me and computers, we are as close as my index and my flicking finger. Most people see computers as unpredictable. Whaa?!! I see people as unpredictable. Computers I can figure out. I like to have staring contests with computers, I hate that with people.

Adding a Drum Track

For starters, let me just admit that this is a blatant brag on the Macbook Pro and Apple’s OneToOne system of instruction. When tech gurus debate the pros and cons of Apple vs. Windows, rarely do I see it said that what you get with each Mac computer is about $3000 worth of free integrated, ready-to-use, and intuitive software. Since this blog post could quickly disintegrate into boring technominutae, let me just make the brag very easy to understand.

My vocalist, Heidi, and I have built a home recording studio and produced a demo CD using this Mac and the tools to do it cost less than $500. You can hear the quality of these recordings at our FaceBook page, Just in Time: Heidi and Jim.